Coopers IPA, HELP PLEASE

[guest5234]

I have a Coopers 1.7kg IPA kit, 500g extra light spraymalt, 500g medium spraymalt, a bag of fuggles hops...Question is please, how much hops should I addd to the 2 gallon boil? I like it not to bitter but I do like the taste and aroma of hops...and also would it be good to dry hop in fermentation cask after after say 4 days after initial fermentation has died down for aroma and at what rate please. last question safesale o4 ale yeast or the supplied yeast.
Thanks

[oxford brewer]

Use the safale-04.
How long are you going to boil for?I would add approx 20g and boil for 5-10 mins and perhaps dry hop with another 20g in the keg

[ColinKeb]

others would know better than me but i would think the kit itself would already be bittered to the right degree, if you want to add more aroma though you could add a few (15g?) at the end of the boil once you turn the heat off so they can steep for about 15 minutes or so . or as you say dry hop in the primary fermentation . not sure how good the yeast is in coopers kits but good luck anyway

[Hoppkins]

I can say the Coopers Special Reserve IPA is already excellently bittered.

My friend who is a real ale enthusiast commented "Its good but too bitter"

I like very bitter ales (as well as bitter coffees and such) so don't mind it. Adding more bitterness to this would probably be to it's detriment.

[guest5234]

Use the safale-04.
How long are you going to boil for?I would add approx 20g and boil for 5-10 mins and perhaps dry hop with another 20g in the keg

Thanks, I am brewing a Fixby Gold at the same time, could I start 2 starter bottles from the one safeale yeast to use in both brews.
cheers.

[guest5234]

Try 10-20 grams for 15 mins, this will add flavour, then you can either add 5-10 to the pot and allow them to steep as it cools or dry hop in the keg, you will get similar results (imo at least).

Thanks Daab, would you go safeale 04?

[oxford brewer]

Use the safale-04.
How long are you going to boil for?I would add approx 20g and boil for 5-10 mins and perhaps dry hop with another 20g in the keg

Thanks, I am brewing a Fixby Gold at the same time, could I start 2 starter bottles from the one safeale yeast to use in both brews.
cheers.

You could split the yeast and make 2 starter bottles,if you have another sachet of safale i would use that also!

[Hoppkins]

Always found coopers yeast excellent quality. Never failed me yet.

[guest5234]

Always found coopers yeast excellent quality. Never failed me yet.

Yes, they are good, but after using a safale 04 on my lasr Birby Bitter I was impressed with the subtle difference it made to the finished beer, I know the coopers yeast is a fast worker and can ferment out in a few days, just wondering if the Safeale would give a slower ferment and a better finished ale.

[oxford brewer]

Not sure it would be better beer,that depends on your taste!
Having never used Coopers yeast I cant make a comparison between the fermentation times,a lot of factors can change the speed of fermentation,for example how well the wort was aerated,temperature of the wort when pitching the yeast,not letting the wort get too hot or too cool when fermentation is happening,normally I try to keep the temp at 19c(A week last saturday i started a Brupaks ESB and it fermented at 21c and the yeast went mental,on the sunday morning, I removed the airlock for about 4 hours and let the yeast head spew out from the hole the rubber bung goes into until it had subsided).
If you have 2 fermenting buckets you could try a 3kg kit(any kit that has 2xtins of extract,something like a Muntons Gold IPA) and split the wort equally between the 2 and then use a different yeast in each,as they will ferment in the same conditions then any differences would be more likely to be determined by the yeast used!

[J_P]

just wondering if the Safeale would give a slower ferment and a better finished ale.

In my experience the safale s04 goes off like a rocket and carries on that way until primary is over. I'm not sure about the subtle taste differences as I've generally only used the stuff that comes with the kit or Safale. That said my current brew is fermenting with Safbrew T58 as I was hoping to compliment the EKG's and Bramling cross with the supposed spicy notes it gives a brew.

[Wauny]

I've started off this kit today, using 1kg DME instead of 500g DME/300g sugar. Was going to hop but circumstances didn't allow All peachy so far, OG 1.042, house kitchen smells nice

[Wauny]

Used the supplied Coopers yeast btw

[ade1865]

just had a little taster of my IPA that has been in keg for about ten days. Delightful! and the beauty of it is, I know its gonna get better. Might need to get another on the go sharpish, cos ther's a good chance this one won't go to term.

[ade1865]

Never leave a fermenter empty, think of it like a commercial aircraft, to get your moneys worth it needs to be in constant use

not much chance of that, its more like the expansion of Heathrow here at the moment. Got the Coopers special Ale bubbling along. Going to get another kit and another fermenter, and use the good spare fermenter with tap as bottling bucket til I get another pressure barrel. which will probabaly be this weekend