Christmas Gift: Muntons Hazy IPA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qJvdgUJVSExhbc6G9

I received a gift from a family member and figured I'd consult the group regarding how to proceed. The Muntins is a no boil kit and I'd like to avoid the dark LME results typical of these things. Reading Scott Janish and Dean Hume, preserving haze in IPAs seems to be related to the pH of the wort, with 4.6 being ideal. Is there a simple calculator to predict where to get that, LME and RO water?

Janish thinks higher ABV helps haze and I saved back some Lalemand Koln yeast from a kolsch I made as it has been reported to 'biotransform' hazys.

Any other hacks to upgrade this kit? Adjuncts? More hops? (It comes with citra and mosaic)

 

IIRC Janish isn't completely sure what element in the hops drives the pH changes. The Muntons kit is 'no boil' and I've read that adjusting the water might not be easy to calculate up front and the this kit has LME. With a reported final abv of a bit less than 5% in the kit if I wanted to follow Scott's advice to improve haze by boosting OG/FG at the same time I suppose I'd mix the LME with wort with a % of malted wheat instead of just water - and adjust the hops accordingly. Because of the way Muntons designed these kits they are virtually all dry hopped - I've always at least used a hop charge at FO before this. I'm pretty confident I can do an oxygen free transfer into a purged keg with a hop basket. I've been using the airlock outlet on my fermenters to the posts on a keg while running a vent line out to a jar of star san, then connecting a line from the spigot in the fermenter to the liquid line to keep it a closed system when I transfer and it seems to have worked for me the last couple years. Keg-to-keg transfers should be a breeze.

I could just make the kit as designed but really if I can escape the 'flabby' reviews of the kit since I've got to (maybe with some help) drink five gallons of it im willing to put in a little effort. I think it could be a help to those trying to elevate their extract brewing if they are heading to all grain. I was a little surprised to read (in Beer & Brewing mag) of some breweries integrating extract into their brews so it feels there is something to gain here.

Searching this subject will result in articles on preserving haze by manipulating wort pH, and some traffic in forums.

I have additional Citra and Mosaic that the kit already has measured out and if recommended some Amarillo to contribute.

 

Well of course there's a Brülosophy for that/this I dunno about a 7% NEIPA- like hazy but certainly good for thought. I found the exbeeriment interesting with his pH adjusted beer looked lighter in color unless that's just happenstance here.

He even mentioned 'flabby' beers.

I guess I'd have to calc a grain bill to get the ABV up and promote haze, mash an appropriate bit of wort - maybe a short boil with a hop charge at flame out then go on with dissolving the LME, topping off and adjust pH (4.0 is lower even than Janish advocates) 4.6-ish and go with an increase hop schedule based on OG (whatever I end up with).

 

I've read other homebrewery getting an OG of about 1.043 and the kit at around 4.9-5% abv which is nice although Janish thought something above 6% complimented a big dry hop.

I sort of wish I had wheat malt extract it would be simple. I've got whole wheat malt and a variety of other malts instead.

 

I'm thinking the same. I got the codes off the cans of LME in the Muntons kit and can't find a way to decipher them... there doesn't appear to be a publicly available database.

Reading their own advertising it seems they expect hazies to get the cloudiness from oats with no mention of wheat but I can't be 100% sure. So a short mini mash of 3 lbs malted wheat in a gallon of water - I can do that on a stovetop - sparge and a 20 minute boil with a hop stand/whirlpool - then proceed with the recipe pretty much as recommended by Muntons except adding more hops (= more 'biotransformation').

I'll be using my all-rounder for primary fermentation and initial hop drop at high krausen, then sealing things to transfer to a purged keg with a hop basket in it - then when time has elapsed sealed transfer to a purged serving keg. Gonna blow through some CO2 I'm sure.

I use RO water and wouldn't mind trying to get my mineral salts to NIEPA territory but then what Muntons has done with the LME is unknown. I know brewsmith just says use plain water with extracts but I'd like to consider the hops.

Still unsure about adjusting the wort pH although it seems easy enough.

I may tackle this over the weekend.

 

1.062 into the fermenter - 5.5 gm CaCi, 2.4 gm gypsum and 1.7 gm pickling salt in gallons of RO water, one gallon of that to mash 3 lbs of wheat malt and another to batch sparge and boil 20 minutes (or so) on the stovetop. The other three gallons got the LME dissolved and I did a hopstand of sorts on the stovetop. Turns out I'm out of Amarillo but had Mosaic and Citra and added some HBC 342. The pH was 5.34 and a ml of phosphoric acid got me (I believe) to 4.8. hit it with O2, poured the harvested lalamond kolsch/koln yeast in and set the temp for 74°. This yeast is supposed to be up to 78% efficiency so we'll see if it gets to the mid 6%. It reportedly will biotransform dry hops so that will be the big test. The LME was pretty dark, the wheat very cloudy and light.

 

Quick update - the yeast got busy quicker than it did in the kolsch I harvested it from and I went ahead with the first hop additions. After looking at NEIPA recipes I was pretty surprised how much dry hops are being used - way more than the 2 ounce-ish each of citra and mosaic that the kit included. I've had and brewed lots of IPAs with the combo and wanted more robust tropical fruit and when looking for the Amarillo I didn't have found Delta, El Dorado and African Queen. That with the HBC 342 should round things out? The last hop charge seems to be larger than the first everywhere I looked. The wort color is lightening up.

 

Delta is much like HBC 342 from what I read and not far from Mosaic. African Queen is a wild card since the flavor/aroma descriptors seem described confusing to me but El Dorado may pull it all together.

Going with Janish's recommended process of cooling things before the next dry hop - set the fridge to 59° today. I'll be transferring off the first dry hop charge into a purged keg with the next (larger) hop charge. The plan is to then do a final transfer into a purged keg after this next five day DH.

 

I transferred into the purged keg Tuesday and put it back in the ferm fridge with a spunding valve. Will transfer off the hops (again) and into the serving keg Sunday (plan to anyway). I was a little bummed that the beer seemed to be clearing in the fermenter. Didn't check the gravity or pH but since there's still a little in the fermenter and it's been cold here maybe I'll do that tomorrow.