Be gentle, it's my first time

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by benjaminoliver, Dec 29, 2017.

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  1. benjaminoliver

    benjaminoliver Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2010 Massachusetts

    So my wife knows how enthusiastic I am about craft beer. I visit breweries whenever I can, and I'm always chatting with the guys at my local beverage center. This Christmas, she bought me a Mr. Beer starter kit that includes their Long Play IPA extract. Mind you, I'm aware of Mr. Beer's somewhat... less than amazing reputation. I've purchased 2 oz. of Simcoe, 1 oz. Mosaic, and 1 oz. Galaxy hops, in the hopes of livening up an otherwise unremarkable beer. I guess my biggest question is: when and how much should I hop to achieve the greatest level of juicy, aromatic happiness I've grown infatuated with? Second, how can I boost the abv? I feel like a good juicy IPA deserves to be in the 7% range. I realize Mr. Beer is only the most basic introduction to the hobby, but I happen to be a chef, and I don't believe in creating something of inferior flavor. HELP!
     
    #1 benjaminoliver, Dec 29, 2017
  2. benjaminoliver

    benjaminoliver Initiate (0) Nov 22, 2010 Massachusetts

    I meant to say "hoppiness," but this was a rare instance of autocorrect being awesome.
     
    #2 benjaminoliver, Dec 29, 2017
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  3. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Add 5% sugar with 10 minutes left on the boil...then add the hops (some or all) 10 minutes later and cool quickly...don't forget to read How to Brew by Palmer :slight_smile:
     
    #3 GreenKrusty101, Dec 29, 2017
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  4. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    By adding extra hops without extra malt flavor you'll probably end up with an unbalanced beer. You might want to consider using less water so that your beer is more concentrated, thus more malt flavor to balance those hops.

    P.S. Welcome to this wonderful and fun hobby.
    P.P.S. We're always gentle around here.
     
    #4 PapaGoose03, Dec 29, 2017
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  5. JohnnyChicago

    JohnnyChicago Initiate (0) Sep 3, 2010 Illinois

    As a chef, you should know that you can certainly bake something edible in an easy bake oven:grin:
    A Mr. Beer Kit is kinda like that! You can definitely make something tasty, but don’t mistaken it for a legitimate piece of brewing equipment.
     
    #5 JohnnyChicago, Dec 29, 2017
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  6. scottakelly

    scottakelly Maven (1,487) May 9, 2007 Ohio

    How big is a Mr. Beer kit? 2.5 gallons right?

    I'm not a big IPA brewer, and not a modern NEIPA brewer, but 4 oz of hops still seems like a lot to me for a 2.5 g batch, even if all added late in the boil or flameout.
     
    #6 scottakelly, Dec 29, 2017
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  7. Bryan12345

    Bryan12345 Initiate (0) Mar 17, 2016 Texas

    I would suggest finding some recipe “clones” of beers that you already like and note when hops are added. You may need to scale down the amount, as most recipes are for 5 or 6 gallon batches.

    You’ll be hooked in no time! :slight_smile:
     
    #7 Bryan12345, Dec 29, 2017
  8. MostlyNorwegian

    MostlyNorwegian Pooh-Bah (2,236) Feb 5, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    That quantity of hops can turn your beer into a very strange creature if you use them wrong.
    As these are all higher alpha acid hops. The furthur away from the boil you keep the majority of them. The better off you will be.
    If it's just the juice and stank you want. Your additions will primarily start as late boil (under 30 minutes) and mostly be post flameout, and sub 180ºf hopstand, pitch hop, and/or dry hop additions.
    I'm personally a big fan of pitch and late fermentation hopping and use it more than post fermentation dry hopping for most of my brewing these days.
     
    #8 MostlyNorwegian, Dec 29, 2017
  9. frozyn

    frozyn Maven (1,435) May 16, 2015 New York
    Trader

    I used 7.5 oz in a 2.5 gallon NEIPA I just bottled, across a hop stand, pitch hopping, and 2 dry hops, so 4 oz isn't off the deep end quite yet. I think I may have gone a bit overboard, but we'll see in a couple weeks.

    OP, with what you have, I'd put 1 ounce Simcoe for the hop stand, 1 ounce Mosaic at yeast pitch, then 1 oz Simcoe and 1 ounce Galaxy at peak fermentation. Then experiment from there!
     
    #9 frozyn, Dec 29, 2017
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