Just got my small batch kit w/ Carribou Slobber…haven’t started it yet, maybe tomorrow. However, I was watching the NB DVD that came with it, and they described the 5 gal recipe kit…and it was different. They mentioned it coming with both liquid and dry malt extract, and I think three different types of hops. My kit comes with only the liquid and two packets of the same kind of hops. That doesn’t seem right?
I went with the small batch kit because I want to semi-rapidly try different varieties, rather than end up with way too much beer lying around to brew more…but if the recipes for the small batch kits are “dumbed down,” then that’s not going to make me happy…
I suspect that the issue has less to do with “dumbing down” the recipe than with scaling down the recipe. They are giving you the hops needed to achieve a flavor profile similar to the 5-gallon recipe. Either they found that the hops additions got too small to make a difference, or they were too difficult to measure and vacuum pack, or having 3 hops additions in a 1-gallon recipe would spike the IBUs beyond the intended result. Relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew. It is a fantastic recipe, and it gets better with age. I recently finished off the last of my 5-gallon batch that I brewed on the 4th of July, and I kicked myself for consuming so many that were so young. Although they were fantastic after a month, they were mouthwatering after 6 months.
I’m with Fusballfrk, they haven’t dumbed the kit down, just scaled it to what works for such a small batch. Also, NB changes the hops up on some of their kits form time to time, mostly the bittering additions.[quote=“Voodoo donut”]Those of you who have completed the brew, did you do a 2 or 4 week secondary fermentation…[/quote]This beer doesn’t require a secondary fermentation, there’s no additional fermentables being added after primary fermentation is done. You should never rack a beer out of primary until it is finished fermenting, you will be leaving most of the yeast behind and the beer will likely be under attenuated which will give you a sweet tasting beer and could cause bottle bombs down the road. If you choose to condition the beer in a secondary container it only needs to be there until it clears unless it’s a big beer then the amount of aging is up to you.
[quote=“Voodoo donut”]Then I’ll have caribou slobber sooner[/quote]Not doing the secondary really only eliminates a transfer and the chance of oxidation or infection, you’ll need to leave it in the primary a little longer for it to clear. If you’ve got a cool place to put it in your home it will clear faster, whether it’s in the primary or secondary.
Secondary conditioning is something of a personal preference, it’s worth giving it a try to see if it works for you. It’s handy if you have a batch done but hasn’t cleared, you can free up your fermenter for another batch or you want to dry hop, add oak chips, etc.
It’s been a long time since I’ve done any secondary conditioning, I keg though so my beers may sit for several weeks to a month or more before they’re tapped so they’re clearing up there.
