I recently brewed my first small batch of the off the topper iPa, was in the fermenter for 9 days, bottled on the 10th day, after the head dissipated, tried a bottle a week after, and two weeks after bottling, has a good aroma, but is very cloudy, and very bitter, just doesn’t seem like it is right. Can anyone tell me what I may have done wrong? Or is it supposed to be that way? I want to brew a batch of a different flavor, but don’t want to ruin another batch till I find out what happened to the first one. Any help is appreciated.
So you bottled after just 10 days?
You bottled pretty early. Did you take a gravity reading? What was the FG?
You’ve probably still got yeast and lots of hops material in solution. Speaking of hops doesn’t that beer get dry hops? When did you dry hop it?
Even for a small batch(1gallon??) that seems like a rapid turnaround. Topper is a BIG beer. And absolutely has dry hopping.
The instructions that came with the recipe said to bottle after one to two weeks, after the bubbling stopped and the foam cap disappeared. As far as hops, I followed the recipe and added when it said to.
So, a good tool to invest in for your next ale would be a hydrometer to take at least two readings to make sure you are in the ballpark of your final gravity. Bubbling and foam caps are not reliable indicators that your ale is ready to bottle.
When did you add the dry hops? After the cap disappeared?
NB’s extract instructions call for 2 weeks primary and 1-2 weeks secondary with a dry hop in each stage for the last 4-5 days. That’s a minimum of 21 days with 2 dry hops. You bottled after 10 days and followed the instructions? How was that accomplished?
LOL. Man he got way to excited on that one. I’m still very new to the brewing but as an avid gardener and cook patience is most definitely a virtue.
I want to thank those of you who have reaffirmed my belief that posting a question to a forum will get more ridicule from douchbags then help from real people! I went through the instructions, sitting in front of me, multiple times before, during, and after the process, and brewed, added hops, fermented, and bottled the way it was written, the only part I was unsure about was the amount of time in the fermenter before bottling, and since they didn’t specify using any special tools, I didn’t worry about it. Before my next batch I will do some more research from sources other then fucknuggets in a forum. Thanks if you posted real advice it was appreciated, and I am sorry if you are offended, for eveyone else, blow me!
I couldn’t find instructions for a 1 gallon kit but for the 5 gallon the instructions are much different then what you are stating
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documenta ... Topper.pdfJust give the beer some time in the bottle it should get better.
Here’s a link to a free old version of how to brew, some of the info is a little out of date but it should help a lot.
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.htmlJust as a heads up kit instructions can be pretty crappy. For most ales just leave it in primary fermentor for 2-3weeks, it’s best to check the gravity 2 times 3 days apart to verify that it has reached final gravity. With a 1 gallon kit I wouldn’t bother and just leave it in primary for 3 weeks and bottle.
After reading the thread the only person I see being a d bag is you. I don’t think that anyone was trying to put you down cause your new. Most people here are very friendly and helpful. So man up wipe the tears from your eyes, do some reading and brew another batch. Everyone was new at one point and we have all made mistakes.
Either way good luck
Yea I’m not sure either. The NB recipes aren’t perfect but are close enough usually. I also read the 5 gal recipe instructions and didn’t see the same as what you’re describing. Maybe the 1 gal kit recipe is way different.
Sorry you got offended, but I think most people here are just trying to help you with some tips to improve next time. What is done with your current brew is done, and there’s really not much you can do after bottling to change it. I would just take the advice here and use it for your next brew. After all, it’s a learning process. I think you’ll be shocked at how much better your beer is by just taking a few tips from the pros here. I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my beers over the last 6 months by just making a few small adjustments from people here.
Wow, there’s a total over reaction. I don’t see where anyone has said anything that I would find offensive if I were you…you really need to RDWHAHB-relax don’t worry and have a home brew man.
I’ll be honest, this is the 1st time I’ve looked at a one gallon recipe kit. The instructions are very basic and truthfully, kinda confusing.
Here’s the recipe(it’s no longer on the NB website)
Based on the recipe and instructions, I’m not shocked at the results you got and not surprised that it is no longer on the site.
A couple things…Headdy Topper is a very cloudy beer…They want you to consume it from the can and as fresh as possible.
Your beer is very young and is cloudy because it really didn’t have time to settle. You didn’t do anything wrong. You followed instuctions(though you went with the minimum timing) Letting it go another week wouldn’t have hurt though.
As far as it being done fermenting…1/2 packet of yeast for a 1 gallon batch is still an over pitch, I have no doubt that it could easily be done fermenting in 9 days.
As far as the bitterness level…well, again, based on the recipe, I would expect it to be. I think they left out the late addition and dry hops because of how much volume you would loose to hop absorbtion.
I’d let it sit for a few weeks to settle/condition and be careful pouring it.
Good luck, try another kit or bump up to the 5 gallon setup. Do some more research and ask more questions if you have any.
Cheers
