When using of pre-made malt extract the general recipe is to add 1kg of sugar to the contents of the can and add the yeast. Until now this has been the general process I have followed, although sometimes experimenting with different types of sugar or spraymalt/sugar combos. For this brew I have dived into the world of adding extra hops.

Hops are added to beer for two purposes, adding bitterness and aroma. The canned beer kits generally contain bittering hops but are very limited with aroma hops since these hops flavors are not preserved in the can. This gives an easy entry into the world of hopping without going to whole hog to grain extraction.

For this brew I used:

• Black Rock East India Pale Ale, 1.5kg can (this contains bittering hops)
• Black Rock Amber Malt Extract, 1.5kg can
• @10min, 20g each Nelson Sauvin and Motueka hops
• @5min, 20g each Nelson Sauvin and Motueka hops
• Yeast from the IPA can
• Dry hop with 40g of Motueka hops.
• OG 1033

For a good explanation of what ‘@10min’ and ‘@5min’ mean, read Inzane Brewing. Essentially these times refer to how long the hops are boiled for.

The dry hops need to be added after the initial furious fermentation has completed. I expect this will be 4-5 days after initial pitching.

Things I have learnt

Boiling up hops is rather stinky. The fumes given off during the boiling process are rather overpowering. Future hop boils will either be done outside with a gas cooker or at least during the day when I can open all the windows and doors to get more ventilation.

Ever wondered what hops taste like? I did, so I tried one. If you are wondering what they taste like too, I suggest you try one. It will change your day.