How to Brew the perfect glass of IPA at Home

Even though it has a complex flavor profile, IPA is not a difficult beer to make. Well, not when you have the right recipe.

Here are detailed instructions on how to brew IPA at home.

Why Brew IPA with iGulu F1/S1?

The iGulu F1/S1 Smart Brewer makes brewing IPA at home a piece of cake. Unlike traditional brewing methods that require extensive equipment and manual control, iGulu brewer:

• Automates the brewing process through temperature and brew time adjustments

• Manages pressure to ensure consistent results for hop-forward beer

• Allows you to fully customize your recipes

• Features an integrated dry hopping feature that provides enhanced aroma

Brew IPA at Home Using iGulu

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients

First, gather everything you need to make IPA. 

As you know, beer has four main ingredients: malt, hops, yeast, and water. When it comes to malt, you don’t just add grains and call it a day. 

Every beer starts with wort, created by boiling malted grains in hot water to extract sugars. Then, this concoction undergoes fermentation; the final result is the beer we know today.

If you’re just starting homebrewing, making your own wort may seem too difficult and time-consuming. Of course, that shouldn’t stop you from making beer. 

Nowadays, you can get malt extract – which is basically dehydrated wort. Malt extract can be liquid (with 20% water) or powder (2% water), and it makes the brewing process much faster and easier.

Next, you’ll need hops. As you probably know, hops are key to making IPA. Originally, hops were added to IPA in order for it to survive the long boat ride to India without going stale. By the time refrigeration was invented, a heavy hoppy note became a distinctive element of IPA.

Over 100 hop varieties are used to make beer, and each brings a unique flavor, aroma, and overall quality to beer. When it comes to IPA, high-alpha acid hop varieties, such as Citra or Mosaic, are typically used.

Since IPA is an ale, you’ll need a top-fermenting yeast. As for water, filtered water is the best option as it’s free of any sediment that can impair the taste of the beer. 

Brewing beer is art, so you’re allowed to play around with ingredients to find the right match. But when making IPA, you can’t go wrong with these:

 

Step 2: IPA Brewing Process

Now that you’ve gathered all the ingredients, let’s start brewing! 

If you’re using malt extract, this is a pretty straightforward process. All you have to do is:

1. Fill your beer brewer with water according to batch size – the maximum capacity of iGulu is one gallon.

2. Add malt extract, hops extract, and sugar. Stir well.

3. Once the ingredients dissolve completely, sprinkle yeast evenly on the surface before stirring or gently shaking.

4. Start the brewer.

If you’re making beer from scratch (meaning brewing with wort), here’s what you need to do:

1. Start by heating water to 150°F.

2. Then, add crushed grains and let them steep for about an hour.

3. Separate the grains from the liquid.

From here, simply do the same steps as brewing with malt extract: add hops, then yeast, and let your iGulu do the rest.

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Step 3: Dry Hopping for Maximum Aroma

While you’ve already added hops to your concoction in step 2, now it’s time for dry hopping.

Put simply, this means adding hops to your brew after fermentation. What this does is enhance the flavor and aroma of the beer, without making it more bitter. 

Depending on what character you want your IPA to have, you can choose one of these hop varieties:

• West Coast IPA (piney and resinous) - Simcoe, Centennial, Chinook

• New England IPA (fruity & juicy) - Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy 

• Double IPA (tropical & dank) -  Amarillo, Simcoe, Sabro 

Here’s how to dry hop using iGulu:

1. Grab a new, clean iGulu keg.

2. Add 1-2 ounces per gallon of the hops pellet to a small filter container after primary fermentation. 

3. Transfer the hops from the container to the new keg, then transfer beer from the original into the new keg.

4. Let hops extract. At high temperatures (60-64℉), steeping should last 2-3 days. At low temperatures (40-46℉), it’s 4-6 days. You want to maintain precise temperatures to avoid off-flavors.

5. Once the mixture has steeped enough, let it cool down to around 36℉ and keep it that way for 2-3 days.

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Step 4: Enjoying Your IPA

Finally, it’s time to try your brew! To get the best out of your glass, there are a few serving tricks to keep up your sleeve.

The temperature at which you drink beer greatly impacts the overall aroma and taste profile. IPA is best served chilled at 45-50°F. 

Your choice of glassware matters too. For IPA, tulip glass is the best. The shape concentrates hop aromatics and directs them to your nose, and the tapered rim enhances their taste.

Finally, don't forget that beer goes stale! In the case of IPA, it tastes best served within 4-6 weeks.

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Common DIY IPA Brewing Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Brewing beer takes time. Waiting that long only to find out you’ve made a mistake would be a bummer.

But that’s avoidable. Brewing IPA is not that difficult, as long as you know what can go wrong and how you can avoid that.

First, don’t overcomplicate the recipe. Stick to a simple malt and hop combo until you find your profile before further experimenting with it.

Speaking of hops, always use them fresh. Old hops lose aroma, and you don’t want your beer to smell like nothing. If you have more hops than you can use, store them in the freezer.

After dry hopping, refrain from opening the fermenter as much as possible. Every time you do, you’re letting air in, which causes it to go stale prematurely.

Finally, don’t just use plain filter water. Adding sulfates to water will enhance the hoppiness of your IPA and give it a crisp finish.