Mangrove Jacks Craft Series 40 Pints American IPA with Dry Hops

I finished the last two bottles of this excellent IPA last night and have thoroughly enjoyed it! As with all Mangrove Jack kits, it produces a great tasting ale. I didn’t use the recommended Mangrove Jack’s liquid malt extract as it was out of stock at the time. I substituted this with 500g of Muntons extra light spray malt and 500g of brewing sugar. I slightly short brewed at 19 litres instead of 23 litres. My OG was 1.054 and the FG was the target 1.012. Adding another 0.3 for secondary fermentation, it came out at 5.8% ABV. I added 150g of priming sugar for secondary fermentation which was a little high. As a result, it was very well carbonated, and had to be poured slowly not to create an over-sized head. But the carbonation and mouth feel was excellent with a dense, creamy head that lasted right down to the bottom of the glass (possibly helped by the Muntons spray malt I also used). My only warning is that this kit comes with M44 yeast. This yeast is well known for being lazy. Expect to wait a full day or longer before it starts to bubble. Like me, after the initial activity subsides after a few of days, you may need to agitate it carefully each day to keep it going. I thought it had stalled after 8 or 9 days when it was still at 1.018 but by agitating it and giving it the full 14 days for primary fermentation I eventually got it down to 1.012. Next time I brew this, I will add yeast nutrient after three or four days to give the yeast a helping hand.

Really tasty beer I used the MJ light malt extract to brew instead of sugar and it’s a really great tasting beer. leave it in the fermentation bin for two weeks then bottle and leave it 4 weeks. better than any pint from the pub.