NikoBrew wrote:Troops,
After listening to the interview with Vinnie last weekend and doing some digging I've decided to get a new product in; Iso Extract
This is a hop extract, not the exact same as what Vinnie uses. It isn't what other breweries use as well when they use clear bottles and want to prevent skunkiness. IT IS is produced from CO2 extract and contains only purified isomerized α-acids.
There are formulas for calculating the amount to use on a homebrew level, and it basically adds pure, clean BU's without flavor. This is to be added post fermentation, post filtration (if you do that).
Iso Extract will be in a 1oz brown glass bottle with a dropper built into the lid, like fermcap-s is oftentimes in. There is a formula to it's usage I found online that I condensed a bit:
About 1.38 ml for adding 10 BU's to 10 gallons finished beer, with about 20 drops per ml thats approx 28 drops, which makes one bottle about enough to add 10 BUs to about 21 batches of 10 gallons of beer.
Iso Extract is essentially the same product as IsoHop.
The listed price will be about $29 for the 1oz bottle
ETA: I expect this to be available to order within 2 weeks, the Nikobrew family will be out of town (celebrating little Niko's 1 year bday already!) that weekend (feb 3-6th we'll be gone) so it would ship upon our return.
If anybody here has used isohop and would like to give some feedback it would be appreciated, as well as any questions. Thanks!
Mega brewers use Iso-Alpha Hop Extract to adjust bitterness in different products they make. Many big brewers have 2 beer streams and the different brands are only differentiated by the different proportions of Hop extract they use and other downstream hop products like Hop Essences that are used in "Premium" beers .Beer in Clear bottles uses light stable hop extracts .Iso Alpha Extract is not light stable .
. .Iso Extract can give the beer a very one dimensional bitterness/hop flavor so late hopping or making a hop tea is advisable . Here's how to make homebrew with Iso Extract this is the stuff that most no boil kit manufacturers use and below is the proportions they use
Coopers is the only No Boil kit manufacturer that doesnt use Iso Extract in thier Homebrew Concentrates .
6.6 LBs of liquid Malt extract -depending on style use Light ,amber or dark extract
In 22 Liters (6 gallons) you use 1-10 ml of Iso Extract depending on style - 1-4mL for low hopping , 5-7 mL for medium hopping 8-10mL for Highly Hopped beers .USE A METRIC DOSING SYRINGE FOR BEST RESULTS .ALSO NEVER BOIL ISOHOP IT WILL PRODUCE A HARSH BITTERNESS .
This can be mixed right in a plastic fermenter or bottling bucket if you brew in a carboy with 1 gallon of boiling water and then top up with cold water to 6 gallons
For best results also add 1 -2 tablespoons of hop pellets for late hopping effect when you mix the extract with the hot water.
Its also a good idea it have a good active starter or re hydrated dry yeast ready to go when you make no-boil homebrew .
If you want a bit more accuracy heres the calculations
1 IBU is 1mg/L (milligrams of isomerised alpha acid / litre of finished beer)
So to get your Iso addition in millileters
Its just desired IBU X number of Litres
So in 22 L at 35 IBU you need 22 X 35 = 770 mg (0.770 g)
As the solution is 30% w/v Iso Alpha
0.770/0.3 = 2.5 mL (0.770 g)
Iso Extract gives you about 60% utilization when added pre-fermentation (eg .No-Boil Kit) and about 80-90% utilization post fermentation (eg .adjusting bitterness) /But just like other IBU calculations this is only giving you a baseline number to help you predict the approximate IBUs in your finished beer.
So if your using the above calculations you have to adjust for the utilization factor / IBU losses
Desired IBU/Utilization Loss % (decimal)
Adjusted Utilization IBU = 35/1.40 = 49
22L X 49Adj.IBU = 1 078mg (1.078g)
30% w/v Iso Alpha
1.078/0.3=3.593mL
so round this down to 3.5 mL for ease of measurment