Newbie from the south

Hey everybody. Just wanted to pop in and introduce myself. I've been wanting to get into brewing for a while now. Finally borrowed some equipment from a buddy of mine, got an IPA kit, and ready to learn how to do this thing! I am meticulous about research and planning so I've got to get all my ducks in a row before I start. My primary objective on this forum, for now, is to do some searching and figure out how to tweak this IPA kit a little. It's my first brew so I can't do anything too advanced like you gurus, but I don't want to just make the kit. I'd like to add a little here and there and sort of customize it as easy as possible. Looking forward to getting to know everyone and learning some quality info!

Welcome aboard, and best of luck with the first of many batches!

Welcome to the obsession

Good things to do as far as tweaking, would be the addition/modification of dry hops. (Especially in an IPA). The first black IPA kit I bought from the LHBS didn't even call for dry hops, but at the recommendation of the employee, I dry hopped for a week with something-or-other (warrior, I think).

Welcome from another southern brewer!

You might consider just brewing your first kit "as is" just so you know how everything goes. If something is off, you might not know if it was the kit or something you added. Most kits will be time tested for brewing that particular style and should be great right out of the box. If you end up liking it, try the kit again but add your personal touch. That way you have a baseline to compare your addition to.

As always...sanitation is king Just make sure you have a no-rinse sanitizer like Star-san and soak anything that touches your brew post-boil.

Cheers!

Welcome to the group, from CO. Read all the stickies, they are extremely helpful and answer most of the initial questions you may have. For other questions, this is a forum full of great people.

Thanks a lot guys. I know I know, I shouldn't do a whole lot to the kit. But I can't help it. I'm going to dry hop. I just have to figure out what I want to do. A buddy of mine (who actually directed me to this board and is lingering around here somewhere) said typically when he dry hops he also likes to take whatever he is dry hopping with and put some in at first wort so he isn't just "using" it for aroma, but actually getting some punch from it as well. I like the sound of that. Maybe a few days dry hop and a cold crash? Bottom line, I know I am going to dry hop, I just need to figure out what I want to dry hop with.

Welcome - I've dry hopped a number of beers. For me I just tossed it into the secondary for about 5-7 days or so before bottling. Always worked well for me. Depending on what you are looking for (aroma or bitterness) there is a type of hop for it. I believe the past few I used were N. Brewer and Cascade Hops. There are many varieties out there and you can find out about everything you want on this forum.