Dank Double IPA

Go easy it's my first recipe. I am doing a small 2 gal batch to get my feet wet in AG. I am a big fan of super hoppy IIPAs. Should be about 8.3% ABV and 117 IBUs. Please critique and give your advice.

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 2.00 gal
Boil Size: 2.83 gal
Boil Time: 90 min
End of Boil Vol: 2.08 gal
Final Bottling Vol: 2.00 gal
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage
Date: 13 Nov 2014
Brewer:
Asst Brewer:
Equipment: My Equipment
Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 72.0 %
Taste Rating: 30.0

Mash Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
4 lbs 12.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 79.2 %
1 lbs Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 2 16.7 %
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.2 %

Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time

Mash In Add 7.50 qt of water at 170.1 F 150.0 F 75 min

Fly sparge with 1.67 gal water at 168.0 F

Add water to achieve boil volume of 2.83 gal
Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.055 SG

Boil Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 4 62.9 IBUs
0.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 45.2 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 6 9.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 7 0.0 IBUs

Estimated Post Boil Vol: 2.08 gal and Est Post Boil Gravity: 1.078 SG

Pitch Yeast and Measure Gravity and Volume
Safale US-05

Measure Actual Original Gravity _______ (Target: 1.078 SG)
Measure Actual Batch Volume _______ (Target: 2.00 gal)
Add water if needed to achieve final volume of 2.00 gal

Fermentation
13 Nov 2014 - Primary Fermentation (4.00 days at 67.0 F ending at 67.0 F)
17 Nov 2014 - Secondary Fermentation (10.00 days at 67.0 F ending at 67.0 F)

Dry Hop and Bottle/Keg
Dry Hop/Bottling Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 8 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 9 0.0 IBUs

Measure Final Gravity: _________ (Estimate: 1.018 SG)
Date Bottled/Kegged: 27 Nov 2014 - Carbonation: Bottle with 1.57 oz Corn Sugar
Age beer for 30.00 days at 65.0 F
27 Dec 2014 - Drink and enjoy!

I like the looks of it overall. some sweetness from munich and caramel 10 - but not a lot. I like those hops together. The only thing I would say (and not sure if this is what you are shooting for or not) - but with a name like "Dank" - I can't imagine it not having Columbus hops in it somewhere.

Braufessor said:

I like the looks of it overall. some sweetness from munich and caramel 10 - but not a lot. I like those hops together. The only thing I would say (and not sure if this is what you are shooting for or not) - but with a name like "Dank" - I can't imagine it not having Columbus hops in it somewhere.

Click to expand...

Doh! Can't believe I forgot them. Where would you suggest I add them for maximum dankness? I was thinking at the beginning of the boil. Also how accurate is the IBU calculator on Beersmith (My first time using it) because adding .5 oz of Columbus at 90 minutes shows an IBU of 184

That big a beer, I'd leave it on the yeast more than four days.

I'm just finishing up an IPA that was in primary for 10 days; it lost another four points in secondary, and most of my dry hops wound up buried in three quarters of an inch of trub, where I presume they didn't live up to their potential aroma contribution.

Chinook hops are the deep dank forest in DIPAs I would highly recommend them. and yea let the yeast fall out before dry hopping. maybe look into whirlpooling as well.

I would maybe sub in some columbus for the simcoe, add the simcoe late. and then maybe throw a 1/4-1/2 ounce of columbus in the dry hop.

Personally, I like columbus for bittering IPA's and I also like a touch of it in the dry hop of IPA's and Ambers. So, that would be my personal preference to find a way to do that. But, lots of ways to use the hops you have listed - they all make a great combo.

I have been making big IPAs for several years, about 20 or so batches, always tweaking things batch to batch, and experinmenting with hop types and when to add them. Here are a few things I have learned:

1. A little bit of Honey Malt in your grain really complements a big IPA hop dose well. I add about 3-4% of my total grain bill.
2. Add most of your hops late, 30 minutes and after, and very little at 60, if you are going for that West Coast style hop bomb that is more aroma and flavor than pure bitterness. Add the Simcoe at 60, and everything else at 20 or flameout.
3. I like all of the hops you are using. I recommend using only 2 or so at a time, just to get a feel for what they each contribute, but you will have time for that in the future.
4. Columbus for dankness for sure. I ususally bitter with it, and add some at flameout as well.
5. Dry hop right in the primnary after 7-10 days of fermentation. Much easier and less work than transferring twice. They will settle out.
For flameout hops, stir your wort for an aditonal 20 minutes (at least stir most of that time) before you bgin to chill. I believe this really helps with aroma and flavor.

A couple tweaks..thoughts before I head to the LHBS

Batch Size: 2.00 gal Style: American IPA (14B)
Boil Size: 2.83 gal Style Guide: BJCP 2008
Color: 9.2 SRM Equipment: My Equipment
Bitterness: 166.4 IBUs Boil Time: 90 min
Est OG: 1.081 (19.5° P) Mash Profile: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Est FG: 1.016 SG (4.0° P) Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage
ABV: 8.7% Taste Rating: 30.0
Ingredients
Amount Name Type #
4 lbs 12.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1
4.0 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 2
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 3
1 lbs Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 4
0.5 oz Simcoe [13.0%] - Boil 90 min Hops 5
0.5 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.0%] - Boil 60 min Hops 6
0.5 oz Centennial [10.0%] - Boil 30 min Hops 7
0.5 oz Cascade [5.5%] - Boil 10 min Hops 8
1.0 oz Amarillo [9.2%] - Boil 0 min Hops 9
1.0 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.0%] - Boil 0 min Hops 10
1 pkgs Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 11
1.0 oz Cascade [5.5%] - Dry Hop 10 days Hops 12
1.0 oz Citra [12.0%] - Dry Hop 10 days

If you're looking for dank than I'd sub that cascade for Simcoe and Chinook and a lot more of it if you want it to be a double IPA. Like stated above I'd go almost all late additions.

Subbed cascade for Simcoe and chinook at 10 minutes

you have 2 realy fruity dry hops, if you really want dank sub those with chinook / bravo / simcoe as well. If your columbus smell like onion and garlic i wouldn't add them late addition either.

4 oz. of honey malt plus the caramel plus the munich and it may get too sweet - especially since you are only making 2 gallons of this..... not sure if everyone caught that or not - but in case you did not, it is a small batch.

I generally only use about 4 ounces of honey malt in 5 gallons - it can get away from you quick and become sickly sweet. Maybe others have some thoughts on that too. But, personally, I would be inclined to go about 2 ounces of the crystal and 2 ounces of honey maybe.

I used 3.2oz honey malt in my last DIPA and way to much honey, cut it back to 1.6oz its in the fermenter now so time will tell. but 3.2oz was too much. 2 gallon batch as well.

Oh wow. Glad I missed then at the HBS I didn't realize it would be super sweet. Good catch!

Cut the honey and crystal to 2 and 2. Hops changed based on what was available. I went with centennial instead of Colombus at 60, CTZ at 0 and centennial instead of cascade as a dry hop. Also should get rid of dank since it won't be super dank instead just calling it a hop bomb for now lol

ctz is columbus

Gotcha. Didn't think that is the C in CTZ

Brewed this today. While my setup worked fine I think I will be moving to a bigger setup. The 2 gal batch was fine but the strike water didn't cover the grains fully and I had a super low OG compared to the Beersmith estimate. Ended with a 1.044 gravity to an estimate of 1.078. Looks like I'll have a super low ABV IPA from the looks of it. Also the efficiency was just terrible. After reading on the forums it seems that poorly crushed grain may be to blame. After looking at my grain again it seems I need to ask for double crush or buy my own mill

if your strike water didnt cover the grain you didnt add enough. add 1.25 or so quarts of water per pound of grain for the mash.

I must need a new kettle then. I used 6 lbs of grain and 7.5 quarts of water, which is 1.25:1. I used a bag for the grain since I don't have a false bottom and I think they may have hurt as well. I also noticed a poor crush of the grain by my LHBS.

Poor crush, or perhaps the grain/water was not mixed completely??? If you have "doughballs" in the mash that can really hurt your efficiency because the water does not get to all the grain and there is incomplete conversion. I would say that 9 times out of 10, poor efficiency is at least partly due to poor crush.

I'm thinking something along those lines. The efficiency was like 42% which is beyond terrible and if beersmith is correct takes it from a 8.2 abv to 4.4 abv beer. Which is fine except that's not what I wanted. Maybe time for a nice blichmann or similar AG setup with temp gauge and false bottom. Any suggestions?