Need comments on first recipe (IPA)

adamhimself · 03-04-2010, 05:55 AM

I am working on my first recipe ever. Now, I may still be a little new to brewing, but I have done all the reading I could find on creating your own recipe. I looked over all the ones here, books, and other websites for guidelines and basically took a guess at how I think a recipe should go...

I also wanted something basic and to me IPAs seem to be pretty straight forward on the malts. It's in the hops that make an IPA shine, so I thought this would be a first good recipe to make...

I used BeerSmith to figure out everything. I am calling it "West Texas IPA" due to the use of Amarillo Hops and of course being made by me in West Texas

I also focused heavily on cascade hops because one of my favorite IPAs uses all cascade and I really liked the aroma.

Anyways, I am looking for input...

West Texas IPA *UPDATED* (4/23/2010)
Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: Wyeast - 1056 (American Ale)
Yeast Starter: No. But a 1L starter couldn't hurt
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: No
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.062
Final Gravity: 1.014
IBU: 62
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 days @ 68 deg
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 days @ 68 deg

7lbs Light DME
1/2 lb Crystal Malt 40L
1/2 lb Honey Malt

2 oz Amarillo [9.1%AA] for 60 Min
1 oz Cascade [5.5%AA] for 60 Min
1 oz Amarillo [9.1%AA] for 30 Min
1 oz Cascade [5.5%AA] for 15 Min
1 oz Amarillo [9.1%AA] for 5 Min
1 oz Cascade [5.5%AA] at flameout
2 oz Cascade [5.5%AA] (Dry Hop 14 Days)
1 tsp of Irish Moss (15 min left in boil)

Directions:

Clean & Sanitize your gear. After that is all done, then bring 2.5 gallons of water to 150 deg. Steep the grains for 20 minutes. After you are done steeping, remove the grains. Take the brew pot off the burner and slowly mix the DME, making sure everything is adequately mixed. Once the DME is dissolved return to the burner and bring to a nice rolling boil. Once you have achieved your boil mix in the 2oz of Amarillo and 1 oz of Cascade hops into the wort and start your timer for 60 mins. Once you have 15 minutes left in your brew add the 1oz of Amarillo and 1oz of Cascade. Also, at this time, add 1 tsp of Irish Moss to the boil. Once you have 5 minutes left in your brew add the 1oz of Amarillo. Once the 60 mins is up, remove your pot from the burner and mix in 1oz of Cascade (flameout). Now, chill your wort either with a wort chiller, ice bath, or both. Try and bring it down to about 90 deg. Pour 2 gallons of chilled water into your fermenter. Then, take your wort and pour it into the fermenter. You should roughly have 4 to 4 1/2 gallons. Top if off to a little more than 5 gallons. Take the temperature of the wort. It should be roughly 70 deg. Also, at this time, take the original gravity of the wort. It should be roughly 1.062. Once this is done then pitch your yeast and seal the fermenter. Let it sit for 14 days at 68 degrees. Though, 70 is ok. 60-65 degs would be ideal. Once the first 10 days is up then prepare to rack to secondary. Take 1 oz of Cascade and put them in your secondary fermenter. Rack the beer onto the hops in your secondary fermenter. Leave for another 14 days. Once this is done then keg your beer or prime with sugar in a bottling bucket. Roughly 3.8 ozs of priming sugar are needed. Bottle condition for 4 weeks at room temperature, but if you can keep it slightly colder then do so...

So, what do you guys think?

COLObrewer · 03-04-2010, 02:11 PM

Looks good to me, if you like more hop flavor/aroma the only other thing you could try is first wort hopping but might be tough with extract, maybe just put an ounce in a hop bag and steep it with the grains. Then you could pull it out before boil, personally then I would throw them in with the flameout or 15min addition, depending on your taste.

Brew on my friend

**Malticulous** · 03-04-2010, 02:43 PM

I would use about half that much crystal. It looks good, just thicker and sweeter than I'd make it.

adamhimself · 03-04-2010, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conroe

I would use about half that much crystal. It looks good, just thicker and sweeter than I'd make it.

So, if I dropped down to 1/2 lb of Crystal that would lighten the sweetness?

I was considering dropping the Carapils/Dextrine ... would that make it less thick? I want a little thickness, but not overwhelming.

wildwest450 · 03-04-2010, 05:13 PM

Crystal malt adds body and head retention also. That being said, is this a mini mash or are you just steeping the grains? If so, I don't believe you'll get any benefit from the carapils, and just color from the 40l.

Although it's been so long since I did an extract,I may be talking out of my butt.

**McGarnigle** · 03-04-2010, 06:07 PM

He'll get more than color from the 40L even if just steeped. And he does appear to be doing a (somewhat brief) mash for the Carapils.

The DME probably has some light crystal in it, so all the more reason to consider cutting the 40L in half. Maybe keep the 1/4 pound of Carapils; I don't think the beer will be too thick.

**Malticulous** · 03-04-2010, 06:59 PM

40L has a honey-like sweetness that I only like in small doses for balance. Personaly I prefer the more caramel-like 60L (or a mix of both.)

EonBlue66 · 03-04-2010, 07:13 PM

I've made beers very similar to this, I would suggest taking some of your bittering hops and using them towards the end of the boil. Take that .5 of Amarillo and add it towards the end of the boil, I think it would be more useful there. Either way it will be a great beer you can't go wrong with Amarillo and cascade!

Yankeehillbrewer · 03-04-2010, 08:06 PM

I would just say try to get your IBU's up to around 60ish

adamhimself · 03-05-2010, 01:40 AM

Thanks guys.

I do want some sweetness. If it means anything... I prefer Dogfish's 60 min IPA to Stone's IPA. I want sweetness with bitterness, but not overwhelming sweet like 90min IPA.

I am updating the recipe as we speak. I am thinking of taking away the .5 like EonBlue said and upping the IBU to 60 (as YankeeHill suggested). I think I will add 1oz of Cascade @ 60 mins.

I am still undecided on the CaraPils. I will be steeping the grains... I need to learn more about mini mash...