IIPA Recipe Suggestions Grains

**maddad** · 01-15-2012, 10:46 PM

Hey all. Hope your playoff Sunday is filled with good brew and friends. I am preparing a recipe and would like some input from others out there. I have already ordered from NB the following for a hop bursting IIPA.

Centennial 2oz
Amarillo 2oz
Summit 2oz
Dry Hopping variety TBD

Wyeast 1272 American Ale

I am looking for a citrus/fruit hops profile with enough malt backbone and sweetness to counter the bitterness from the centennial. I am thinking Pale 2 row base, Caramel 60 for color and sweetness, and carapils for the head. If anybody has tried Squatters Hop Rising, I am looking for similar flavor but only have a 5gal MLT (round Rubbermaid) to work with. I can get 12lbs of grain into the mash with about 3.5 gal strike water @152 degrees. I'll sparge to get to 5.5 gal pre boil. Topoff when cooling wort to ferm temp to get 5 gal after boil and hop additions. I have most of my routine set and working for me just need advice on late hop additions (when/how much) and any specialty grains outside of the base.

Cheers

**Grizzlybrew** · 01-16-2012, 04:08 AM

I'm not sure if I'd use the cara-pils in an IIPA. I think one of the plaguing problems of bad IIPA's is that they are too thick and too malty for their own good. Cara-pils should build body, but I think I'd use flaked barley for head retention if that were even a concern in an IIPA. FWIW, I'd keep it simple and full of fully fermenting grains to help dry the beer out.

As far as late hops, I would repeat some of the hops you are using earlier to help carry the flavor and aroma throughout the beer. If anything, I would add some Fuggles (yuck) or EKG (yum) to add some earthiness and complexity to the citrus bomb you have planned. I'm a fan, but it can become one note in a hurry.

When you say "hop bursting IIPA", do you mean it's bursting with hoppiness or that you are using the hop-bursting method of bittering your beer? If it's the former, it may be a bitter bursting ale rather than a hoppy one. A quick calculation of your listed hops, puts a 1.078 beer at 328 IBU's!!!

**maddad** · 01-16-2012, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grizzlybrew

I'm not sure if I'd use the cara-pils in an IIPA. I think one of the plaguing problems of bad IIPA's is that they are too thick and too malty for their own good. Cara-pils should build body, but I think I'd use flaked barley for head retention if that were even a concern in an IIPA. FWIW, I'd keep it simple and full of fully fermenting grains to help dry the beer out.

As far as late hops, I would repeat some of the hops you are using earlier to help carry the flavor and aroma throughout the beer. If anything, I would add some Fuggles (yuck) or EKG (yum) to add some earthiness and complexity to the citrus bomb you have planned. I'm a fan, but it can become one note in a hurry.

When you say "hop bursting IIPA", do you mean it's bursting with hoppiness or that you are using the hop-bursting method of bittering your beer? If it's the former, it may be a bitter bursting ale rather than a hoppy one. A quick calculation of your listed hops, puts a 1.078 beer at 328 IBU's!!!

328 BTU's!!! That's enough to bring back the dead! I intend to use the hop bursting method and correct me if I am wrong but Hop Bursting is the act of late hop additions to your wort. I have made several batches of IPA and many without much hop flavor and aroma. I am going to dry hop this batch making the total volume of hops to 8oz. I am trying a different hop schedule and if you have advice on where to plug in EKG, I'll add it. Here is my intended schedule:

Centennial 1oz 60min
Centennial 1oz 30min
Amarillo 1oz 15min
Amarillo 1oz 10min
Summit 1oz 5min
Summit 1oz flameout
Dry Hopping variety TBD (once racked to secondary for two weeks)

Yes, agreed on the grains and will study up on flaked barley as opposed to cara pils. The Caramel 60 was more for color and a hint of toffee flavor. Only going to use 8oz.
Thanks for the feedback. Always trying to brew a better beer!

**Grizzlybrew** · 01-17-2012, 01:03 AM

That schedule (again assuming a 1.078 wort), gives you 115 or so. Putting ALL of your listed hops at 15 min, still gives 89 IBU's. Do you have any software to play around with the recipe? I'd probably add EKG around 15 and 0 min.

**maddad** · 01-17-2012, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grizzlybrew

Do you have any software to play around with the recipe? I'd probably add EKG around 15 and 0 min.

I have yet to purchase any software. Once I gain a better understanding of the science aspect, I'll break down and buy something. Only been brewing for 5 months, still refining my process. I am sure that my LHBS has EKG as they seem to always have it. I am going to give it a try and add it at the end. I am taking your advice on the grains as well but would ask that you can tell me how much flaked barley to use in lieu of carapils? I typically throw in a half pound of carapils in all my batches. Never thought about it lending any flavor or body to the beer. Typical grain bill for my MLTwould look like this:

10# base malt
2# special/caramel/roasted malt and sometimes corn!

Cheers!

ibulover · 01-17-2012, 05:57 AM

I have to disagree with Grizzlybrew. The key to a great IPA or Double IPA is balance. You will gain balance from mouth feel/texture. Carapils is a MUST in a big beer, especially with the amount of IBU you are going for. Remember that your first addition is for bitterness (60 min, sometimes 90), second addition is for flavor (30 min) and the final as well of of boil is for aroma. Good selections in the varieties. I would also consider Simcoe, Citra and even Cascade. These hops are good at all additions. Another way to add balance is with your ABV. of you are going for a Double IPA, go 7.5 plus. For a regular IPA you can go for 6 to 7.5. For some great examples, lookup the last few years of winners in the GABFEST or World Beer Cup in these activities. I guarantee you that all these beers have great balance and mouth feel. Another great source that I think may interest you greatly for you thirst for big beers is to look at past winners of the Alpha King Challenge. One of my favorites is Hop 15 by Pizza Port (Tommy Author) and Avery IPA. Pizza Port also makes another Double called Wipeout at 10.5% ABV, but not as well balanced IMO.

**Piratwolf** · 01-17-2012, 08:15 AM

There seem to be two camps on the big IPA, and both are here. The head brewer at Avery was interviewed in the Jamil Show, arguing that a DIPA should be a dry and relatively thin hop bomb, while an IIPA should be bigger all around. Not sure that's standard, but I like the theory. If you like a bigger mouthfeel, go with carapils; if not, the flaked.

Now about those hops: I have bailed on 30 mi additions unless I'm cloning something that requires them. 30 mins seems to be a hybrid of bittering & flavor. Since you're looking for a hop burst approach, do your 60 min, then move everything else to 15 and later. My standard is 60-15-5, but you could go with 15-10-5-1, especially if you don't chill your beer quickly (the hot stand will continue to use hops a bit as the temp slowly drops).

phenry · 01-17-2012, 01:07 PM

The best DIPA that I've brewed so far (IMHO of course) used an oz of Amarillo for FWH, enough Warrior at 60 min to bring the IBUs to around 110, and then a blend of 4.5 oz of hops at flame out and another 4.5 oz for dry hopping.

heckels · 01-17-2012, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maddad

I have yet to purchase any software. Once I gain a better understanding of the science aspect, I'll break down and buy something. Only been brewing for 5 months, still refining my process. I am sure that my LHBS has EKG as they seem to always have it. I am going to give it a try and add it at the end. I am taking your advice on the grains as well but would ask that you can tell me how much flaked barley to use in lieu of carapils? I typically throw in a half pound of carapils in all my batches. Never thought about it lending any flavor or body to the beer. Typical grain bill for my MLTwould look like this:

10# base malt
2# special/caramel/roasted malt and sometimes corn!

Cheers!

Check out brewtarget. It's free software that does nearly everything beersmith can do. I downloaded the free trial of beersmith and found myself liking brewtarget better.

**geer537** · 01-17-2012, 01:57 PM

I have a different understanding of 'Hop Bursting' than the OP. I have done a few DIPA with Cascade and Nugget. I start with 2 oz of Nugget at 20, 2 oz Cascade at 15, 10, and 5, 1 oz Cascade at 0 and 1 oz to dry hop.

Maybe I totally misunderstood but I thought while hop bursting, you completely skip the 60 minute addition and do everything at 20 and below? Regardless the recipe looks solid and if they put everything at 15 and later as suggested, they would still have 89 IBU's. I use Vienna in my IPA and have experimented with Victory. Sounds like this should come out fine IMO.