IPA recipe help

I've got 3 brews under my belt, all kits where I followed the instructions to the letter. I'm looking to experiment a bit on my next brew, and I should state here that I'm a serious hop-head. Can't get enough. I'm not happy unless my jaws clench and tears come to my eyes when I drink a big IPA. So keep that in mind when looking at the following recipe. I'm aiming for somewhere around the meeting point of an IPA and Imperial IPA, and got the OG/FG/IBU figures from hopville's brew calculus:

Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: Wyeast American Ale 1056
Yeast Starter: 2L
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Pre-boil volume (Gallons): 3
Original Gravity: 1.078
Final Gravity: 1.019
IBU: 92.2
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 13 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 @ 65F; 7 @ 70F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 10 dry hop

Ingredients


6.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract
3.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract (at flameout)

1.0 lb Caramel Malt 40L Grain (steeping grains)

60 mins 0.25 Citra leaf 14.1
60 mins 0.25 Chinook 13.0
60 mins 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
60 mins 0.25 Simcoe 12.7
45 mins 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
45 mins 0.25 Citra 14.1
45 mins 0.25 Chinook 13.0
45 mins 0.25 Simcoe 12.7
30 mins 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
30 mins 0.25 Simcoe 12.7
30 mins 0.25 Citra 14.1
30 mins 0.25 Chinook 13.0
15 mins 0.25 Simcoe 12.7
15 mins 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
15 mins 0.25 Citra 14.1
15 mins 0.25 Chinook 13.0
1 min 0.25 Chinook 13.0
1 min 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
1 min 0.25 Simcoe 12.7
1 min 0.25 Citra 14.1
dry hop 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
dry hop 0.25 Citra leaf 14.1
dry hop 0.25 Chinook 13.0
dry hop 0.25 Simcoe 12.7

I know that's a pretty broad variety of hops, but it's what I have left over after dry-hopping a pale ale I last brewed.

I would appreciate any thoughts/opinions from some more experienced brewers on how this might turn out.

Cheers!

I'll start with the LME. Move the flameout addition to 15 minutes. That'll give it time to be thoroughly dissolved and mixed it.

On to the hops. I find it is easier to edit a recipe through additive properties than through subtractive. Meaning it is easier to brew a simple recipe that might turn out a little bland and then figure out what to add, rather than brew something that tastes muddled and figure out what to subtract.

The main question is what are you looking for in this IPA? The build from that. Start with a concept and go from there. Do you want to highlight the tropical attributes of Citra? Are you going for the grapefruit flavors of Chinook? Figuring this out will help you simplify that hop bill.

DISCLAIMER: I've had quite a few pints tonight as Wednesdays are my Saturday/Sunday. Take my post with a grain or two of sea salt.

+1 Mbasile. To that I'd add: Careful with the C40. It creeps up quickly in an american IPA. For me the limit is around 5% of the malt bill.

Hops: I started out with hop additions every 10-15 minutes in my IPAs. But I've gravitated to high on the front end (60 minutes,) low in the middle (0 @ 50-15 min,) and high on the tail end (10-0 minutes) I don't reduce the volume of hops, just load them at the two ends.

I don't add hops between 60 minutes and 15 minutes usually. Anything added before 20 minutes left in the boil contributes to bittering and anything after 20 minutes contributes more to flavor. To me, there isn't any reason at all to add hops at 45 minutes and 30 minutes. If you need more IBUs for bittering, add them at 60 minutes. Load up the hops at 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes and flame out, though!

MBasile said:

I'll start with the LME. Move the flameout addition to 15 minutes. That'll give it time to be thoroughly dissolved and mixed it.

On to the hops. I find it is easier to edit a recipe through additive properties than through subtractive. Meaning it is easier to brew a simple recipe that might turn out a little bland and then figure out what to add, rather than brew something that tastes muddled and figure out what to subtract.

The main question is what are you looking for in this IPA? The build from that. Start with a concept and go from there. Do you want to highlight the tropical attributes of Citra? Are you going for the grapefruit flavors of Chinook? Figuring this out will help you simplify that hop bill.

DISCLAIMER: I've had quite a few pints tonight as Wednesdays are my Saturday/Sunday. Take my post with a grain or two of sea salt.

Click to expand...

That's my biggest problem; I know I love hops but I'm not experienced enough to know which hops impart which flavors. I love a grassy smell and strong bitterness in the aftertaste, and my top 3 IPA's would have to be:

Russian River Blind Pig
Elysian Immortal IPA
Sierra Nevada Torpedo

The reason I have these 4 varieties is that my LHBS keeps a pretty steady supply of them, and I am testing each by dry-hopping a gallon of pale ale with each variety to get a better idea of which hop does what.

I'm guessing it would probably be smarter to bitter with one variety (Simcoe/Chinook?) and flavor/aroma with another (Citra/Amarillo?)

After reading your replies and doing some more research, I think I'm going to go with the following:

60 mins 1.50 Chinook 13.0
60 mins 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
60 mins 0.25 Simcoe 12.7

15 mins 0.25 Simcoe 12.7
15 mins 0.25 Amarillo 10.6

10 mins 0.25 Simcoe 12.7
10 mins 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
10 mins 0.25 Citra 14.1

5 mins 0.25 Simcoe 12.7
5 mins 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
5 mins 0.25 Citra 14.1

1 min 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
1 min 0.25 Simcoe 12.7
1 min 0.50 Citra 14.1

dry hop 0.25 Amarillo 10.6
dry hop 0.50 Citra 14.1
dry hop 0.25 Simcoe 12.7

Whatever happens, I'm sure it will be deliciously hoppy, and I'm bound to learn something from it. Thanks!

if you like the torpedo then you should check out the clone recipe on here. my buddies and I are going to brew it on sunday along with a oatmeal stout. Im hoping that its close cause i really like the torpedo. good luck!

That's a lot of bittering hops! 90 IBUs is a lot.

Just a suggestion: Add the 60 minute Amarillo and Simcoe to the pot as soon as you remove the steeping grains. Dissolve the DME and keep temperature around 170 for 10 minutes before taking it up to the boil. The bitterness will be more subtle and you will get a lot more flavor. Leave the hops in for the entire boil.

There's some debate about the usefulness of this graph on the forums... used it roughly for developing the hop schedule for the IPA I've got in primary right now... samples I've pulled have been on par for what I'm shooting for but time will tell.

http://www.brewsupplies.com/hop_characteristics.htm

I like the updated version of your recipe. The simcoe, amarillo, citra mix sounds delicious. My only suggestion would be to add another 0.5-1.0oz in the secondary for dry hopping. Then again, I love aroma and want to taste the hops before the beer even touches my mouth.

IMO try it if you feel confident.

If want more hop flavor, get <50% of your bittering hops at 60, or even 20%, or 10%.

Simplify, why all the additions spread over 5 minute intervals?

60
15
5 if you like
dryhop.

I just had to comment on the interesting coincidences: I'm brewing my fourth batch ever, it's also an IPA, and I'm in Portland. Cheers!
Which homebrew store do you shop at the most? I first went to Let's Brew on SE 82nd, and since them I've mostly gone to the Main Street Homebrew Supply in Hillsboro. They just opened a new location on Highway 26 that is fantastic.
Happy brewing.

Nice! This is a great town for brewing, no doubt. I've only been to FHSteinbarts b/c it's about 8 blocks from my house. I like them; the staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and their stock is pretty good and with average prices.