american IPA recipe thoughts

**JDSanders** · 02-09-2012, 12:23 AM

I am trying to make my own extract recipe and wanted some opinions. So here it is.

7 lbs. Light DME
1 lbs. Amber DME

Hops
1 oz. Chinook at 60 min
1 oz. Phoenix at 45 min
1 oz. Cascade at 30 and 15 min
Cascade dry hopped for 2 weeks
I was also thinking of adding 1 oz of sweet orange peels at 50 min

Grains for steeping
.5 lbs. Belgian Pale
.5 lbs Caramel 40L

Yeast
White Labs WLP060 American Ale blend

I was going to do a full boil for 60 min. After steeping grains for 30 min.

Primary for 3 weeks then bottle and condition for 3 weeks. I know I should experiment and see what I come up with but thought I would get an opinion or two before I spend the cash. Also if anyone has thoughts on substitutions or additions.

**Yooper** · 02-09-2012, 12:33 AM

I'd lose the amber extract for sure- you're adding crystal malt and amber extract has crystal in it already so you'd be doubling that up. All light or extra light extract is much better.

I'd change up the hops a bit. Remember that you get bittering from hops added at 60-20 minutes, with very little to no hops flavor at that time. Flavor hops go in at 20-15 minutes, with aroma hops going in at 5-0 minutes. With an IPA, you want enough bittering, but you want flavor and aroma as well. It's sort of a waste to add hops at 45 minutes, as you don't get their full bittering potential, but you get no flavor either. So you want to add enough bittering hops at 60 minutes to get a firm bittering in the background and add plenty of hops late for flavor and aroma. I"d never used phoenix hops so I don't know if I'd like them for flavor or bittering, but not at 45 minutes in either case. I'd do something like this:

Hops
1 oz. Phoneix at 60 min (or IBUs to about 40 with this addition)
1 oz chinook 15 min
1 oz. Cascade at 5
1 oz cascade at 0

Cascade dry hopped for 2 weeks

The idea of orange peels in the boil makes me think "yuck" but maybe someone else has done it with good results and can tell you if it's something they liked. I don't ever put fruit or fruit items in an IPA.

**two_one_seven** · 02-09-2012, 12:48 AM

I agree Yooper this doesn't seem like an orange peel kind of beer.

**chickypad** · 02-09-2012, 12:57 AM

Looks like Yooper has you covered. Only thing I would add is that you won't really get anything from steeping the Belgain pale - that's a base malt that needs to be mashed. I'd just go with the crystal if I were you.

**two_one_seven** · 02-09-2012, 02:12 AM

Good point chickypad, maybe just replace with 20L Caramel. Extra 40 might push it a bit too dark.

**JDSanders** · 02-09-2012, 02:58 AM

Thanks for all the help I changed up the hops schedule as per yoopers suggestions and dropped the Belgian pale and replaced it with crystal 20L. Also dropped the orange peel. I wanted to try something on my own, not out of a box, that would be fairly simple. Thanks again.