Large Marge's American IPA (Judged Best in class at Delaware State Fair)
 

5/29/2011 // Large Marge's American IPA
(Style 14B - American IPA)
6 Gallon Batch
Brewday Video:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JEKBdoq5Eg...0/DSC05615.JPG

**This beer took 1st place in the IPA category at the Delaware State Fair 'Battle of the Brews' 2011. (Score: 37.3/50)**


Original recipe that began as an Avery Maharaja Imperial IPA clone, but took a different turn along the way. I'm going for a very heavy aroma, but not over the top bitter IPA here.


Grain Bill: 93% base malt - 7% specialty malt
15lb - Pale Malt, 2 Row
0.20lb - Caramel / Crystal Malt - 80L
0.20lb - Caramel / Crystal Malt - 120L
0.75lb - Victory Malt

Hop Schedule:
1.00oz - Columbus - 60 Minutes left in the boil

0.50oz - Centennial - 30 Minutes left in the boil

0.25oz - Amarillo - 15 Minutes left in the boil
0.25oz - Chinook - 15 Minutes left in the boil
0.25oz - Citra - 15 Minutes left in the boil

0.50oz - Amarillo - 5 Minutes left in the boil
0.50oz - Chinook - 5 Minutes left in the boil
0.50oz - Citra - 5 Minutes left in the boil

0.50oz - Amarillo - 0 Minutes left in the boil - Whirlpool 15 Minutes
0.50oz - Chinook - 0 Minutes left in the boil - Whirlpool 15 Minutes
0.50oz - Citra - 0 Minutes left in the boil - Whirlpool 15 Minutes

After 10 days of fermentation, Dry hops are added for 5 days:
1.00oz - Amarillo - Dry Hopped
1.00oz - Chinook - Dry Hopped
2.00oz - Citra - Dry Hopped

Mash Schedule:
Mash temp: 147F for 50 minutes
Mash out: 165F for 15 minutes
Sparge @ 170F for 45 minutes

Gravity Readings:
Measured OG - 1.060 (Estimated OG: 1.072)
Measured FG - 1.021 (Estimated FG: 1.014)
Final ABV% - 5.15%

Brewing Notes:
*Made a 2.0L Starter using (Two) Wyeast Labs #1056 - American Ale Large Smack Packs - 24hrs on a stirplate - Lots of yeast as i was expecting a 1.070+ OG)
*60 Minute Boil
*Used aeration pump for 30 minutes after chilling to oxygenate the wort
*Fermented at 68F for 7 days until FG reading remained consistent for 3 days. Very aggressive fermentation
*Concerned that temperature probes and Blichmann thermometers are not quite calibrated correctly. My efficiency for this brew was 60% which I feel is low for what my equipment should be producing. I purchased a Thermapen and found that the temps in my 'Brutus Tee's' were showing up to 10F lower than the actual mash. This means my mash temp was significantly higher than the 148 goal which resulted in my lower OG.
*After 4 weeks of age - the IPA became very balanced of sweetness, dryness, and hoppyness.

This recipe is going to be my first attempt at a ipa I have a couple of questions what do you mean by mash out

Nice - can't wait to hear your results!

The purpose of mashing out denatures the enzymes to stabilize the wort and
helps efficiency by making the wort less viscous... Totally optional step. You typically want to get your mash to 165-170F which will stop any further conversion and make your mash a little more thin (to prevent a stuck mash).

Am I sold on whether or not it's necessary - not really. I just always read about people doing it, therefore when I started brewing, I did it. I'd say it's optional - but when i did it with this beer the last time I brewed it, all turned out well.

Your key to success will be pitching a good amount of happy yeast. I'd definitely suggest a starter.

Ok thanks so how do you obtain the mash out tempeture do you add water or do you just crab some of the wort and try to bring it up to that temp during final circulation I am thinking I brew this weekend this ipa and a kolsch

My mash tun is directly fired w/ a propane burner... w/ ~10 minutes left in the overall mash i'll kick the burner on and monitor the temp until its ~5-8 degrees from 165 and kill the burner... the temp will continue to naturally rise and usually stop right around 165. all systems are different. you just want to make sure (if you direct fire your mash) that you can recirculate your wort easily and that you keep it under 170 to avoid any tannin extraction from the grain.

Brewed this yesterday and my original gravity was 1.060

Nice!

Gotta make some labels now...

http://www.rvgfanatic.com/mediac/400...arge-marge.gif

Just tell 'em large margeeeee sent'cha!

That seems like a ton of grain for just 6 gallons and 5% ABV, even at 60% efficiency. Between that and the hop variety you're looking at a pretty expensive brew in my opinion.