Simcoe Single-Hop Ale Recipe Critique

I am trying to put together a recipe to showcase Simcoe in a big fashion. I am aiming for something between an IPA and an APA, would love advise on the hop schedule especially. Although please comment/give advise on anything else you feel. Thanks.

5.5 gallon batch
OG: 1.056
FG: 1.012



10.5 Rahr 2-row
6.4 Crystal 20
6.4 Cara-pils

Mash Temp: 152 w/mashout
Fly sparge

0.75oz Simcoe (75min)
0.75oz Simcoe (30min)
1tablet Whilrfloc (15min)
1pill Yeast Nutrient (10min)
1.50oz Simcoe (Flameout/20min steep)
2.00oz Simcoe (Dryhop 10 days)

Oxygen 35 seconds (Disposable Oxygen Canister w/regulator)

Wyeast 1056 w/1l starter

Ferment at 66º until near terminal gravity, then free rise to 68º to let the yeast clean up for a few days, crash to 60 for two days(get some yeast to floc out for harvesting), transfer to secondary. Start dry-hop and keep beer in mid 60's for remainder of dryhop period, crash after day 9 to 34º for 24 hours and then rack to keg. Force Carb.

Looks pretty good to me. Personally, I would drop the pils and add crystal up to about a pound..but that's just my taste

I don't personally care for thirty minute additions. At that point you boil off most if not all flavor and aroma. I'd go 75 minute bittering addition and then drop that thirty minute down to ten or fifteen.

Grain choices look decent enough but could simplify and swap out the cara-pils for more crystal-20 or 60.

Agreed. I typically do a 60 and then 20 to 0 additions.

inhousebrew said:

I don't personally care for thirty minute additions. At that point you boil off most if not all flavor and aroma.

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True, but it gives a more smooth, even bitterness. A bunch of great commercial craft breweries use this same mindset.


On a separate note, I like the lower amount of crystal, and more wheat or carapils for head retention and body... especially for a low OG ale which is mashed medium low.

The only thing I would consider is to boost the whirlpool steep addition - 2.5 oz. will only make it better. As will a dryhop of more like 3 oz.

Yeah, I usually don't do anything around thirty minutes but I saw that Russian River does on some of their beers and figured I would give it a try. I have a ton of Simcoe so I will probably boost the whirlpool/dry hops like you said. Thanks for the advise.