Help with first recipe

I have brewed with strictly extract kits up to now(4). I am ready to stray and create my first big beer. Looking to make my first hop bomb. I have been playing with the recipe calculator on brewgr.com. This is what I've come up with. Just looking for any suggestions, or ideas on how this might end up. Thanks.

5 gallon batch

9lbs Light DME
1/2 lb CaraPils
1/2 lb Rye Malt
1/2 lb Crystal 20
1/2 lb Honey

1.5 oz Warrior 60 min
1 oz Chinook 60 min
1 oz Chinook 45 min
.5 oz Warrior 45 min
1 oz Centennial 30 min
1 oz Cascade 10 min
.5 oz Centennial 10 min
tsp Irish Moss 2 min

White Labs California Ale WLP001

DryHop with .5 oz Centennial and 1 oz Cascade

Here are the projections

OG - 1.090
FG - 1.027
IBU - 160.6
ABV - 8.1%

Bump

ProstheticHead said:

1.5 oz Warrior 60 min
1 oz Chinook 60 min
1 oz Chinook 45 min
.5 oz Warrior 45 min
1 oz Centennial 30 min
1 oz Cascade 10 min
.5 oz Centennial 10 min

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This needs a major re-haul. I'll speak in terms of IBU and give my opinions. First, for this OG, I'd hop with just Warrior to about 25-30 IBU at 60, hit it with some Chinook at 30 for another 15-20 IBU, then dose it heavily with Centennial and Cascade at 15, 5, and flameout. Your dry hope looks fine.

Also, if you're going for an IPA, ditch the honey malt. Everything else looks fine. Be sure to pitch cool, this beer will warm up as it ferments!

The way you have it, it'd be painful to drink

Cheers!

Whoa, gotta agree with Brulosopher that's a lot of high alpha hops at 45-60 min. Chinook in the later additions or dry hop paired with centennial and cascade would go well. I don't think you'll get much just steeping rye malt- probably a waste IMO. If that's actual honey and not honey malt I think it's fine to boost gravity a bit.

chickypad said:

Whoa, gotta agree with Brulosopher that's a lot of high alpha hops at 45-60 min. Chinook in the later additions or dry hop paired with centennial and cascade would go well. I don't think you'll get much just steeping rye malt- probably a waste IMO. If that's actual honey and not honey malt I think it's fine to boost gravity a bit.

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Amen... I assumed Honey malt.

Same here. The way your recipe is currently written, I'm seeing a beer with bitterness that will grossly overpower the hop and malt flavors.

I would use 1 ounce each of Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade added together late in the boil, like at 15 or 10 minutes remaining. If you don't mind the extra cost, you can then add another ounce of each at 5 minutes or at flameout. I would dry hop with at least an ounce of each of those, but my IPA's call for 4-5 ounces of dry hops per 5 gallon batch. Once you get the flavor/aroma additions figured out, then adjust your bitterness with Warrior at 60 mins.

Another thing, I assume you're using brewing software. You do realize that we do not perceive much difference in bitterness beyond 100 or so IBU, right? In other words, you won't taste much difference in bitterness between a 160 IBU beer and a 90-100 IBU beer, so you don't need that much bittering hops. Your money is better spent on those late additions and dry hops if you truly want a hop bomb, which to me is a balance of hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma that overpowers the malt and yeast flavors.

Thanks for the input guys. Yes, I was planning on actual Honey to bring OG up. Doing this in honor of Hopslam because I love the honey smoothness of it. But again, I'm very green in this department so thanks for any suggestions. I might scratch the rye idea, i do love rye beers, but maybe i will try a separate recipe for a RyePA.

ProstheticHead said:

Thanks for the input guys. Yes, I was planning on actual Honey to bring OG up. Doing this in honor of Hopslam because I love the honey smoothness of it. But again, I'm very green in this department so thanks for any suggestions. I might scratch the rye idea, i do love rye beers, but maybe i will try a separate recipe for a RyePA.

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Good call on scratching the rye, but even if you didn't, you'd be fine if you change that hop schedule. Let us know what you end up doing, and how it turns out. Cheers!!