First attempt at IPA recipe

I haven't tried to invent a recipe before, and it would be great to get some feedback for this before I destroy an entire batch. I'm looking for a fairly full-bodied IPA, on the dark side for the style, as I've had some success with lighter colored IPAs and want to explore the other end of the style. Any thoughts would be appreciated. By the way, I've been collecting a larger amount of wort lately, usually 8-1/2 gallons, and boiling for 2 hours, down to a little less than 6-1/2 gallons, which has seemed to work well for me.

IPA

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: WYEAST 1056
Yeast Starter: 2 liter starter
Batch Size (Gallons): 6.25
Original Gravity: 1.067
Final Gravity: 1.017
IBU: 71
Boiling Time (Minutes): 120
Color: 13.35
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 7 days at 65º
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14 days at 65º

12 pounds 2-row Pale Ale malt (75%)
2 pounds Munich malt (12.5%)
1 pound Crystal 40°L malt (6.2%)
1 pound Victory malt (6.2%)
0.5 oz magnum (in mash tun)
0.5 oz nugget (in mash tun)

mash at 152°F

0.5 oz magnum @ 60 minutes
0.5 oz nugget @ 60 minutes
1.0 oz chinook @ 20 minutes
1.0 oz cascade @ 15 minutes
1.0 oz chinook @ flamout
1.0 oz cascade @ flameout
1.0 oz nugget @ flameout

1.0 oz chinook (dryhop)
1.0 oz cascade (dryhop)
1.0 oz nugget (dryhop)

6.56% ABV

Thanks in advance for any advice.

If I was doing a darker pale or IPA I'd go Maris Otter for the base malt and trim off a bit of the Munich and victory.

Have you late/dry hopped with Nugget before? I haven't worked with it but I've seen it used primarily as a bittering hop. What are you trying to get from the nugget?

I like Maris Otter a lot, but I was concerned that the combination of Maris Otter and Munich would be a bit much in an IPA, so I thought I would go with 2-Row, Munich and Victory. But I think you might be right, somewhere in the middle might be best.

I chose this hop schedule because I have these four hops growing in my yard. I've made this recipe, which used almost all Nugget hops, and it turned out pretty nicely:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/amber-nugget-ale-203244/

I think the Nugget should add an earthiness that might be good. I've been reading about more and more brewers using Nugget for both bittering and aroma, so it didn't seem that out of whack.

Yea, with the MO I'd trim off half the Munich and probably leave out the victory but I don't want to steer you away from your intent. It looks like a reasonable grain bill for a darker IPA so I'd say roll with it and see how it turns out. Then tweak it one step at a time until you get it where you want.

If you like the nugget, right on. If it doesn't get you where you want you could try Willamette for the earthy component.

Thanks, JesperX, I appreciate your help.

I like Nugget, and yes, it is gaining more acceptance as a dual-purpose hop. I also agree about not using Marris Otter, but instead of American 2-row, try German pale malt; it's super clean and lacks the grainy straw character of Am2row. I think it looks pretty tasty, but I too would cut back on the Munich and Victory- maybe half of what you have there. If you still want to darken it up a bit, just add a touch of black malt or chocolate. Enjoy it!

tedclev said:

I like Nugget, and yes, it is gaining more acceptance as a dual-purpose hop. I also agree about not using Marris Otter, but instead of American 2-row, try German pale malt; it's super clean and lacks the grainy straw character of Am2row. I think it looks pretty tasty, but I too would cut back on the Munich and Victory- maybe half of what you have there. If you still want to darken it up a bit, just add a touch of black malt or chocolate. Enjoy it!

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I´ve used german pale ae from Weyyerman in my last pale ale and turn great I just order a 55lbs bag I think I would use it as my base pale now