Session IPA recipe

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Phunhog

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So I am trying to create a sessionable IPA......lots of hop flavor and aroma BUT coming in around 4%. Of course I want to avoid creating "hop tea" so it still needs to have some malt backbone. After looking at a bunch of recipes I came up with this for 11 gallons at 77% efficiency

12.25 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 71.01 %
2.00 lb Munich Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 11.59 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 5.80 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 5.80 %
1.00 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 5.80 %
1.50 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.60 %] FWH) Hops 38.2 IBU
1.00 oz Falconer's Flight [11.40 %] (10 min) Hops 7.2 IBU
1.00 oz Falconer's Flight [11.30 %] (5 min) Hops 3.9 IBU
2.00 oz Falconer's Flight [11.30 %] (0 min) Hops -
2.00 oz Falconer's Flight Dry Hop
1 Pkgs German Ale/Kolsch (White Labs #WLP029) [Starter 35 ml] Yeast-Ale

I plan on mashing a little higher...155 F. to create a little more body. The Kolsch yeast I am using accentuates the hops and attentuates in pretty much the same range as Cal Ale yeast.
What do you guys think? I have never used Falconer's Flight before but since it is a blend of a bunch of popular hops I figure I will stay with just one hop for flavor/aroma.
 
Let us know how it turns out. I too want to brew a session IPA but I'm not sure how to start it.
 
Denny said:
The words "session IPA" are as much of an abomination as "imperial mild".
Click to expand...

Yep.

Except, I LOVE hops. American IPAs are my favorite style, and I buy them 90% of the time even when I meant to try something else. Hops get in your blood, and you can't get enough.

At my size, ONE 7% beer is more than I should enjoy in an evening and still be functional. So I want something quaffable where I can drink 3-4 and not be a stumbling mess. A "session" IPA has been my holy grail since I started brewing.

Founders recently came out with All-day IPA, so I'm sure that I'm not the only one who wants BIG hops and BIG flavor, but in a 5% beer. (or less).

I've come close a couple of times, similar to 21st Amendment's Bitter American, but not quite nailed what I wanted.

I'm way from my home computer right now, so away from my recipes, but a couple of things that are key, in my opinion:

Hopsbursting is a big bonus for lower ABV hoppy beers. It uses more hops, but it really gives the depth of hops flavor I'm looking for. Even a small bittering charge is ok, but with plenty of late hops, and that gives a depth of hops flavor I love.

Munich malt and Vienna malt are great for giving some malt backbone without being too much.

I would not overuse crystal malt, and instead add some intense malt flavor/aroma like with aromatic malt. A few ounces of aromatic malt can enhance the perception of malt backbone unlike anything else.

Another "go to" malt in a session IPA has been victory malt. Unlike crystal malt, it doesn't sweeten the beer but provides malt depth with its toasty/biscuit flavor and aroma. You don't need much at all, maybe 4 ounces in a 5 gallon batch, but it really deepens the malt.
 
Phunhog said:
12.25 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 71.01 %
2.00 lb Munich Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 11.59 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 5.80 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 5.80 %
1.00 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 5.80 %
1.50 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.60 %] FWH) Hops 38.2 IBU
1.00 oz Falconer's Flight [11.40 %] (10 min) Hops 7.2 IBU
1.00 oz Falconer's Flight [11.30 %] (5 min) Hops 3.9 IBU
2.00 oz Falconer's Flight [11.30 %] (0 min) Hops -
2.00 oz Falconer's Flight Dry Hop
1 Pkgs German Ale/Kolsch (White Labs #WLP029) [Starter 35 ml] Yeast-Ale
Click to expand...


I must have enter too soon, or else my netbook cut me off. anyway, about this particular recipe!

I'd cut the crystal in half. 6% crystal is more than plenty. You could use some light crystal and some darker crystal for complexity, but I think 11+% is too much. I'd stick with 5-6%, some 20L and some 80L.

I'd use some aromatic malt, perhaps 12 ounces total, instead of all of the crystal. Or maybe some victory malt (8-12 ounces total) instead if aromatic malt is not available. The 20L Munich is a good addition, and may negate the benefit of aromatic malt, so the victory may be a better choice here.

I don't know about FF hops, so I'll have to defer to someone else who's more familiar with those hops. I've only used them a couple of times, and been "meh" about it. I'd like to see traditional C hops, or more intense citrus hops (like amarillo) and combine it with simcoe or something else to provide depth but still give traditional West Coast hops flavor and aroma. Even galaxy would be a good choice, in my opinion.
 
Since we all know an IPA isn't low gravity nor can an IPA be black, we won't enter them into competitions under IPA, ok?
This is a hop lover's beer. I always have a version on tap.
Aromatic malt is KEY, IMO. Use it. It is so delicious.
I also like to use honey malt and/or biscuit malt depending on the hops.

One thing I would be careful with is the bittering addition. Most of the bad ones I have had are from craft brewers who think they can just cut the 2-row. It's like putting your tongue in a mousetrap. I try for about 25 IBU at the start and then make up the rest in late addition and whirlpool.

Falconer's flight will be delicious.
 
Denny said:
Yoop, I feel it would be much more appropriate to call them hoppy APAs rather than session IPA.
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I understand why you say that would be appropriate. But really, it's not an APA either. I usually think of an APA as a beer with a caramel sweetness (a pound of light crystal in a 5 gallon batch isn't unusual) and with more balance than an IPA. A really good APA balances the sweet malt with enough bitterness to make a drinkable (but balanced) beer with hops flavor.

In a "session IPA", which I realize doesn't exist, I see that as a more firmly bitter beer (but not "overwhelming, take the enamel off your teeth" bitter) without so much caramel sweetness and much more hops flavor and aroma than a typical APA. And possibly even lower ABV, as a West Coast type APA can have a pretty substantial ABV (6.2% or so). A really great American IPA will have little to no caramel sweetness, but instead enough malt backbone to balance the hops overload.

I want a beer that tastes just like a 7% IPA, but with 4-5% ABV. All of the hops flavor and aroma (and still firmly bitter) but without getting schnockered off of just one.

It's definitely not a recognized BJCP style, but I think it's a great niche for people like me who to try to brew what we like and usually brew "to style". I don't do bacon raspberry robust porters (or anything resembling such things), but I do make "Session IPAs". :D
 
Falconer's Flight hops are great, but I think you're wise to not use them for the bittering addition. I've used them twice, once just for the flavor/aroma additions and once for all the hop additions. I felt like there was an off-putting bite to the bitterness when I used them at 60 min.
 
Thanks for all the advice/input!! I call it a session IPA mainly because of the 1:1 BU/GU ratio and all the late hopping. I guess you you could also call it an over hopped/bittered APA too.
 
On the topic of names I have also seen such a thing referred to as an ISA.

I have an imperial IPA that will go on tap this weekend. If I get the hop profile I want I am going to work it back to make a sessionable version. The recipe is very hop burst focused with a minimal FWH.
 
I have made some that were really good, and right around 4%. One tip I read before I started, and learned the hard way early on when I made a really mild brown ale, is that if you are bottling go lighter on the sugar (not too light) or you will get a "seltzer" taste--the mouthful, body, and retention will be off.
 
isleofman said:
Yooper, do you have a recipe for your session IPA?
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I have far more than one! I've been at this for about 3-4 years so I keep trying.

I have a couple that I could share, once I get home to my home computer and can get to Beersmith. I have one in primary right now that is very promising per hydrometer samples today (yet to be dryhopped) but I haven't yet got to the "Eureka! That's it!" stage. The ones I could share are quite good, but not "it" yet.

The lower malt bill is harder than it sounds! While I like Tasty and have great regard for him- 19% crystal? That doesn't sound like my taste at all, and instead I've been using aromatic malt or Munich malt to boost up the "maltiness" and malt backbone while making a 4% hoppy beer. I want all of the malt support, the firm bittering, the hops flavor, and the hops nose- but in a 4% package. It's been a multi-year goal for me!
 
@ Triggerfingers:

Sup Goleta! Santa Barbeerians just had their monthly meeting at my house on Saturday, and our monthly contest was APA. I brewed one that conformed to BJCP standards on all but the IBUs. It won. 12 beers entered:

11G 74% efficiency. I overshot the OG a bit. If you mash higher, and leave the sugar addition out you can make it even more session-y. Takes a LOT of hops.

18 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 86.7 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2 7.2 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 2.4 %
8.0 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.4 %
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 5 28.4 IBUs
4.0 oz Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 6 1.2 %
2.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 12.7 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 4.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 9 2.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 4.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 4.0 IBUs
2.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 12 0.0 IBUs
Dryhop in two phases. 1 Week 3oz of Amarillo. Remove and replace with 1.5oz each of Citra/Centennial for another week.
1.0 pkg San Diego SuperYeast (White Labs #WLP090)
Est Original Gravity: 1.050 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.056 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.009 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.5 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.8 %
 
My second IPA or I called it an accidental light pale ale, which was a partial mash, acutally tasted more like a light ipa. I ended up liking it better than a Stone levitation. With some of the discussion previously in this thread it kinda reminded me of my 1 lightest ipa Ive only made.
Heres what I did: For a 1.5 gal batch- I would brew this one again also someday, if I was currently brewing.

Accidentaly misjudged cup/# and only added:

1.4# LME last 15 min instead of the 2ish#of LME or it may have been 1.5 cup which would have only been around < 1#.Plugging that in just now it seemed to be the case of only adding a < # of LME giving me the unitended OG of 1.036

Mashed:

3.5-4 oz MO malt
6 oz breiss pale malt
1.75 oz crystal 60
2.4 oz honeymalt
2 oz carapils
2.5 oz barley flakes

Centenial hops 9.2% .2 oz@ 60 &15 .4 oz @5 .2 oz @0 45-50 IBU used 5g. Nottingham yeast
Low 150's mash but was aiming for 155ish. OG was 1.036 FG 1.006

And it turned out great....:) That may have been what made me a fan of Honey malt,or could have been the English Honey Buiscuit recipe I made up using honey malt, previously before this one that did it for me.
Hope yours turns out great as well. Plus Im having a All day IPa-session ale from founders at the moment being inspired from this thread. Only if I still had a few of those light IPA's I made from a few yrs ago right now. Think I drank my last one several months ago.
 
Yooper said:
I have far more than one! I've been at this for about 3-4 years so I keep trying.

I have a couple that I could share, once I get home to my home computer and can get to Beersmith. I have one in primary right now that is very promising per hydrometer samples today (yet to be dryhopped) but I haven't yet got to the "Eureka! That's it!" stage. The ones I could share are quite good, but not "it" yet.

The lower malt bill is harder than it sounds! While I like Tasty and have great regard for him- 19% crystal? That doesn't sound like my taste at all, and instead I've been using aromatic malt or Munich malt to boost up the "maltiness" and malt backbone while making a 4% hoppy beer. I want all of the malt support, the firm bittering, the hops flavor, and the hops nose- but in a 4% package. It's been a multi-year goal for me!
Click to expand...

Have you tried melanoidin?
 
Count me among those who are looking to trying Yooper's recipe, even if it is a work in progress!

Has anyone tried using a touch of Special Roast in a session ipa? I brewed the jamil z best bitter recently and liked what the aromatic and special roast combo brought to the table.
 
Ok, here's a couple that I really liked:

This one is like 21st Amendment's Bitter American (11 gallons):
OG 1.048 FG 1.012 ABV 4.7%

14 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 6 77.3 %
2 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 7 11.0 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 8 5.5 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 9 5.5 %

Mash at 154

2.00 oz Cascade [8.50 %] - First Wort 60.0 min
(I did this once with 1 ounce cascade and 1 ounce centennial here, also- it was great!)

2.00 oz Cascade [8.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min
2.00 oz Cascade [8.50 %] - Boil 1.0 min
Denny's Favorite (Wyeast Labs #1450PC)
1.00 oz Centennial [9.60 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [12.70 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 16 0.0 IBUs

_______________________________________________________

Wethopped/Dryhopped Session IPA 11 gallons
OG 1.048 FG 1.010 ABV: 5%

9 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) 44.4 %
7 lbs Vienna Malt (US) (3.5 SRM) 34.6 %
2 lbs Munich Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)7 9.9 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) 4.9 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) 4.9 %
4.0 oz Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 10 1.2 % (only for pH adjustment)

Mash at 152

0.70 oz Magnum [13.40 %] - First Wort 60.0 min 16.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Chinook [10.90 %] - First Wort 60.0 min 10.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Williamette [4.80 %] - Boil 15.0 min 4.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [8.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min 4.9 IBUs
0.50 oz Glacier [5.60 %] - Boil 5.0 min 0.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [8.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Glacier [5.60 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg Safale S-05 (Fermentis #S-05)
1.00 oz Cascade [8.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days
0.50 oz Williamette [4.80 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days
2 oz cascade (wethops from the vine in one 5 gallon fermenter)

______________________________________________________

Last one (for now):
11 gallons, OG 1.049 FG 1.012 ABV: 4,8%

11 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) 56.0 %
4 lbs 8.0 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) 22.9 %
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) 5.1 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) 5.1 %
2 lbs Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) 10.2 %

Mash at 153.0
1.00 oz Magnum [11.60 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 20.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Simcoe [11.90 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 5.7 IBUs
1.00 oz 7 C's Falconers Flight [9.90 %] - Boil 10 min 6.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Chinook pellets [11.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min 3.6 IBUs
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Centennial [10.40 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Simcoe [11.90 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs

Denny's Favorite 50 (Wyeast #1450)

2.00 oz Falconers Flight - Dry Hop 7.0 Days
1.50 oz Centennial - Dry Hop 5.0 Days

__________________________________________________________

A couple of things that I've been doing over the last 2 years or so, that I forget to mention, is to do a "hopstand" with my flame out hops. I have a CFC, so I'll recirculate until I'm at 180 and then add the hops for the hops stand and hold them there, recirculating, for about 20 minutes than finish chilling and then send to the fermenter. This sure seems to give a better hops flavor and aroma, but I don't even think about it anymore since it's part of my process. That might be worth trying if you've been trying to get more hops aroma in the finished beer.

My other recipes are more like the first one, but with less crystal malt. I've been using victory malt, aromatic malt, and biscuit malt quite a bit in order to provide depth and character without using crystal malt all the time.
 
Yooper said:
While I like Tasty and have great regard for him- 19% crystal?
Click to expand...

Have you tried it? I'm looking at 15% C10 + 10% white wheat & 5% carapils--but like you I'm wondering about the maltiness.

Also, I'm debating the IBUs--I'm thinking 40-45IBUs. In your experience, is that too much for ~3.8% ABV?
 
Probably the biggest risk is ending up with a thin beer with insufficient malt character. Forget about sugar. Mash high (156+). Consider using a base malt with a bit more flavor like Halcyon or Pearl. Possibly a less attenuative yeast strain. High protein malts like wheat or golden naked oats for mouthfeel. I'm not a big fan of medium to high range crystal in hoppy beers, but I wouldn't be opposed to a substantial charge of carapils/carafoam (like 10%). Also in the realm of personal taste, I'm partial to using aggressive hops aggressively. In other words... if you're going to use something like Simcoe or Citra, don't tease me with it. In this case I might use a larger quantity of lower alpha Pacific NW hops.

Probably the safest bet would be to take a tried and true IPA recipe that you love, decrease the base malt, and leave everything else alone. Let me expand on this for a second...

When designing a recipe, it's important to consider not only the % by weight and the resulting extract based on potential and efficiency, but also the roast characters imparted. This is why I'd say, in a situation where you have less pounds of grain in the same amount of water, you might find yourself disappointed with the malt character, and find it a bit... watery. Take an extreme example of a Stout. I think of the dark roasted malts in terms of weight and as balancing out the FG, as opposed to the OG. More specifically (and hypothetically) I brew an Imperial Stout that starts at 1.100 and finishes at 1.025. The 3 lbs of dark roasted grains I used balance the residual sweetness perfectly. I am happy. Then I brew a session Stout that starts at 1.055 and finishes at 1.025 because I mashed really high. The 3 lbs of dark roasted grains I used balance the residual sweetness perfectly. I am still happy, even though the former may have been 8-9% by weight, while the latter may have approached 16-18%. This is because it's not the sugars I was after from the dark grains, or how it will balance the starting gravity, but the roasted characters and how it will balance the finishing gravity. What ends up in the glass.

Long story long, don't be shy about using your favorite specialty malts in this one.
 
Hard part about this recipe is that you can't just take a tried an true IPA recipe and take out base malt and mash high. I've had these beers. Too bitter. Clashing crystal flavors. Now You got higher crystal % and more unfermentables, so 75-100 IBU should still be ok? Not quite.

I want mine to taste like a west coast beer. I like it to finish at 1.010 (give or take).
I want maltiness, not residual sugars. Different from a stout in that you don't get roastiness to help balance out the finish.

There are a ton of good base malts with good flavor. Use your favorite. I usually use briess 2-row. I mash at 154.

Specialty malts I've used: AROMATIC, biscuit, honey, special-b, crystal 60, victory (not all at the same time). I always use white wheat for extra body. I know we are mostly against kitchen-sink approach, but it works to use a little amount of a few big character malts to give the perception of the malt backbone.

I do hop the crap out of it. Any awesome fad hops will do. 60 min addition of Warrior or Magnum around 30 IBU. Other adds starting at 15min to flameout. Also 20 min hop-rocket recirc after chilling to about 170. I use 6 ounces of hops for a 1.046 OG beer not including the dry hop.
I'm shooting for just over the APA maximum on IBU so it's not like licking battery acid.

I like the NW ale yeast from Wyeast the best in mine. But mostly I use US-05 because I'm lazy and it's a great yeast.

I'm not sure what Yoop is searching for, but my recipes have been pretty similar to hers and I haven't felt they were too thin or not malty enough. Granted, mine is not super low abv (around 4.8%)
 
Effingbeer said:
I'm not sure what Yoop is searching for, but my recipes have been pretty similar to hers and I haven't felt they were too thin or not malty enough. Granted, mine is not super low abv (around 4.8%)
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Oh, they aren't too thin, or not malty enough. It's just that, well, they don't taste like an 8% IPA. :D

The above recipes actually turned out very very good, but not perfectly what I want. Maybe I'll never find one and say, "That's it! That's the perfect Session IPA", but I am still looking for it!
 
TAK said:
Falconer's Flight hops are great, but I think you're wise to not use them for the bittering addition. I've used them twice, once just for the flavor/aroma additions and once for all the hop additions. I felt like there was an off-putting bite to the bitterness when I used them at 60 min.
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Agree with what's stated here
 
OP, your recipe looks really similar to what I brewed two weeks ago:

OG: 1.039
IBU: 43 (Rager)
ABV: ~3.7ish
SRM: 6.0

5.0 lb 2-row
1.0 lb Vienna
8.0 oz White wheat malt
8.0 oz Crystal 20*L
6.0 oz Crystal 40*L

0.5 oz Columbus (15.3%) - FWH
1.0 oz Centennial (9.9%) - 20 min
1.0 oz Cascade (6.4%) - 5 min
1.0 oz Simcoe (13.5%) - 5 min
1.0 oz Cascade (6.4%) - Dry hop
1.0 oz Columbus (15.3%) - Dry hop
1.0 oz Simcoe (13.5%) - Dry hop - 5 days

Fermented with S-04

Edit: Mashed at 155*F

I was bad and opened a bottle two days after bottling, and I really can't say it was too much Crystal, I might even up the C40*L to 8 oz next time just for the sake of using half pound increments. I think the lack of base malt opens up the need for more malt sweetness than a standard IPA, which is where the 14 oz of Crystal fit into my recipe just fine.
 
I've been brewing a highly hopped pale ale every 2nd or 3rd batch. It is my session beer of choice and I always go for it over anything else I have.

I found the perfect grain bill and OG that works and every time I make this I only vary the hops.

81% 2-row
14% Vienna
6% Crystal 60

OG: 1.049
FG: 1.011
5% ABV
37 IBU's.
I use 6 oz of hops in 5.5 gallons, mostly late additions and hop stand
I always dry hop with 1.5oz/5.5 gallon batch.

Never made this when it wasn't good but I found that Cascade and Citra as dry hops are my favorites.
 
Yooper said:
Oh, they aren't too thin, or not malty enough. It's just that, well, they don't taste like an 8% IPA. :D
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Yooper, can you put a finer point on this? If it's the alcohol you're missing, there's clearly no workaround if the premise is low ABV, but there must be something else if you're still bothering with this. The answer might help Mr. Phundog with his recipe/process.
 
Effingbeer said:
Hard part about this recipe is that you can't just take a tried an true IPA recipe and take out base malt and mash high. I've had these beers. Too bitter. Clashing crystal flavors. Now You got higher crystal % and more unfermentables, so 75-100 IBU should still be ok? Not quite.
Click to expand...

It would depend on what that recipe is to begin with, but I'd believe it. Like any recipe, you'd really want to set out with the whole picture in mind so it all comes together. The words "clashing crystal flavors" send a chill down my spine, but there's no accounting for taste.

Effingbeer said:
I want mine to taste like a west coast beer. I like it to finish at 1.010 (give or take).
I want maltiness, not residual sugars. Different from a stout in that you don't get roastiness to help balance out the finish.
Click to expand...

Well, Stout is an extreme example to illustrate, but lets not talk about an IPA in terms of balance, rather getting the flavors you want. It's simpler that way. We get a bit of that toasty flavor from base malt, otherwise we'd just use sugar. For a session version, less malt means less malty, toasty character along with the desired decrease in fermentable sugars. As one of many options, I'd suggest using one that's more flavorful to account for this and/or leaving specialty malts like Munich, Aromatic, et al, intact by weight, even if as a % it brings you into a realm you're uncomfortable with. So I wouldn't be dissuaded by, say... 15% Munich when you'd normally never exceed 10%.

Effingbeer said:
Granted, mine is not super low abv (around 4.8%)
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Cheater! ;)
 
georgebe4 said:
Yooper, can you put a finer point on this? If it's the alcohol you're missing, there's clearly no workaround if the premise is low ABV, but there must be something else if you're still bothering with this. The answer might help Mr. Phundog with his recipe/process.
Click to expand...

georgebe4 said:
IFor a session version, less malt means less malty, toasty character along with the desired decrease in fermentable sugars. As one of many options, I'd suggest using one that's more flavorful to account for this and/or leaving specialty malts like Munich, Aromatic, et al, intact by weight, even if as a % it brings you into a realm you're uncomfortable with. So I wouldn't be dissuaded by, say... 15% Munich when you'd normally never exceed 10%.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's it exactly! While you can add aromatic and/or victory malt to the grainbill for depth and complexity, it's just not exactly the same as having 75% more malt in the grainbill. It's good, and it's close, but it's a trade-off. I have to reduce the IBUs a bit, to keep the SG/IBU ratio similar, otherwise the beer would be too bitter without enough malt backbone.

So the beer still is quite good, and I enjoy it immensely- but then when I drink a "real" IPA, I do pick up the reason I love IPAs in the first place!

I think that's going to be true of all smaller versions of big beers, though. I mean, a 4% barley wine is a mild. ;)
 
I've been expressing the effect of higher ABV in terms of salt in food--it emphasizes flavor, but comes with a price when you have too much too often.
 
I recently made a session that I billed as an APA which turned out very well...in fact I am doing a whole session series of beers over the summer.

Basically you just scale back the grains to reach your SG, in my case it is right at 1.040 which ends up giving me a 4% abv when finished. The APA I made is only 42IBU but I had to decide if it was an APA or IPA due to the BU:GU numbers which put it on the edge of either. The only thing that toom me to APA was that it didn't have the punch in the face bitter associated with an IPA.

Anyways scaling back is the easy part using a program like Beersmith because you can take a tried and true recipe the set it to adjust for x% abv and it will pretty much do the work if you want it to.

I like to take my base grain (pale or maris) and get to a good estimated sg then add crystal, adjuncts, etc. to get the remaining gravity to hit the target. From there have a BU:GU in mind and a final IBU...I tend to work to a final IBU then adjust once the additions are set to balance the BU:GU ratio.

Right now I am attempting to design a session stout as well as a sessio porter which is becoming a bit of a challenge right now.
 
Sorry to zombiethread this one.. This is what I've been working on myself and out of all of my beers that I've brewed this has been the beer that gets the most compliments..

EveryDay IPA

8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 80.0 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2 10.0 %
1 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 3 10.0 %
0.50 oz Simcoe [12.90 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 23.6 IBUs
0.50 oz Simcoe [12.90 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 5 14.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Centennial [9.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 8.2 IBUs
0.50 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 7 -
0.50 oz Simcoe [12.90 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 8 8.5 IBUs
0.50 oz Centennial [9.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 9 3.3 IBUs '
1 oz Amarillo Dry Hop
1 oz Citra Dry Hop
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) [50.28 ml] Yeast 10
Mash at 154

It OG'd at 1.051 and I got a FG of 1.012 So roughly 5.2% ABV

It's become my house beer at this point. I play with the dry hop almost every time.. last time was with Citra but I'm thinking it'll be Amarillo and Simcoe next time.
 
Jshine42 said:
Sorry to zombiethread this one.. This is what I've been working on myself and out of all of my beers that I've brewed this has been the beer that gets the most compliments..

EveryDay IPA

8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 80.0 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2 10.0 %
1 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 3 10.0 %
0.50 oz Simcoe [12.90 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 23.6 IBUs
0.50 oz Simcoe [12.90 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 5 14.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Centennial [9.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 8.2 IBUs
0.50 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 7 -
0.50 oz Simcoe [12.90 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 8 8.5 IBUs
0.50 oz Centennial [9.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 9 3.3 IBUs '
1 oz Amarillo Dry Hop
1 oz Citra Dry Hop
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) [50.28 ml] Yeast 10
Mash at 154

It OG'd at 1.051 and I got a FG of 1.012 So roughly 5.2% ABV

It's become my house beer at this point. I play with the dry hop almost every time.. last time was with Citra but I'm thinking it'll be Amarillo and Simcoe next time.
Click to expand...

that's pretty much the grain bill i use for my IPA's. i like to keep all my beers between 4-6% so i can drink more.

i may have to try your recipe.
 

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