Help me make the greatest IPA ever

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gcdowd

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Like the title says, help me make the greatest IPA ever (all grain).

Here is what I have:

Malt:
2-Row
Munich
Golden Promise
Crystal 15
Crystal 40
Aromatic

Hops:
Centennial
Cascade
Columbus
Aramis
Summit
EKG
Chinook - 4 oz
Simcoe - 8 oz

I've been experimenting with a lot of SMASHs lately but I want to try to combine some hops and malts to make a nice IPA. I am a hop head so the more IBU, the better.

I value your opinions so please respond with a recipe you think would make a great IPA. Thanks!
 
Are you looking for a major hop focus with minimal malt? Or something more balanced? What kind of OG are you looking for?

In the first, I'd probably go almost all 2-row, a half pound C40L, mash fairly low, and add a half pound of corn sugar to dry it out, and go aggressive with any of those typical IPA hops (I'd bitter with Columbus or Chinook, and then go heavy on Cascade/Centennial for late/dry hops). I've never used Summit, but that'd work too from what I've read, as would Simcoe.

If you want more balance and malt backing, I'd go mostly 2-row, a few pounds of Munich, a higher amount of C40L, mash a little higher, and use a similar hop schedule but a little more in moderation.

Me personally, I'd probably go 70% Golden Promise, 20% Munich, 5% C40L and 5% Aromatic. And then use EKG. I've never even heard of Aramis, but from a quick Google search it sounds like they'd be fitting too. Point being, I'd go more English styled. But that's me.
 
I would say 2-row and maybe as much as 10% Munich. Crystal doesn't belong in an IPA so leave it out. You could blend the 2-row and Golden Promise if you want. Shoot for S.G. of 1.065-1.070. Mash low, around 150.

As for hopping aim for 60 IBUs. I would say 1oz at 30min, 2oz at 10 minute and 2oz at flameout. Dry hop with 3 or 4oz for 3-7 days. Use those simcoe in the dry hop and late boil. Blend that with the centennial in the dry hop and either centennial or cascade in the late boil.

I love EKG but it has no place in an american IPA. Columbus can be great, but lately it seems to onion for me. Use it for bittering unless it smells amazing.
 
I agree with the above. It appears you are just trying to do too much. While in theory it seems like a great idea in reality it is going to find across as muddled and lacking any real complexity or depth.

Basically you should chop our at least half the varieties of hops and same for malt. More cohesion, less let's just throw it all in. It's like color blending, you throw all the colors in a pot, you don't get a rainbow you get a brown poopy mess.

Restraint and simplicity are often the hardest things about recipe design
 
summit and simcoe are great for late boil dry hopping. You can get a lot of tropical fruit out of simcoe and fresh summit does NOT get that garlic/onion flavor as many say.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I should have been more specific in what I was looking for. I really was looking for an IPA around 7% abv, highly hopped with just enough amount of malt sweetness to back it. A few of my favorite IPAs are Southern Tier IPA, Racer 5, Union Jack, Ithaca Flower Power. If I could make something close to any of those, that would be awesome. Here are my thoughts so far (5 gallon batch):

10 lbs 2-row
2 lbs Munich
0.5 lbs Crystal 40

Mash at 150

1 oz Columbus @60
1 oz cascade @10
1 oz Chinook @ 10
1 oz Simcoe @ 5
1 oz cascade @ flameout
1 oz Columbus @ flameout

Dry hops:
1 oz simcoe
1 oz cascade
1 oz Chinook
 
I am a hop head so the more IBU, the better.

I love hops too, but it should be important to note that more IBUs is not always better. There's a difference between bitter and hoppy and it's important to understand it when crafting an IPA recipe. Late kettle/whirlpool additions (and adding hops to the kettle when the wort temperature has reached <170F during the chill to grasp a nice resinous quality from the hops) all ensure a nice "hoppy" but not overly "bitter" beer. For the latter, I like to keep the OG:BU ratio right around 1 with a Magnum-ish type (neutral) addition sometimes cut with a little Columbus of Chinook.
 
FWH also,-may as well? I think if I had all those hops,Id almost do it DFH 60min style.Getting the correct aimed IBU's intended also. What yeast are you going to use?
 
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