My attempt at an Imperial Pale Ale

Ok, so I went to my LHBS to possibly buy the brewers best imperial pale ale kit, which they did not have in stock. Since I had the recipe on hand, I figured I would do my best to piece together a similar kit. I would love to hear your feedback! Here is what I ended up with:

3 gallon boil
5 gallon batch
1.074 OG (Which is right on target for that "brewers friend" said)
Target FG = 1.018 = 7.5% ABV
60 minute boil
Target - 70 IBU

6.6 lbs Light pils LME
3 lbs Light DME

1 lb Caramel 90L
8 oz. Victory
4 oz. Carapils

2 oz Columbus hops (60 min bittering)
.5 oz Amarillo (20 min flavor)
.5 oz Simcoe (20 min flavor)
.5 oz Amarillo (5 min aroma)
.5 oz Simcoe (5 min aroma)

1 whirlfloc tablet @ 15 mins

WLP001 Yeast - I shook it up really good (like the bottle said) right before pouring it in and I ended up spilling some of it. I am hoping that it wont cause any issues other than maybe a slow fermentation start...

I am debating on whether or not I should dry hop this recipe? If so, which hop should I go with?

I took a quick taste test after I took the OG reading, and I must say it was not the most pleasant thing I have ever drank! I am assuming it will change quite drastically after fermentation and bottle conditioning.

Anyway, my BB holiday ale has at least another week and a half in the secondary so I don't have to worry about dry hopping for a while. Any input on dry hopping this recipe would be much appreciated!

Thanks, and happy brewing!

Only dry-hop if you think it needs more aroma. But, that being said, I would dry-hop the sh*t out of it! Go with 1/2 oz each of Simcoe and Amarillo. That way you aren't mixing tons of different kinds of hops and you will know where the flavors/aromas are coming from.

Cheers!

There really is no question about dry hopping a IIPA. You need to. Not with 1oz either. Shoot for at least 4 ounces. IIPA is all about going overboard with hops.

Thanks a ton, ill plan on dry hopping for sure then. Is there any advantage to dry hopping with pellets over full hops?

pwessinger said:

Thanks a ton, ill plan on dry hopping for sure then. Is there any advantage to dry hopping with pellets over full hops?

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I like using hop flowers because then you can just toss them in without a bag. The hop pellets break up a lot if you do that. Plus, the surface area is a lot higher with the flowers and they haven't been processed at all. I think using hop flowers is the only way to go. Unfortunately we can't get too many varieties here in Australia....

Good luck!