IBU/Gravity for APA recipe

I'm designing an APA brewed with extra-light DME and a small amount of crystal and maybe .5 oz of chocolate, with an American Ale yeast.

I want to bitter with Columbus, and add .5 oz each Amarillo at 30, 15, 5, and dry hop.

I'm thinking of a high IBU/gravity ratio, maybe around 1.050 gravity and 38-39 IBUs.

I want a very clean flavored, highly hopped summer APA.

I want this to be very hoppy, but I don't want to get too carried away. I recently did a very successful IPA that was about 1.065 and about low 50s IBUs (similar ratio), but that was with Wyeast British Ale, which makes a more malty/balanced beer.

Thoughts? I've heard that Columbus yields a very intense but excellent dry hop, but that seems like it might be over the top for an already very hop-dominated ale.

cweston said:

Thoughts? I've heard that Columbus yields a very intense but excellent dry hop, but that seems like it might be over the top for an already very hop-dominated ale.

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I've never used COlumbus, but I split a bulk order of 1 lb (which actually weighed about 1.75 lbs) for a couple of guys on this board, and...

MAN...

that **** smelled fantastic. I want to try dry hopping with Columbus sometime soon.

As for over-hopping??? If I'm going to do a hop monster, there is no such thing.

-walker

cweston said:

.........but that seems like it might be over the top for an already very hop-dominated ale.

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no such thing....

The recipe looks good to me. 1.050 and 38 IBU seems right on. I try to usually shoot for around 40 IBU's on a pale ale. I think it should come out fine.

Imperial Walker said:

that **** smelled fantastic. I want to try dry hopping with Columbus sometime soon.

As for over-hopping??? If I'm going to do a hop monster, there is no such thing.

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Understood: If I don't try that in this batch, I'll get around to doing a big IPA and dry-hopping with Columbus.

But I want this to be a little more of a lawnmower beer. Maybe I'll just taste it at racking time and see if I think it can support a more intense dry hop with Columbus.

cweston said:

Understood: If I don't try that in this batch, I'll get around to doing a big IPA and dry-hopping with Columbus.

But I want this to be a little more of a lawnmower beer. Maybe I'll just taste it at racking time and see if I think it can support a more intense dry hop with Columbus.

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good plan...dry hopping is definitely not something that needs to be decided now...

I'm trying to formulate a new APA based off of one I've brewed a few times now and I will be bittering and dry hopping with Columbus for sure. I haven't worked out the middle yet, but the bittering and dry will only be Columbus. I don't think it will be at all over the top as long as you maintain the IBU's...you'll be using a smaller amount of Columbus to achieve the same IBU's as you would with a lower AA hop.

I think your figures look like good parameters. It's difficult to discuss IBU's because of the many variables that affect them on our separate systems, but for me I like 1050-1054 with 38-40 IBU for an APA.

Personally, I would leave out the chocolate or even replace it with Munich, but that's purely a personal choice.