Magnum IPA Question

I'm interested in making an earthy and spicy IPA for the fall while clearing out some hops from the freezer. Do any of you have experience using Magnum hops throughout the boil? They are often billed as a clean, neutral bittering hop, but according to brew365, they have spicy/earthy/herbaceous quality. Here is my planned hop schedule - any critique would be appreciated:

5 gallons with an OG of 1.060
Predicted IBU: 66

60min - 0.5oz Magnum (14.7%)
15min - 0.75oz Magnum (14.7%), 0.75oz Columbus (13%), 0.5oz Amarillo (10.3%)
5min - 0.75oz Magnum (14.7%), 0.75oz Columbus (13%)
DH - 0.5oz Amarillo, 0.75oz Magnum, 0.75oz Columbus

Might it be better to take out the 60min Magnum addition, and move it into the later additions to keep more flavor/aroma?

Have never tried it but am very interested in the results you get. I think I remember someone using it late in the boil but being a little underwhelmed by the flavor/aroma. Whenever I would smell them out of the bag they had a nice aroma I just never took the plunge. Please try and let us know, that hopping schedule should work great to showcase whatever flavor/aroma they do impart.

I've tried using magnum toward the end of the boil before. It ended up being a bit on the grassy & spicy side from what I recall. I've heard that SN uses it for flavoring, or has in the past. So its worth a shot. Please report back if you do try it.

So, I've decided to make up a few 1 gallon SMASH's using a 20min boil, and plan on using 1oz Magnum in one of them. Will update once it's done.

nufad said:

So, I've decided to make up a few 1 gallon SMASH's using a 20min boil, and plan on using 1oz Magnum in one of them. Will update once it's done.

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What was the outcome?

Did you do it? I'm curious too. I always hear about people raving over magnum as a clean bittering addition but never anything else about them

A Magnum SMaSH would indeed be quite boring.

Amarillo is citrusy/fruity/floral... You'll get a lot of grapefruit and peach from it. Not spicy/earthy at all.

Columbus has minimal earthy qualities, but it's more about dank/resinous, herbaceous, funky, grapefruit, pine.

I would go with Willamette, Chinook, & Northern Brewer given your goals. Bitter with Magnum.

Edit: Damn, I really have to start looking at posting dates.

For I second I thought this thread read "Magnum P.I." and thought of Tom Selleck.. I think magnum ipa would be good for a name with a picture of magnum and his ferrari..lol..

highgravitybacon said:

What was the outcome?

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I have to admit that I've had the best intentions to do this, but have decided on brewing other beers on my to-brew list. Given there's interest, I'm going to do brew up two 1g batches and a 1/2g batch of APAs tonight with some LME that I have on hand. I'll update in 4-5 weeks.

Well I just made an all magnum ale thing today in a 1 gallon test, fermenting with Wyeast 1007. It was a grab bag of crap I had lying around. Maris Otter and a bit of Crystal 60. No clue what the ratio was. It was dark though. Maybe 12-15 srm, put about a half ounce of magnum in it. 3 grams at 10 min, 3 grams at 5 min, 6 grams at flameout. Sounds like we're talking about lines of coke but anyway. ****ton of hops in the fermenter.

Pretty interesting smell. I didn't say good, just interesting. Smelled a bit like a gym sock. I kept telling myself that was just the gym sock aromatics evaporating and what's left would smell great. We'll see. About 30 IBUs. Yeast is pretty bland. No character except lack of character. It's probably exploded all over my floor and the airlock already.

I'll know in about 2 weeks.

highgravitybacon said:

Well I just made an all magnum ale thing today in a 1 gallon test, fermenting with Wyeast 1007. It was a grab bag of crap I had lying around. Maris Otter and a bit of Crystal 60. No clue what the ratio was. It was dark though. Maybe 12-15 srm, put about a half ounce of magnum in it. 3 grams at 10 min, 3 grams at 5 min, 6 grams at flameout. Sounds like we're talking about lines of coke but anyway. ****ton of hops in the fermenter.

Pretty interesting smell. I didn't say good, just interesting. Smelled a bit like a gym sock. I kept telling myself that was just the gym sock aromatics evaporating and what's left would smell great. We'll see. About 30 IBUs. Yeast is pretty bland. No character except lack of character. It's probably exploded all over my floor and the airlock already.

I'll know in about 2 weeks.

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Just finished a half gallon batch with Magnum. I added 10g at 5 min and 7g at flameout for 40 IBU. I also noticed the smell - the first thing that came to mind was the smell of old bacon grease and vegetables. Very...odd. The 1g batch with Mt. Hood smelled much better.

Use a mix of Magnum 40% Chinook 35% and Armarillo 25%, that might give you what you want

I made it and tried it. The recipe of sorts is a few posts back.

Meh, it's okay. The recipe was crap. Too much crystal so the subtle aroma was obscured. It has a very distinctive aroma. Herbal, spicy, dark, resiney, piney, dank. That flavor doesn't really come through in the taste, due I think to the ****ty ingredients I used.

But, its totally doable. I would use it again but for a lighter beer. It might work in wheat or light lager. If you approach it like a noble hop, it works on its own. Or in conjunction with something else in other beers. It certainly has a complexity.

The late additions do have a clean bitterness to them, but not nearly as clean as a 60 minute addition. I can't put my finger on it. I really enjoy the aroma. Very very piney and menthol or camphor.

This might work in a winter warmer type beer too where you want a more aromatic hop character. Magnum is the antithesis of the C hops.

Good luck people!

highgravitybacon said:

Magnum is the antithesis of the C hops.

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I just bottled my Magnum SMaSH, and I think you put it well: flavouring is subtle all round - dank, earthy, somewhat woody, with a herbal aroma.