Making a hoppy low gravity beer

I'm playing around with this recipe in beersmith, and am wanting to use some of the excess hops I have lying around. I want it hoppy and low gravity, but not sure if this will be way too bitter or not.


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 2.30 gal
Post Boil Volume: 2.08 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.043 SG
Estimated Color: 7.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 50.6 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 0.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8.0 oz Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 1 9.1 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2 9.1 %
8.0 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 3 9.1 %
1 lbs Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 4 18.2 %
0.50 oz Pacific Jade [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 28.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.90 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 6.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.90 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 7 4.6 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 mins) Fining 8 -
0.50 oz Cascade [5.90 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 9 2.5 IBUs
0.50 oz Citra [14.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 6.2 IBUs
0.50 oz Motueka [7.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 3.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 12 -
3 lbs Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 13 54.5 %
1.00 oz Citra [14.50 %] - Dry Hop 14.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.90 %] - Dry Hop 14.0 Days Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Motueka [7.00 %] - Dry Hop 14.0 Days Hop 16 0.0 IBUs

Some interesting reading
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2012/01/vienna-malt-session-ipa-recipe.html

That's really helpful. Awesome.
So I should bump up the specialty flavorful malts, and drop a lot of the extract?

Do a search on hop bursting. Lots of hop aroma and flavor without a ton of bitterness.

I understand the concept of hopbursting.
I was just wondering is a gravity of 1.043 and IBU's of 50.6 going to be too much?

I would take out the pacific jade

I'm trying to get rid of leftover hops I have.
Anyways, based on that mad fermantationist post, I've been rethinking the grain bill. How feasible would it be to do an all grain partial boil?

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 2.82 gal
Post Boil Volume: 2.60 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.60 gal
Estimated OG: 1.041 SG
Estimated Color: 8.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 37.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.2 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3 lbs 8.0 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 1 43.8 %
2 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 25.0 %
1 lbs Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 3 12.5 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 4 12.5 %
8.0 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 5 6.3 %
0.50 oz Pacific Jade [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 17.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.90 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 7.7 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.90 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 8 5.6 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 mins) Fining 9 -
0.50 oz Cascade [5.90 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 1.5 IBUs
0.50 oz Citra [14.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 3.8 IBUs
0.50 oz Motueka [7.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 12 1.8 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 13 -
1.00 oz Citra [14.50 %] - Dry Hop 14.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.90 %] - Dry Hop 14.0 Days Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Motueka [7.00 %] - Dry Hop 14.0 Days Hop 16 0.0 IBUs


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 8 lbs
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 10.00 qt of water at 162.7 F 150.0 F 75 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 1.28 gal water at 168.0 F

hopsalot said:

Some interesting reading
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2012/01/vienna-malt-session-ipa-recipe.html

Click to expand...

WHAT Does he mean by this...

1. For a hoppy beer reduce the IBUs proportionally to the expected residual extract (I think this is a better way to think about balance than the classic BU:GU ratio).


I know what the BU:GU ratio is and how to apply it, but what does he mean by residual extract.

Where are you getting/calculating the numbers for your volumes?

beersmith

good software, can you calculate what your gravity would be before you topped off to get your batch size of 5 gal? I dont see why you couldnt do an all grain partial boil if your gravity was high enough.

Post boil gravity it says: 1.041 which is the same as the OG calculation. That doesn't seem so accurate.
Pre boil it calculates as 1.081

your numbers show you topping off with close to 3 gallons, your post boil gravity before you top off will be closer to 1.090

So is that procedure ok?

Sounds like it would work, just like topping off an extract batch. I have never done this though

Yeah from the things I have been reading it seems feasible. Just not a lot of people have done it with a 3 gallon brew kettle. But it is such a low gravity. I wonder if the IBUs should work out like beersmith calculates.

I would trust the software, Goodluck let us know how it turns out.

Cheers!

I definitely will, but it will be in a few weeks, got 2 batches before this one. Was just doing research haha.

Right on.

To clarify this question earlier:

bferullo said:

WHAT Does he mean by this...

1. For a hoppy beer reduce the IBUs proportionally to the expected residual extract (I think this is a better way to think about balance than the classic BU:GU ratio).


I know what the BU:GU ratio is and how to apply it, but what does he mean by residual extract.

Click to expand...

"Residual extract is the amount of gravity remaining in the finished beer if you take into account the amount of alcohol (which is lighter than water) that is also in the beer. For example, there is a lot more carbohydrates in a beer that goes from 1.090 to 1.010 than one that goes from 1.040 to 1.010"
-Mad Fermentationist

In case anyone is wondering, I just brewed this sunday on my new all grain system. I did not do this on the stovetop and try to do a partial addition, so someone else will have to run that experiment if they want
My final recipe:
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 8.24 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.24 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.25 gal
Estimated OG: 1.047 SG
Estimated Color: 8.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 36.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 86.4 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3 lbs 8.5 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 1 38.9 %
3 lbs 0.4 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 33.3 %
1 lbs 0.1 oz Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 3 11.1 %
1 lbs 0.1 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 4 11.1 %
8.1 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 5 5.6 %
0.0 oz Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 6 0.0 %
1.00 oz Cascade [6.20 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 11.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [6.20 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 8 8.2 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 mins) Fining 9 -
0.50 oz Cascade [5.90 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 2.1 IBUs
0.50 oz Citra [14.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 5.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Motueka [7.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 12 2.7 IBUs
0.50 oz Pacific Jade [14.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 13 5.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [14.50 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 14 2.3 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 15 -
1.00 oz Citra [14.50 %] - Dry Hop 14.0 Days Hop 16 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.90 %] - Dry Hop 14.0 Days Hop 17 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Motueka [7.50 %] - Dry Hop 14.0 Days Hop 18 0.0 IBUs

I ended up with a gravity of 1.04, which is a little low so I am adding a pound of extra light DME to it to boost the gravity a bit. I ended up with too much wort liquid and did not have time to boil it down which is what I think contributed to the low gravity. When I took the hydrometer sample It was very hoppy but not horribly so and could taste the flavors of the malt. I am excited to dry hop this batch.

So I bottled this thing and it's ready to drink right now. Nice carbonation and color. The aroma is strongly citra with cascade and motueka way more prevalent in the taste. It's nicely hopped, but I think I could have added way more hops to it. There was definitely room for more hoppiness, but a delicious brew nontheless. I'm really enjoying brewing sessionable brews right now, but I'll have to make a serious hop bomb at some point.