Simcoe Double IPA...opinions please

I enjoy Simcoe hops and want to make a big beer with them. I will mash the short grain bill at 155 degree in 1.25 quarts per gallon, then add water to make 5.5 gallons before I add the extract and hops. Please let me know what you think. thanks,

Batch size: 5.0 gallons
Est. Original Gravity 1.102
Est. Final Gravity 1.025
Est. Color 18° SRM
Bitterness 103.6 IBU Tinseth

Malt
67% 9lbs Light Dry Extract
7% 1lb Munich Malt
7% 1lb American Two-row Pale
7% 1lb Crystal 40L Malt
4% 8oz Dextrin (CaraPils) Malt
4% 8oz Crystal 120L Malt
4% 8oz Victory Malt

Hops (boiling 5.5 gallons of wort)
boil 60 mins 1.0oz Simcoe pellet
boil 40 mins 1.0oz Simcoe pellet
boil 20 mins 2.0oz Simcoe pellet
KO 0 mins 2.0oz Simcoe pellet

Dryhop for 7 days with 1.0oz Simcoe, then keg

White Labs California Ale (WLP001) yeast cake left from previous pale ale primary fermentation.

....and yes, I've heard all of the Simcoe cat pee jokes :cross:

It depends what you want.

I like my hoppy beers on the dry side, so I&#8217;d go with a simpler, more fermentable malt formulation. Between the extract, crystal, high gravity, and hot mash you'll end up with a beer with lots of residual sugar. I&#8217;d drop the crystal to <1 lb and swap out a pound or more of the extract for table sugar.

I also like hoppy beers to be saturated with hop flavor/aroma so I&#8217;d up the end of boil and dry hop addition (more hops in the keg are always a plus as well).

Your beer will be fine and most likely tasty as is, but it will be more like a barleywine than a double IPA.

Hope that helps, good luck.

I'd have to agree with oldsock, with that OG and FG it's definitely closer to an American Barleywine. I would certainly drop some of that Crystal, maybe cut both in half if you're really set on both, although I think .5 lb of C40 would be fine. Consider a possible 2oz addition at 10 min, and upping the dryhop an ounce if you want it hoppier.

+1 to the ditching some crystal and adding some sugar. I'd move the 40min simcoe add to somewhere in the final 15mins or to the dry hop. IMO, >20min adds (aside from bittering additions at 60+) are 'wasted' due to lower utilization and lack of flavor/aroma.

have not had it but there is a very popular all simcoe double IPA out there

http://www.weyerbacher.com/cwo.php?id=7&page_id=46

may want to check it out.

Way, way too much crystal. Especially when using DME. I would dump the C-40 and C-pils and add some sugar.

Revised recipe.....

Batch size: 5.0 gallons
Est. Original Gravity 1.100
Est. Final Gravity 1.024
Est. Color 11° SRM
Bitterness 96.5 IBU
Alcohol 10.1% ABV
Calories 329 per 12 oz.

MALT
72% 9lbs X-Light Dry Malt Extract
8% 1lb American Two-row Pale
4% 8oz Dextrin (CaraPils) Malt
4% 8oz Munich Malt
4% 8oz Victory Malt
4% 8oz Crystal 40L
4% 8oz Candi Sugar, Clear

HOPS (Full wort boil)
Boil 60 mins 1.5oz Simcoe pellet
Boil 20 mins 1.0oz Simcoe pellet
Boil 10 mins 2.0oz Simcoe pellet
KO 2.0oz Simcoe pellet
Dry hop 7 days 1.5oz Simcoe pellet

Yeast White Labs California Ale 001 (using previous primary fermentor yeast cake)

Don't bother with the expense of candi sugar for an IPA. Just use table or corn sugar...