Super malty, hop-bursted ale (sanity check)

I was thinking of some creative ways to use extra hops, and the thought came to me: could a beer be super malty and drenched in hop aroma and flavor? So, basically, I'd like to combine a very malty (though not necessarily super sweet) grain bill with a hop-burst technique (using lots of Amarillo). Does this sound like it would actually produce a tasty beer? Or would the flavors not meld well together?

I was thinking about using Munich or Vienna as the base, in order to get that rich maltiness I crave. Then, I would add healthy doses of Amarillo at 15, 5 and 0 minutes. I'm trying to decide what other hop would complement this hop bill. I have Willamette and Tettnanger on hand. I was also considering Simcoe and Centennial. I'm aiming for a BU:GU ratio of about 0.6, so that it is somewhat balanced between its two halves.

Here's an example of something in the general vicinity:

Malty, hop-bursted American amber ale
5 gallon recipe

9 lb. light Munich
1 lb. wheat
0.75 lb. C-40
0.25 lb. C-120

1 oz. Amarillo @ 15 min
0.5 oz. Simcoe @ 15 min
1 oz. Amarillo @ 5 min
0.5 oz. Simcoe @ 5 min
1 oz. Amarillo @ flameout

US-05 Yeast

Mash @ 154

Stats:
OG 1.057 (at 70% efficiency)
IBU 36
Color 15 SRM

So, does this make any sense? Should I go forward on it? Any tweaks? I'd appreciate a critique from the more experienced brewers out there.

I'm not experienced, but I'm interested in the lack of a bittering hop addition early in the boil. Can you really get 35 IBU's worth of bittering from 15 and 5 minute additions? I, too, am interested in hearing from more experienced brewers.

I hopbursted a pale ale one time. 1 oz of summit got it to about 35 ibus. I would describe it as a smooth bitterness, while still being malt forward. I had one that was about 6 months old though and it barely retained any of the hop aroma, but it was very malty!

A few months ago I did something very similar and it turned out great. It was basically a scotch ale hop bursted with centennial and amarillo. IMO, I'd cut back on some of the crystal since you'll already have plenty of malt backbone and maybe add a dry hop, but otherwise looks good.

Love the idea. If your looking for something super malty why not use both munich and vienna? I'd also cut out the 120 completely but that's just me. I'd love to hear how this turns out if you do go through with it. I have some extra munich and vienna i've been trying to use up, you may have just sparked my imagination. I'd lean more towards the amarillo/centennial combination but there seems to be a lot of people that really enjoy the amarillo/simcoe combination. I get too much of a catty flavor when simcoe is overused so I try to use it with restraint. Everyone has there own taste so go with what you think you'll like more.

Looks good. I think the standard early hop additions provides a bitterness that can effectively counteract the malty flavors in a brew. By hop bursting, I don't think the bitterness you get neutralizes the maltiness as well - which is what you want.

Looks fantastic.

I had this idea after making a Rogue Dead Guy Ale clone (Yooper's Recipe at first). I loved the clone. Decent hop flavor, with some great maltiness shining through. I ended up making it again with bumping up the Munich and hop additions by a metric assload. It's one of my favorite beers to date.

Thanks for the feedback. I've decided to move forward on this one. I just bought the grain. I dropped a quarter-pound of crystal out of the recipe. I'm also thinking about going all Amarillo--that has worked well for me in the past. Brew day is tomorrow, so if you have any last minute advice (hop schedule? mash temp?), now is the time to give it. Thanks.

Well, I just bottled today, and the results look promising. The hydrometer sample was delicious--the hops really come through in a good way. I'll give you another update with complete tasting notes in a couple of weeks when I drink the first fully carbed bottle.

Couple weeks?

Screw that my good sir, rob the craddle and try a single one at 7 days!!

Okay, so this has been about 9 days in the bottle, and I broke down and drank a bottle. I was very pleased with it. This beer matures quickly, and it is really something special. Here are my notes:

Appearance: Medium amber with two fingers of frothy, off-white head. The head lasts for a long time with a little bit of lacing.

Smell: Tons of citrusy, earthy hops with a whiff of malt. It smells like a good (I)IPA.

Taste: There is an initial hop-bitterness followed by a wave of grapefruit with a touch of caramel. As it warms up, a little bit of pine and flowers comes through. It finishes slightly sweet with a bit of bread and resin in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a pleasant amount of carbonation.

Drinkability: There is a lot going on with this beer. I enjoy the complexity, but it is probably too much to be sessionable. In some ways, it reminds me of a Jr. Imperial IPA. It has the rich hop flavor and aroma of an IIPA, and it has a similar balance between hops and malt—all in a much smaller, less alcoholic package. It really showcases the hops without going overboard.

That sounds good.

I'm making a big American IPA this weekend on the edge of IIPA territory to satisfy this similar malty hopburst crave.