Big Bad Ass (a.k.a. Crazy IPA)

I just placed an order for 4 pounds of hops.

If you want cheap hops, check out this link:

http://www.hopsdirect.com/hops/leafhops.html

They don't post shipping prices, but UPS ground from WA to GA for 4 pounds was $11. So, under $50 for 64 ounces of high AA% hops. Not bad since hop pellets are $2.75/oz. at my LHBS.

Anyway, I got Magnum, Cascade and Chinook and I wanted to do a crazy recipe that includes all of them.

Here's what I've come up with so far:

American IPA (but not sticking to IBU style guidelines).

Ingredients:
Grains
*************************
10.00 lb. Pale Malt, Marris Otter (3.0 SRM) 86.96%
00.50 lb. Cara-Pils (2.0 SRM) 4.35%
00.50 lb. Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) 4.35%
00.50 lb. Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) 4.35%
Hops
*************************
1.00 oz. Magnum (14.00%) FWH - 50.0 IBU
1.00 oz. Chinook (13.00%) FWH - 46.4 IBU
1.00 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 30 min. - 13.7 IBU
1.00 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 20 min. - 10.8 IBU
1.00 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 10 min. - 6.5 IBU
1.00 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 5 min. - 3.6 IBU
Yeast
*************************
2 packages SafAle US-05

I don't actually know the AA% on the hops yet, so I'm using the Beer Smith default settings.

I plan to mash at 154F to get medium body. A 5 gallon batch gives me:
OG: 1.065
FG: 1.019
ABV: 6.01%
Color: 8.3 SRM
Bitterness: 131.0 IBU

Yes, I understand how unbalanced this will be toward hoppy; it's what I'm trying to get.

With that as the target, what do you think of the recipe?

Thanks!

I'm also looking into formulating a "house" IPA, which I could brew over and over.

How does this look?

Ingredients:
Grains
*************************
9.00 lb. Pale Malt, Marris Otter (3.0 SRM) 81.82%
1.00 lb. Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) 9.09%
1.00 lb. Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) 9.09%
Hops
*************************
0.50 oz. Magnum (14.00%) FWH - 26.2 IBU
0.50 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 30 min. - 7.2 IBU
0.50 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 20 min. - 5.7 IBU
0.50 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 10 min. - 3.4 IBU
0.50 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 5 min. - 1.9 IBU
1.00 oz. Cascade (5.50%) Dry Hop in keg
Yeast
*************************
1 package SafAle US-05

I still don't actually know the AA% on the hops yet, so I'm using the Beer Smith default settings.

I plan to mash at 150F to get light body. A 5 gallon batch gives me:
OG: 1.060 (73% eff.)
FG: 1.013
ABV: 6.09%
Color: 10.6 SRM
Bitterness: 44.3 IBU

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Um, almost 40 views and no comments? C'mon, people, gimme your best thoughts!

Thanks!

Looks good to me. If I were you I would add some later hop addititons of the chinook and magnum. Dryhoping with cascade and chinook for me always turn out great for me. Malt bill looks good, maybe some rye or oats to give you a creamy mouthfeel. Just my 2 cents...

The first one seems like a hop bomb, but in the good way. The second "house ipa" seems a little on the malty side to me. I know you dont know the aa% of the hops, but 44.3 IBUs seems like a pale ale to me.

For the first recipe lose the cara-pils. You will get plenty of body/foam from the pound of crystal.
Hop schedule looks good. I might put the Magnum in at 60min.
You could also easily add a few pounds of base grain and call this an Imperial IPA.

For the second I would cut out at least a pound of the crystal. I like about 7or 8% crystal in my IPA's.
I would also increase the IBU's by 10 to 20, but I think you could leave the hop schedule as is and still have a nice beer.

Hopsdirect has great deals going on. I got 3lbs.
Based on the fact that you showed us 2 recipes and you want a house IPA why don't you shoot for something in the middle? That way if you want to back off of the hops or the malt or increase one you will have more of a "baseline recipe to start from. If you want a really hoppy beer, exhibiting hop character, like you said in your first recipe you might be over doing the FWHops. I like beers that are loaded up with late addition hops. Really showcases Hoppyness. I noticed you also did not have it dry hopped. I would dry hop it definitely.

TheBulge said:

I would cut out at least a pound of the crystal. I like about 7or 8% crystal in my IPA's.

Click to expand...

+1 - 2 lbs is too much crystal in 5 gallon batch IMO; especially if you want lighter body.

If you really want a lighter body (for the 2nd recipe), and drier IPA - a 1 lb of corn sugar with 15 minutes left in the boil.

Yeah, mashing at 154 and using more than a pound of crystal means cloying sweetness to me. I would use no more than one pound of crystal, maybe 1/2 of 20L and 1/2 60L, or another mix.

On the first one I would bump your base malts up to 14 lbs, IMO. Also, maybe do some chinooks at 30 min vs cascades. I also agree with dry hopping with a mix of cascades and chinooks. They should give you that nice citrusy balance with the malt bill.

i agree with some of the posters here, bump up the grains on the first recipe. Thats a low OG for that high of an IBU

I agree pretty much with what has been said; it seems like the first recipe is going to be exceptionally bitter compared to the OG you are shooting for. OTOH; i believe you could go a bit less on the crystal in the second one. Regardless let me know when you brew it so I can come over and drink it all!!!1

+1 on bumping up the MO. Maybe 13-14 pounds.

I actually think you'll be ok with the .5 each of crystal 20 and 40. A little sweetness will offset some of those high IBU's. But that's just my opinion having made many similar beers.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this but sometimes I even mix in some crystal 120 to give a little extra flavor and color. Maybe I'm wierd but people really like my beer. :fro:

OK, so I've kind of tried to synthesize all of the info given about the first recipe. I'm going for a hop bomb, and the malt body of an IPA, not an IIPA. (I've done a bunch of them, but they end up being too much like a barleywine to me.)

So, with that said, here's a new try:

Ingredients:
Grains
*************************
10.00 lb. Pale Malt, Marris Otter (3.0 SRM) 83.33%
00.50 lb. Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) 4.17%
00.50 lb. Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) 4.17%
01.00 lb. Corn sugar (late boil addition - 15 min) 4.17%
Hops
*************************
1.00 oz. Magnum (14.00%) FWH - 48.0 IBU
1.00 oz. Chinook (13.00%) FWH - 44.6 IBU
1.00 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 30 min. - 13.7 IBU
1.00 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 20 min. - 10.4 IBU
1.00 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 10 min. - 6.2 IBU
1.00 oz. Cascade (5.50%) 5 min. - 3.4 IBU
Yeast
*************************
2 packages SafAle US-05

I don't actually know the AA% on the hops yet, so I'm using the Beer Smith default settings.

I plan to mash at 154F to get medium body. A 5 gallon batch gives me:
OG: 1.071
FG: 1.018
ABV: 6.92%
Color: 9.1 SRM
Bitterness: 125.7 IBU

I know this is heavily (HEAVILY) to the hoppy side, but it's the taste I've developed. It's kind of meant to be like a Stone Ruination, but with my favorite hops!!!

Also, I'm just trying Magnum and Chinook for the first time. When I smell them, I will decide whether to use them for dry-hopping. I'm thinking a dry-hop of Cascade/Chinook.

This may end up being my "house", too .

Thoughts?

By the way, thanks for all the respones!!!!

Anybody else try Stone Ruination and wonder where all of the 100+ IBU are? I mean, it's good, but didn't light my tongue on fire as expected/hoped .

Thoughts?

Thanks!