Thoughts on IPA recipe?

I've been playing around in BeerSmith, trying to come up with a recipe for an IPA. I've looked at other resources, compared other recipes and tried to come up with something that would be all right. I know I won't be able to really create a recipe until I know what all hops and grains bring to the party, but I figured I'd give it a shot.

5 gallon batch, partial mash:

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 27.9 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 2 9.3 %
8.0 oz Toasted Malt (27.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.7 %
4.0 oz Carafoam (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.3 %
1.50 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 49.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 6 12.8 IBUs
6 lbs Dark Dry Extract [Boil for 15 min](17.5 SRM) Dry Extract 7 55.8 %
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 8 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafBrew Specialty Ale (DCL/Fermentis #T-58) [23.66 ml] Yeast 9 -
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 11 0.0 IBUs

NOTE: I have all these hops, and would have to buy the rest of the ingredients. ... I think the dark dry extract may be a little weird for this recipe, but I like a darker, more of a brown-orange IPA, and that's what BeerSmith says I'd get. ... I'm looking to brew an IPA next, so if you have any suggestions for a recipe that isn't this, feel free to let me know.

Bring on the feedback. I greatly appreciate it. (If I am way off the mark, just post this little guy and I'll get back to the drawing board!)

Thats going to be much darker than you think... I'm guessing you'd get closer to what you are looking for if you used the Extra Light Pilsen DME with those grains.

Is Safale T-58 the Belgian strain?? I'm not so sure this beer is going to be anything like an orangey american IPA...

I'd also knock down the C-60 and up the Carapils, but that could be just a preference.

I love toasted/Victory malt in APA/IPA's

With 11% crystal malt, the dark extract (which also has crystal malt) will give you something dark and sweet, more like an American amber (or even darker) than any IPA.

IPAs tend to have very little crystal malt (my favorite has none) and is pretty light colored.

If you want darker colored, about this:

8 pounds light (or extra light DME) or whatever it takes to get to your desired OG
1 pound Munich malt
.25 pound crystal 120L
.25 pound 40L

Yooper said:

With 11% crystal malt, the dark extract (which also has crystal malt) will give you something dark and sweet, more like an American amber (or even darker) than any IPA.

IPAs tend to have very little crystal malt (my favorite has none) and is pretty light colored.

If you want darker colored, about this:

8 pounds light (or extra light DME) or whatever it takes to get to your desired OG
1 pound Munich malt
.25 pound crystal 120L
.25 pound 40L

Click to expand...

Now thats a nice IPA extract grain bill thats not overly sweet

DolemiteGK said:

Thats going to be much darker than you think... I'm guessing you'd get closer to what you are looking for if you used the Extra Light Pilsen DME with those grains.

Is Safale T-58 the Belgian strain?? I'm not so sure this beer is going to be anything like an orangey american IPA...

I'd also knock down the C-60 and up the Carapils, but that could be just a preference.

I love toasted/Victory malt in APA/IPA's

Click to expand...

I actually screwed up on the yeast and placed the wrong one into BeerSmith. Thanks for the lookout on that.

Yooper said:

With 11% crystal malt, the dark extract (which also has crystal malt) will give you something dark and sweet, more like an American amber (or even darker) than any IPA.

IPAs tend to have very little crystal malt (my favorite has none) and is pretty light colored.

If you want darker colored, about this:

8 pounds light (or extra light DME) or whatever it takes to get to your desired OG
1 pound Munich malt
.25 pound crystal 120L
.25 pound 40L

Click to expand...

That looks good to me. Thanks, Yooper!

I appreciate all the feedback guys. It's a big help.

FWIW, and along Yooper's suggestion.

Simple grainbills are usually better options for many beer styles. Many people "over-grain" their recipes for the sake of trying to make something unique or different, and while using certain specialty grains can create a unique product, having too many flavors, or too much of one flavor can easily overbear what could have been a great beer.

I have been guilty of adding too many different grains to my beers in the beginning, trial and error has taught me the error of my ways

Schnitzengiggle said:

FWIW, and along Yooper's suggestion.

Simple grainbills are usually better options for many beer styles. Many people "over-grain" their recipes for the sake of trying to make something unique or different, and while using certain specialty grains can create a unique product, having too many flavors, or too much of one flavor can easily overbear what could have been a great beer.

I have been guilty of adding too many different grains to my beers in the beginning, trial and error has taught me the error of my ways

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. It seems that, like you said, simple grain bills sometimes make for the best recipes.

What do people think of the Summit and Citra combo?

RCBIV said:

What do people think of the Summit and Citra combo?

Click to expand...

Yummy

RCBIV said:

What do people think of the Summit and Citra combo?

Click to expand...

I personally have never used both together, but their profiles would suggest that they would work in an IPA.

Summit can be a little oniony.

I brewed this Friday. Things — for the most part — went well.

I used Yooper's grain bill, with a change from .25 40 & 120 to .5 90 due to a lack of LHBS ingredients.

I messed up my mash. I used a cooler for the first time and couldn't keep the temperature at the right spot. It was low for the most part and my OG suffered because of that.

With that said, everything looked and tasted good. It was nice and bitter; a stark contrast to my first brew, which was wasn't bitter enough.

Thanks for all the help, guys.