Hop combinations in an IPA

Brewing an IPA today, I think. I'm still working on the grain bill, but it's not going to be anything fantastically unusual. So far I'm at 6# 2-row, 3# Munich... I'm still searching my grain boxes to see what else I have below 20L to add to this...... (Out of base malt till pay day) In short, though, I'm aiming for about a 1.055 wort, mashed low for fermentability.

My question, however, is this: I'm gonna use Simcoe and Amarillo, I'm thinking 1/2 oz each at 20" and at 5". I want to use some Pacific Gem in this too - I like the "blackberry" aromas I've been hearing about. I want to do 1/2 oz Pac Gem at 20 and 5 also.

20 Minute: 1/2 oz Simcoe, 1/2 oz Amarillo, 1/2 oz Pacific Gem
5 Minute: 1/2 oz Simcoe, 1/2 oz Amarillo, 1/2 oz Pacific Gem
Dry Hop: 1 oz Amarillo? 1 oz Pacific Gem?

-Should I even use a bittering hop? (I can, I have lots of Magnum. I could do 1 oz at 30 or even 60.) Or should I let the flavor/aroma shine through?

-Am I getting too crazy with this combination? Should I do Amarillo-Pac Gem or Amarillo-Simcoe and avoid tri-hopping it?

-My Simcoe is old, and a little "cheesy" smelling, but still distinctly hoppy. (I still have SOME faith in it.) Should I save it for an experimental recipe, and stick to "good" ingredients on this one? Or does this mean I should be using Simcoe for my bittering backbone?

-Should I be considering another variety entirely? This is what I have in stock:


This is probably going to be used for an IPA comp, so I want this to be good. I also want it to be unusual, that's where I'm going with adding the Pac Gem.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Input? Data?

Looks good but I am not a fan of Simcoe it has a flavor that I can not stand, but alot of people like it.

Looks like a good combo. I haven't tasted my short-hopped batch yet (all hops added in 20 minutes or less). I have tasted my FWH batch of APA and it's very nice.

If you do a bittering, give the first wort hop a try.

This is OT from Hops, but....

So far I'm at
6 lbs 11oz Pale 2-Row
3 lbs Munich

I need about 10 more points of gravity for style. Which is more of a heresy to use in an American IPA (14b) - 1# white wheat, or 1# Caramel 40?

Other options are Honey Malt, Victory Malt, Aromatic Malt, (barely any) CaraPils, Rye malt, or CaraMunich II ....

I also have Maris Otter but was going to save it for an ESB coming up. I could add even more munich? I have 5 lbs total.


Hmmmm.... any ideas?

You will need bittering hops, Magnum is a good choice. Aim for 60-70 IBU. Doing short adds is fine, but what you are proposing won't get you to the IBU needed for balance.

I'd use MO. 5 pounds of Munich is too much in an IPA. Rye is good in IPA's. Hop Rod Rye, for example. Keep it under 15%.

6 lbs 11.2 oz Pale Ale Malt 2-Row
4 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter
1 lbs Munich Malt

45 Minute total boil - 15 minutes for hot break, then at 30" remaining:

0.50 oz Simcoe [10.90 %] (30 min) Hops 13.8 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo [8.00 %] (25 min) Hops 9.2 IBU
0.50 oz Simcoe [10.90 %] (20 min) Hops 10.9 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo [8.00 %] (15 min) Hops 6.5 IBU
0.50 oz Pacific Gem [13.00 %] (10 min) Hops 7.8 IBU
1.00 oz Simcoe [10.90 %] (5 min) Hops 7.2 IBU
0.50 oz Pacific Gem [13.00 %] (5 min) Hops 4.3 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo [8.00 %] (5 min) Hops 2.6 IBU

0.50 oz Pacific Gem [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 5 days) Hops -
0.25 oz Amarillo [8.00 %] (Dry Hop 5 days) Hops -

Est Original Gravity: 1.060 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.015 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.78 %
Bitterness: 62.2 IBU
Est Color: 6.6 SRM

Before you posted that, David_42, this is what I had on-screen...... This is 60 IBU without the use of Magnum. Do you think I should get rid of the Simcoe on the back end in favor of the Magnum? What about Challenger?

Ahhhh, so confusing!

This is the alternate hop schedule I was thinking of:

0.50 oz Simcoe [10.90 %] (25 min) Hops 12.5 IBU
0.50 oz Simcoe [10.90 %] (20 min) Hops 10.9 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo [8.00 %] (15 min) Hops 13.1 IBU
1.00 oz Pacific Gem [13.00 %] (10 min) Hops 15.5 IBU
1.00 oz Pacific Gem [13.00 %] (5 min) Hops 8.5 IBU
0.50 oz Simcoe [10.90 %] (5 min) Hops 3.6 IBU

0.50 oz Pacific Gem [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 5 days) Hops -
0.25 oz Amarillo [8.00 %] (Dry Hop 5 days) Hops -

Total 64.0 IBU, not far off the other.

I really want the citrus, pineapple, and blackberry to PUNCH out from these 3 hops.

We've been discussing in IRC, here's one more idea I am thinking about.

1.00 oz Magnum [12.10 %] (45 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 40.2 IBU
1.00 oz Simcoe [10.90 %] (5 min) Hops 7.2 IBU
1.50 oz Amarillo [8.00 %] (5 min) Hops 7.9 IBU
1.00 oz Pacific Gem [13.00 %] (5 min) Hops 8.5 IBU

0.50 oz Pacific Gem [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 5 days) Hops -

Bitterness: 60.6 IBU

That looks like a good schedule. As nice as one hop IPAs can be, I get more flavor and aroma with multiple hops. My 3CPA uses five.

chriso said:

1.00 oz Magnum [12.10 %] (45 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 40.2 IBU
1.00 oz Simcoe [10.90 %] (5 min) Hops 7.2 IBU
1.50 oz Amarillo [8.00 %] (5 min) Hops 7.9 IBU
1.00 oz Pacific Gem [13.00 %] (5 min) Hops 8.5 IBU
0.50 oz Pacific Gem [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 5 days) Hops -
Bitterness: 60.6 IBU

Click to expand...

I wound up using this one. Smells great!

Looks good for hop schedule, though a 1/2 oz of 10%+ aau hop wouldn't be a bad idea for a 60 min addition.

As to your grain bill, I personally love about 1/4 oz of carapils, and have often used #1 of crystal 40+, but then again, I love that hint of sweetness you find in a lot of darker, American IPAs.

Actually, the 45 Minute Magnum is the bittering addition - there is no 60" since I geared this recipe for a short boil.

I was actually about 1/2 gal under (huge trub this time?!) so I suspect I will be brewing this recipe at least once more, if not twice. I will probably take you up on the Cara suggestion next time!

I know this is a very old thread but I recently have become very interested in pac gem hops. How did this turn out? Has anyone else tried this pg/simcoe/amarillo hop combination? I love amarillo's and am curious if these three would be great together or if adding the pac gems would disrupt the simcoe amarillo harmony.