Critique Needed - My First Recipe - Six Gun Lightfoot IPA

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Doc Robinson

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I am going for an American IPA style using a partial mash. My goal is to create a medium bodied beer for the style and very light in color with good head retention. I want a crisp clean hop finish and floral & spicy aroma. I want my bitterness to be mid-range for the style. I hit my targets in Beer Smith, but I am interested in some feedback, particularly with my choice of hops and addition schedule. Thanks!

6.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM)
1.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM)
0.25 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)
0.25 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (60 min)
0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (60 min)
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (30 min)
0.50 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (15 min)
0.25 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (5 min)
1 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001)


Est. OG: 1.060
Est. FG: 1.013
Est. ABV: 6.03%
Bitterness: 53.8 IBU
Est. Color: 6.2 SRM
 
Assuming your starting with a 1ounce package of Simcoe, go ahead and throw the last .25 in at 5min. Simcoe and Columbus will give a nice aroma together.

Never tried wheat in my IPA personally, should give it some nice body though.
 
Swap the flaked wheat with Wheat Malt. Such a small amount of Munich won't have the power to convert the flaked wheat. But you get the same effect - enhanced foam retention - from the Wheat Malt as the flaked variety, as well as sufficient diastase to convert other stuff.

Which, well, you don't really need. Crystal doesn't need converting, and Munich converts itself. Anyway.

Also, reduce significantly the proportion of Crystal malt. You're over 20%, and much more than 10% risks, even in robustly-hopped beers, being too much. If I were you, I'd drop the Crystal to a pound and up the Munich to a pound for a little more malt-based balance. I like IPA to be fairly balanced, and I like that balance to be malty; using Crystal will just make it sweet.

I think your hops schedule is really nice. I concur that adding that last quarter-ounce of Simcoe certainly won't hurt anything!

Cheers! :mug:

Bob
 
For an IPA, your late hop additions are too small. .25 oz at 5 min?

I'd up your 15 and 5 minute additions to 1 oz each. Some people would say more but for me 1 oz at each of those additions is good.

I wouldn't personally go above 8% crystal.
 
IMO, IPA's should always be Dry Hopped. It's really what makes an IPA and IPA. I think a 1/2oz of each for 7 days would be a good fit.:mug:
 
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