Random IPA Recipe Critique

I'd planned to brew a Classic American Pilsener with a friend tomorrow but he can't make it and I still want to brew. Instead of trying to split the 10-gallon recipe I figured I'd try a very light IPA with a lot of the same grain bill. Everything here is in the house already so that's nice... I'm just not certain about how I'm putting them together. Any recommendations?

Gold in a Pale Ale
American IPA


Type: Partial Mash
Date: 3/22/2008
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.00 gal
Boil Time: 90 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 17.97 %
6.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 53.91 %
1.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 13.48 %
0.50 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 4.49 %
0.50 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 4.49 %
0.50 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.49 %
0.13 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 1.17 %
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops -
0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops -
0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 13.2 IBU
0.25 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (60 min) Hops 14.2 IBU
0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (40 min) Hops 10.1 IBU
0.25 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (40 min) Hops 10.8 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (40 min) Hops 8.5 IBU
0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (20 min) Hops 4.5 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [6.90 %] (20 min) Hops 4.7 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [6.90 %] (0 min) Hops -
1 Pkgs American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) [Starter 1 qt] Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.062 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.015 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.08 %
Bitterness: 66.0 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 6.4 SRM


Mash Profile

Mash Name: My Mash Total Grain Weight: 9.13 lb
Sparge Water: 5.36 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

My Mash Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Step Add 10.96 qt of water at 167.6 F 155.0 F



Thanks!

Personally, I'm the kind of beer drinker that prefers hop flavor/aroma over massive bitterness. That being said, what I would do is move your 40 minute additions (maybe except for the magnum, which I would move to 60 for more bitterness) to 20 minute additions or less. I would really concentrate on the late hopping and only use high alpha hops at 60 minutes to achieve 40-45 IBU's.

If you have enough hops, I recommend doing additions strictly from 30 minutes on down so you can get bitterness, flavor and aroma from all late-hopping.

Never tried an all late-hop beer... but I really like a firm bitterness in the background. I think I'll try the malt bill with hop schedule as follows instead:


0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (90 min - First Wort Hops) Hops 13.2 IBU
0.25 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (90 min - First Wort Hops) Hops 14.2 IBU
0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (30 min) Hops 10.1 IBU
0.25 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (30 min) Hops 10.8 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops 8.5 IBU
0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (15 min) Hops 4.5 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [6.90 %] (15 min) Hops 4.7 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [6.90 %] (0 min) Hops -
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops -
0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops -


This change will cut the IBUs to 55.3. I've seen a few recipes with this or similar hop mixtures around so I guess they'll blend pretty well. My biggest question is if I'll have enough residual malt to balance the bitterness. I've never brewed this light, or with so little crystal.

How long would you dry-hop this? After listening to The Jamil Show on IPAs last night I started thinking 2 weeks might be a bit too much for a 1.063 OG beer.

And... my starter has fizzled. The yeast I harvested many moons ago didn't hold up in the fridge, I guess. So it'll be a Nottingham pitch instead.