Columbus/Vienna IPA PM

I recently dry hopped a blonde with some Columbus and loved the aroma. So, I'm looking to do an APA or IPA with Columbus as the highlight. I've also used Munich with some success, and thought I'd try some Vienna this time around.

Here's what I've put together so far. I'm not looking to go too bitter, I want the hop flavor/aroma to dominate, and I'd like some body without getting too sweet. Thoughts?

Boil Volume 3 gallons
Batch Size 3 gallons

41.7 % 2.50 Light Dry Malt Extract 37.5 1.7
33.3 % 2.00 Vienna 13.0 2.7
16.7 % 1.00 American Two-row Pale 8.0 0.6
8.3 % 0.50 American Crystal 20L 3.8 3.3

0.25 Columbus Pellet 15.4 - 60 min
0.25 Cascade Pellet 6.6 - 15 min
0.25 Columbus Pellet 15.4 - 10 min
0.25 Cascade Pellet 6.6 - 10 min
0.25 Columbus Pellet 15.4 - 5 min
0.25 Cascade Pellet 6.6 1.7 - 5 min
0.25 Columbus Pellet 15.4 - 0 min
0.25 Cascade Pellet 6.6 - 0 min
0.50 Columbus Pellet 15.4 - Dry Hop

OG 1.062
FG 1.016
IBU 44
ABV 5.9 %
SRM 6

Yeast US-05

You are certainly closer to a APA at the moment in terms of gravity/bitterness and hop aroma. I would double/triple the late boil and dry hop additions if you want a "dominant" hop aroma. Should be a good combination, hope it turns out well.

Yeah, I'm okay with it falling anywhere in between the APA/IPA range. I can definitely up those late additions though. Maybe double the 5 minute, flame out, and dryhop? Any issues with the grain bill? I do have some carapils handy, but I figure that's not necessary...

I used Columbus on my last APA, it was very good. Will do again.

tagz said:

Any issues with the grain bill? I do have some carapils handy, but I figure that's not necessary...

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Agreed, grist looks fine to me.

i love Columbus. Was reccomended it by a micro brewmaster in Las Vegas. I substituded it in this, which is similar to your recipe

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/bee-cave-brewery-haus-pale-ale-31793/

I use Vienna in my IPA with great results, it gives a nice malt backbone without sweetness. I definitely prefer Vienna over Munich. If this were my reciped I would shoot for IBU's to be about 60, I like a BU:GU around 1 on my IPA's. Looks tasty either way though

So I upped the late additions. The IBUs came up slightly to 48. I would increase those more but I'm out of the Columbus and Cascade (I bought 2 oz Columbus and 1 oz Cascade). I do have an oz of Amarillo, but I think I want to stick to two hops.

What do you guys think of the hop timing? Would you adjust more to the 15 or 20 minute?

I also have the option of S-04, but I figure that might make it more malty than I want? Thoughts?

Boil Volume 3 gallons
Batch Size 3 gallons

41.7 % 2.50 Light Dry Malt Extract
33.3 % 2.00 Vienna 13.0
16.7 % 1.00 American Two-row Pale
08.3 % 0.50 American Crystal 20L

0.25 Columbus Pellet 15.4 - 60 min
0.25 Cascade Pellet 6.6 - 15 min
0.25 Columbus Pellet 15.4 - 10 min
0.25 Cascade Pellet 6.6 - 10 min
0.50 Columbus Pellet 15.4 - 5 min
0.25 Cascade Pellet 6.6 1.7 - 5 min
0.50 Columbus Pellet 15.4 - 0 min
0.25 Cascade Pellet 6.6 - 0 min
0.50 Columbus Pellet 15.4 - Dry Hop

OG 1.064
FG 1.016
IBU 48
ABV 6.2 %
SRM 6

Yeast US-05

I use Vienna in my APA and I love the malty character. It doesnt overpower the hops, but its there, and as the beer warms a bit in the glass the malt character seems to come through stronger.

As I get closer to brewing this, I'm more and more tempted to use the ounce of Amarillo I have in reserve. I figure I don't get to brew that often, so if I'm going to make a hop forward beer, I might as well go all out.

Questions:
1. Will it muddle the flavors? Should I just stick with the two hop combo for cleaner flavor, or will adding another citrus hop boost the profile?
2. How would you organize the late additions to still make columbus the highlight?

tagz said:

As I get closer to brewing this, I'm more and more tempted to use the ounce of Amarillo I have in reserve. I figure I don't get to brew that often, so if I'm going to make a hop forward beer, I might as well go all out.

Questions:
1. Will it muddle the flavors? Should I just stick with the two hop combo for cleaner flavor, or will adding another citrus hop boost the profile?
2. How would you organize the late additions to still make columbus the highlight?

Click to expand...

I think it will be fine with the other hops, three hops is usually what I aim for in my hoppy beers.

I would use the Amarillo for the early additions, push the extra Columbus towards the end of the boil or into the dry hop.

I've done a Columbus & Willamette IPA a couple times most recently with this hop bill.

22.00 gm Williamette [4.00 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops -
29.00 gm Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.60 %] (60 min) Hops 47.8 IBU
22.00 gm Williamette [4.00 %] (30 min) Hops 7.6 IBU
22.00 gm Williamette [4.00 %] (15 min) Hops 4.9 IBU
22.00 gm Williamette [4.00 %] (0 min) Hops -

Brewing this today. Brought the extract down a bit as well, so it's more in the APA range. I'll be starting in a few hours, so any last minute advice is welcome.

So I brewed the above recipe. Everything went smoothly. Hit 75-80% efficiency on my mini-mash and fermentation started within 4-6 hours.

I'm going to be brewing up a similar recipe today. Same grain bill but this time I'll be using Simcoe and Centennial. Simcoe in place of the Columbus and Centennial in place of the Amarillo and Cascade. I want to do a taste comparison with the hops.

That said, I have the option of using US-04 or US-05. I could go 05 to make for better hop flavor comparison. Or, I could try out 04 because I've never used it before and am curious. Which way would you go?

I'd go with S-05, just to keep all the variables the same except the hops.

Also, if this were my recipe, I would adjust the hop additions so that the IBU's they give are pretty close. Within 2/10's or so, and have the overall IBU exactly the same. I'm not sure how much difference that might make, but it's just how I would go about it.

I think I'll do that. By the way, the Simcoe pellets smell a little catty. Should I reduce the dry hop (or shift it to flavor addition) to avoid a cat pee IPA, or will that not be a factor with this small amount?

tagz said:

I think I'll do that. By the way, the Simcoe pellets smell a little catty. Should I reduce the dry hop (or shift it to flavor addition) to avoid a cat pee IPA, or will that not be a factor with this small amount?

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Hard to say, I've never gotten the Cat-Pee smell from Simcoe. I will say that the last time I used Simcoe Pellets the beer came across a bit harsh, but that was 1/2oz additions @ 25,15,& 5.

I would suggest you do a 50/50 DH with Simcoe & Centennial, if you have enough. If not, just leave it be and I'm sure it will be fine. I DH my IPA with an ounce each Simcoe & Amarillo and it's a tasty little beer, however that is with whole cone which I believe gives a smoother taste.

The Columbus/Cascade batch is ready. It's been in bottles for three weeks, and tastes fantastic! Exactly what I was going for. The Simcoe/Centennial has been in bottles two weeks and needs another week to reach full carbonation and meld the flavors a bit more.

So far, I think I lean toward the Simcoe/Centennial combination. The Columbus Dry hop over-powers the Cascade a bit. It's still a nice heady, fruity hop-flavor but the Simcoe/Centennial is a little more nuanced with a tropical fruit vibe coming through. The Simcoe batch also has a little more assertive bitterness; I went with a little larger boil and with the slight difference in AAU, it's probably about 10 IBU higher. I favor the increased bitterness while my wife raves about the balance of the Columbus batch.

I'm going to fine tune these recipes once I've had some more time to drink through the batches. I'm thinking about a Columbus bittering, Centennial flavor, and Simcoe aroma combination for the final recipe.