Need advice on Simcoe IIPA hop sched.

So I've been doing some single hop IPA's lately and I need some help with this one. I just drained what was left of an all-amarillo IPA, and I was disappointed with how quickly the hop flavor and aroma dissipated. So I figured I’d increase the late hop additions on the Simcoe IIPA

I'm definitely going for a Hop-Heavy IIPA here, but I've heard that too much simcoe "tastes like cat piss." I've only used Simcoe in small amounts with other hops, so I have no way to know how true that comment is. This is what I have so far.

Batch: 5.25 gallon
Boil 3.5 (partial Mash)
Boil Gravity 1.040

S.G. 1.082
Est. F.G. 1.018-1.020
Est. ABV: 8.2%

1.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 33.6 IBU
1.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (30 min) Hops 21.5 IBU
1.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (10 min) Hops 10.2 IBU
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (0 min) Hops -
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -

The grain bill is all pale 2-row, crystal 10L and Dextrin + the needed late addition Light LME to achieve 1.082

All thoughts and suggestions appreciated!

Thanks

I'm one of the cat piss people. I love hopslam, which uses large quantities of simcoe to dryhop. I love Weyerbacher's Simcoe IPA also. But my one personal experiment with simcoe was/is cat pissy. I used it along with amarillo and cascade.

It was my first AG batch.... with a recipe I made myself, so in the proper hands, I know simcoe is a good hop.

I read on the internet, that beer made with simcoe hops tastes like grapefruit.........

I would think that if you want to improve aroma, you can move more of those hops to the 'after 30 minute' mark. With most being in the last 20 minutes. I have a Simcoe/Amarillo IIPA and it gets rave reviews from my club and from casual drinkers. At 9.5% and 120 IBUs it a dose of reality.

If you want to improve aroma, you can also try variants of the '60 minute IPA' idea. Add all your hops together, then break them into 10 minute additions.

I would also add at least 2-3 oz of dry hopping.

PS-Weyerbacher makes an All Simcoe IPA, at 9% it's more in the IIPA catgeory if you can find it. Pretty good, but I like to balance the Simcoe with Amarillo or Chinook for some more depth.

shroomzofdoom said:

I would think that if you want to improve aroma, you can move more of those hops to the 'after 30 minute' mark. With most being in the last 20 minutes. I have a Simcoe/Amarillo IIPA and it gets rave reviews from my club and from casual drinkers. At 9.5% and 120 IBUs it a dose of reality.

If you want to improve aroma, you can also try variants of the '60 minute IPA' idea. Add all your hops together, then break them into 10 minute additions.

I would also add at least 2-3 oz of dry hopping.

Click to expand...

Funny. I did 2 oz simcoe dry with 1/2 oz amarillo and 1/2 oz cascade (total 3 oz) and that's my cat piss.

Fletch78 said:

Funny. I did 2 oz simcoe dry with 1/2 oz amarillo and 1/2 oz cascade (total 3 oz) and that's my cat piss.

Click to expand...

Clearly notes of cat piss and grapefruit are evident. I find the taste almost irresistable, and I never cared for the taste of cat piss all that much...go figure.

I don't think simcoe works well in a single hop beer. It's way to dank on it's own. However mixed with other hops like cascade, centennial, Columbus, amarillo, etc... it's magical. Simcoe brings a special flavor that really enhances the mix. Green Flash IPA is a good example of Simcoe used properly.

I did an all-Simcoe based on Stone's recipe that came out fab. OG 1.068, 78 IBU, + dry. No cat piss.

I'd move more of the hops to later additions as well. I've found that with certain hop strains that have odd flavor characterisics, it's best to lighten up 30 minute additions and go heavier with 10 and flameout. I'm a huge fan of Summit, and the logic applies there because of the oniony flavor you can get. Personally, I'd juice up the bitterness as well. I usually go for roughly a 1:1.25 GU:BU ratio on my IPAs.

BTW-This is my Simcoe/Amarillo IIPA..."tastes so good make you wanna slap yo momma."

60 Minute Imperial-California Ale (C)
14-C Imperial IPA
Author: Mike D
Date: 7/25/2010
Size: 5.52 gal
Efficiency: 65.64%
Attenuation: 88.0%
Calories: 272.78 kcal per 12.0 fl oz
Original Gravity: 1.083 (1.070 - 1.090)
Terminal Gravity: 1.010 (1.010 - 1.020)
Color: 14.04 (8.0 - 15.0)
Alcohol: 9.65% (7.5% - 10.0%)
Bitterness: 128.9 (60.0 - 120.0)
Ingredients:
14 lb 2-Row Brewers Malt
4 lb Maris Otter Pale
1 lb Pacific Northwest Wheat
.75 lb Crystal Malt 90°L
.4 oz Simcoe (12.2%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.4 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.2 oz Amarillo (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.4 oz Simcoe (12.2%) - added during boil, boiled 50 min
.4 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 50 min
.2 oz Amarillo (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 50 min
.4 oz Simcoe (13.0%) - added during boil, boiled 40 min
.4 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 40 min
.2 oz Amarillo (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 40 min
.4 oz Simcoe (12.2%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
.4 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
.2 oz Amarillo (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
.4 oz Simcoe (12.2%) - added during boil, boiled 20 min
.4 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 20 min
.2 oz Amarillo (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 20 min
.4 oz Simcoe (12.2%) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
.4 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
.2 oz Amarillo (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
.4 oz Simcoe (12.2%) - added during boil, boiled 0 min
.4 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 0 min
.2 oz Amarillo (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 0 min
0.0 ea White Labs WLP001 California Ale
1.0 oz Amarillo (7.5%) - added dry to secondary fermenter
1.0 oz Simcoe (12.0%) - added dry to secondary fermenter

Thanks for the replys! I went ahead and moved some of the 30 minute additions to the ten, and left the rest alone. I wound up hitting 1.080 @ about 116 IBU (per Beer Smith).

I might be a little late to the part; I use Simcoe as my bittering and Citra as flavor and aroma for my standard IPA.
I am making a Simcoe / Citra this weekend with equal parts for flavor and aroma for an added twist to the recipe. The flavors are great together, and since Cascade and reasonably priced, it makes a great dry hop