IIPA Recipe - Critique Please!

I'm new to recipe creation, and this will be my first. I've tweaked my last few brews from existing recipes and they've turned out well, but this will be my first that is completely mine. My girlfriend wants a big hoppy IPA with a high alcohol content and this is what I've come up with.

5 Gallon Batch - Partial Mash

7 # American Two Row
6 # Light DME
3 # Rye Malt
1 # Crystal 40

4 Gallon Boil (It's all my electric stove can reasonably do, but I my attempt 4.5 gallons)

60 minutes - .5 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
45 minutes - .125 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
30 minutes - .125 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
15 minutes - irish moss & .125 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
5 minutes - .125 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
Dry Hop - .5 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade

Yeast - Wyeast Scottish Ale - 1728

I think you need more hops in the later additions and I really like a heavy Knock Out addition for IPAs.

I also think you are going to lose the qualities of the Simcoe and Amarillo in the bittering addition but to each his own.

Looks like a it is going to be a big beer and you are going to need to go large with the hops to match. Double your 30 and and 15 minute additions and throw another once in when you turn off the flame.

Ok, I upped the level of hops. I'm not a huge fan of flame-out additions, I'd rather up the level of dry hop additions. I could change that too if you think it would be a big help.

Also, I know the hop bill is the biggest focus in this type of brew, but are there any issues with the malt bill?

Here's what I have now.

5 Gallon Batch - Partial Mash

7 # American Two Row
6 # Light DME
3 # Rye Malt
1 # Crystal 40

4 Gallon Boil (It's all my electric stove can reasonably do, but I my attempt 4.5 gallons)

60 minutes - .5 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
45 minutes - .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
30 minutes - .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
15 minutes - irish moss & .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
5 minutes - .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
Dry Hop - .5 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade

Yeast - Wyeast Scottish Ale - 1728

What is your projected OG? You might consider replacing your extract with simple sugars (table sugar or corn sugar), up to 8% or so of the total fermentables by weight.

That will help dry your beer out and retain the crisp bitterness. Depending on the extract you use and the yeast strain it might have too much body to be very drinkable.

Also move ALL your hop additions other than 60 minutes to 20 minutes or later. 45 & 30 min additions wont contribute much flavor or aroma if ANY. I'd keep the same 4 additions, and do 15 mins, 10 mins, 5 mins, flameout. THat will give you the hop character you want, not just overwhelming bitterness.

Here's what tastybrew says.

OG 1.111
FG 1.028
IBU 179
ABV 10.7 %
SRM 10

I agree that replacing some of the extract with sugar would be a good option. Really want it to add that dryness. You could use up to about 1.5# and be under 10%.

What if I replaced two pounds of the extract with two pounds of sucrose? Would that suffice? I'd actually like to keep the alcohol level above 10%. Gotta keep the GF happy!

Gtrman13 said:

What if I replaced two pounds of the extract with two pounds of sucrose? Would that suffice? I'd actually like to keep the alcohol level above 10%. Gotta keep the GF happy!

Click to expand...

Too much. Sucrose will ferment out 100%, so dont worry about it negatively effecting your ABV, it will actually serve to boost it slightly.

Replace 1 to 1.25 lbs extract with the sucrose. If you exceed more than about 10% of the total fermentables with sugar, you can get a "cidery" type twangy taste.

Aah aah aah, ok I'm starting to get it! Thanks for the help everyone! Ok, so here's what I have now.

5 Gallon Batch - Partial Mash

7 # American Two Row
5 # Light DME
3 # Rye Malt
1 # Crystal 40
1 # Table Sugar

4 Gallon Boil (It's all my electric stove can reasonably do, but I my attempt 4.5 gallons)

60 minutes - .5 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
45 minutes - .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
30 minutes - .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
15 minutes - irish moss & .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
5 minutes - .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
Dry Hop - .5 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade

Yeast - Wyeast Scottish Ale - 1728

Gtrman13 said:

Aah aah aah, ok I'm starting to get it! Thanks for the help everyone! Ok, so here's what I have now.

5 Gallon Batch - Partial Mash

7 # American Two Row
5 # Light DME
3 # Rye Malt
1 # Crystal 40
1 # Table Sugar

4 Gallon Boil (It's all my electric stove can reasonably do, but I my attempt 4.5 gallons)

60 minutes - .5 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
45 minutes - .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
30 minutes - .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
15 minutes - irish moss & .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
5 minutes - .25 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade
Dry Hop - .5 oz of each - warrior, simcoe, amarillo, & cascade

Yeast - Wyeast Scottish Ale - 1728

Click to expand...

How did this turn out? I'm working on an IIPA recipe of my own and am wondering about the table sugar. Thanks!