I want to make an 11% Imperial IPA...

It isn't a new idea I know. I have looked at a few different posts and recipes and figure that I will do a couple of different things. First is that I will be making a medium gravity brew first that is about 1.050 and 20 IBU. Then I will make 10 gallons of IPA and pitch onto the yeast.

I want this to be along the lines of Pliny the Younger on the aromatic front.

Due to the color I am thinking that I will keep the coloring malts to a low, just enough for flavor, though not so much that it is over colored.

Sheep in the Fence Imperial IPA

OG: 1.116
FG: 1.025 (hoping)
IBU: 79
SRM: 11

25lbs Maris Otter
15lbs Rye
3lbs Victory
.5lbs Crystal 40L
.5lbs Crystal 90L
5lbs Brown Sugar

3oz Magnum First Wort Hopping
1oz Centennial (60min)
1oz Chinook (60)
1oz Cascade (60)
.5oz Chinook (15)
.5oz Cascade(15)
.5oz Centennial (15)
4oz Centennial (1)
6oz Centennial Dry Hopped (1 week)
6oz Cascade Dry Hopped (1 week)

US-05 to ferment this bad boy out

My question is that with the hopping schedule, am I getting enough aromatic or is it too much?

I would move some of those dry hops up to 15 - 20 minute additions. I dry hopped half a batch with 3oz, half a batch with 1 oz. Honestly, after a month, I could not tell a difference. I find I get more bang for the buck using more than one variety instead of a lot of one variety.


With that much sugar, you should think about doing incremental additions. Leave the brown sugar out of the boil, and add it once the fermentation slows down (in one or two additions). I just did a big IPA, went from 1.100 to 1.012 with US-05. Has not carbed up yet though... Hoping the yeast has a little more oomph left in them, and moved them to a warmer room.

I have seen a lot of people do the incremental addition of sugar. I realize that you don't want to overpower the yeast with too much, but has anyone had problems with starting around 1.120? I just did a 1.100 and didn't add the sugar throughout, but straight in the boil. It will finish nice and low around 1.016.

I have heard that for bottle carbing you need to add more yeast. I don't know as I haven't done it, but it is what I hear. I will be going into keg, so no worries.

Any more thoughts though? I could always try for 15%abv instead if that would get more interest. Hell, I will mash 50lbs of Malt and 25 lbs of sugar in order to get 1.453 if people would advise me through it!

If you are going for only 11%, I suggest just pitching three packets of US-05 per 5 gallons and save the yeast cake. My 120minute IPA went from 1.091 down to 1.018 in 5 days just like this. I dont see any problems squeeking out another 1.5% ABV. The US-05 was fermenting like crazy.