Calling all expert hoppers! Check my hop schedule! Sweetwater IPA Clone

Alright guys check my math here and offer insight. I made an IPA once about 3 years ago and completely blew it. I think it was a combination of missing my OG, over doing the bittering hops, and not being prepared for a bitter beer. I have since honed my IPA taste and I am trying to go after a Sweetwater IPA clone... I've ordered some ingredients and was hoping to have my hopping schedule critiqued. Any advice is welcome, here is the recipe, doing a PM for now till I have more time to get all the equipment out.

For a 10gal batch ~ 11gal in the fermentor:

13lb Light DME
1.5lb Caramal 80L
1lb munich
3oz - Simcoe - 60mins
4oz - Amarillo - 15mins
2oz - Chinook - 0 mins
4oz - Chinook - Dryhop
Years - Nottingham

Brewmaster's warehouse calculator has this at:

OG: 1.059
IBU: 72.5
SRM: 10.22

I almost think I need to order another pound of DME to bring the gravity up a little higher, but my question is on hop schedule, does this look okay or should I move it around some.

I don't really remember that beer very well, as it was almost a year ago when I had it. But I think you've got double the crystal you need. I don't remember it being cloyingly sweet.

4 ounces of chinook in the dryhop is a LOT. I mean, about 3 ounces more than I'd like. Even 2 ounces of chinook at flame out is pretty intense. I only use 1 ounce of at flame out and 1 ounce of dryhop in my Arrogant Bastard clone- and that's really intense!

I don't recall Sweetwater being chinook-y at all, or even citrusy. So I think you've got the hops all wrong.

I'd use chinook for bittering, and not aroma/flavor. I love amarillo/simcoe beers, but I don't get "grapefruit" out of the Sweetwater IPA. More like "earthy", if I remember correctlyl.

In any case, you've got way too many ounces of hops there, in my opinion.

I don't think the hopping is even close, but if you wanted to use those hops, I'd change it up like this:

Chinook 60 minutes- to about 45 IBUs
Amarillo 15 minutes- 1 ounce
Simcoe 10 minutes- 1 ounce
Amarillo 1 minute- 1 ounce
Simcoe 1 minute- 1 ounce

Dryhop- .5 ounces each of simcoe, amarillo, chinook.

You'd want an OG of 1.065-1.070, I'd think.

Like I said, I like those hops but it wont' be anything like Sweetwater in my opinion.

Edit- I thought you were doing a 5 gallon batch! So, double my hop suggestions. Sorry about that!

Thanks for the feedback yooper! I had a feeling dryhopping chinook was a bad idea lol! I like the way your schedule looks, but just to follow up do you still think I have too much crystal? You suggested I had double the amount you'd expect, I think maybe you were thinking 5gal batch for that as well. I think I'll just toss two oz of hops at a time on your schedule and see how it goes. Thanks!

I personally think if you aren't IPA lover/hophead you will prefer the 1.5LB of crystal or maybe even more. IPAs like sierra nevada celebration use close to 2LB of crystal in 5 gallon homebrew recipes, so 1.5LB in 10 gallons is not that much really.

Per Sweetwater,
Hops: Chinook, Cascade, Simcoe U.S. Golding
Dry Hops: Simcoe, U.S. Golding
IBU's: 61
Grain: 2 row, Munich, Wheat and C80

Hope that helps

Interesting thoughts. I enjoy SN celebration. I really need to do a bit of research for a good IPA recipe. I DO like Sweetwater IPA, but it does't taste like many IPA's I've had. Like I am not a big fan of dogfish 90minute IPA. Problem is I needa get an order into brewmasters warehouse pronto so I can brew this weekend!

Sleepyemt said:

Per Sweetwater,
Hops: Chinook, Cascade, Simcoe U.S. Golding
Dry Hops: Simcoe, U.S. Golding
IBU's: 61
Grain: 2 row, Munich, Wheat and C80

Hope that helps

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Modified my recipe some, kept yooper's suggestion on the hop schedule. Will brew it and cross my fingers lol!

For a 10gal batch ~ 11gal in the fermentor:

13lb Light DME
1lb Wheat DME
1.5lb Caramal 80L
1lb munich 10 (9.0 SRM)
Chinook 60 minutes- 3 ounce
Amarillo 15 minutes- 2 ounce
Simcoe 10 minutes- 2 ounce
Amarillo 1 minute- 2 ounce
Simcoe 1 minute- 2 ounce

Dryhop- 1 ounces each of simcoe, amarillo, chinook.
Yeast - Nottingham

Brewmaster's warehouse calculator has this at:

OG: 1.063
IBU: 64.6
SRM: 10.34

If you don't like DFH, then you may not like your hopping schedule! That's really close to the hopping schedule I use in my DFH clone. (except for the chinook dryhop).

If SleepyEmt's information is correct, with cascade, simcoe and US Goldings, you may want to lose the amarillo and use cascade and US Goldings instead.

Maybe keep the simcoe, and sub the amarillo with some US Goldings and/or cascade.

Yooper said:

If you don't like DFH, then you may not like your hopping schedule! That's really close to the hopping schedule I use in my DFH clone. (except for the chinook dryhop).

If SleepyEmt's information is correct, with cascade, simcoe and US Goldings, you may want to lose the amarillo and use cascade and US Goldings instead.

Maybe keep the simcoe, and sub the amarillo with some US Goldings and/or cascade.

Click to expand...

You know this gives me an idea. I could make another batch next week with a hop schedule using cascade and US goldings rather than amarillo. Should make for a good taste comparison.

patrck17 said:

You know this gives me an idea. I could make another batch next week with a hop schedule using cascade and US goldings rather than amarillo. Should make for a good taste comparison.

Click to expand...

That sounds like a plan!

I'm a HUGE fan of simcoe/amarillo together- it's like a smack in the face with a piney grapefruit. If you don't like it, I'll send my address for your cast-off bottles.

Brewing now. Brewsmith put the hopschedule in at 76IBU's, so I am going to be cautious and scale it back to 2oz of chinook for ~61IBUs. Should be good to go.

Actually had a question though. Is it a more common practice to leave the hop material in the wort when transfering to the fermenter or to filter it out? I've always just let it ride but wasn't sure if it would have a dramatic effect on the end product if I removed the hop material when fermenting, it all ends up at the bottom so I guess it doesn't matter much.

Yooper said:

4 ounces of chinook in the dryhop is a LOT. I mean, about 3 ounces more than I'd like. Even 2 ounces of chinook at flame out is pretty intense. I only use 1 ounce of at flame out and 1 ounce of dryhop in my Arrogant Bastard clone- and that's really intense!

Click to expand...

Yooper, slap me if I'm wrong here, but did you notice it's a 10 gallon batch? 2 ounces of dry hop for a 5 gallon batch is a decent amount, but not a lot to me. Maybe my sense of smell isn't as good as yours.

Jes,
I think she was assuming a 5 gallon batch when she made that statement.

Forgot the damn irish moss! I always do that.