First IPA recipe...comments?

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user 22118

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I have a friend that would like an IPA that is hoppy and balanced. I told him that I would help him out and he could help me brew. I am planning a 10 gallon batch up and have been told that you want about the same IBU as Gravity, though I am thinking of using more IBU's. I want to make a beer that he would like to drink (hophead) and that I would like to drink (non IPA drinker) so I went with the creamy Flaked Barley to make it a little smoother.

Test Pilot IPA

OG-1.070
FG- 1.017
IBU-74
SRM- 10

80% 24lbs Maris Otter
6.7% 1.5lbs Crystal 60L
6.7% 2lbs Flaked Barley
6.7% 2lbs Victory Malt

Warrior 2oz 60min
Cascade 1oz 15min
Cascade 1 oz 10min
Cascade 4oz 5min

Cascade 2oz Dry Hopped

Irish Moss
US-05 2 packets

154 mash temp, 90 minute boil to ferment for around a week at 66*f and then into a keg to carbonate and then bottle up for the friend and into the fridge on tap for me.


Any thoughts on the hopping schedule. I want bitter balance and super hop aroma. I haven't done dry hopping yet and don't really want to start with this beer. I need to get an idea of what the beer tastes like prior to dry hopping it. The warrior is the only way I could get the IBU's without using another 4 oz of cascade. I haven't ever used Warrior though so really this is new ground.


EDIT: To change the hops to something a little more simple and less bittering, and lowered the C60 to 1.5#
EDIT#2: Added Dry Hopping schedule and changed the 30min addition to a 10min
 
My first thought is that may be a bit too much crystal. Crystal can really be out of place in an IPA, if not bitter enough to balance. I'd cut that a bit.

Secondly, I'd use warrior for bittering, and not the cascade. Warrior is a great high AAU bittering hop, and I think cascade at 90 minutes is a waste of cascade. I wouldn't use warrior at 10 minutes, either. It's too "big" and harsh to me for that. Use it only for bittering, in my opinion.

I know you said you're not a hophead, but with no additions after 10 minutes, you're looking at a very bitter non-hoppy beer. (I don't know the IBUs, I didn't run it through my software). I'd definitely move many of those hops additions to later, and some at flame out.

Why a 90 minute boil? You don't get much more hops utilization, so I'd start the boil at 60, unless you had a pressing reason for the 90 minute boil.
 
That schedule looks a lot better, i was just throwing it in to beersmith.

The only thing I would suggest is possibly doing 2 oz's at 5 and 2 oz's at 0.


Cascades are :rockin:

-bn
 
Better! But I'd still take out the 30 minute addition, and use it for later. 0 minute additions would be good.

Did you run this through any software? You want to keep the IBU/Sg ratio in a decent IPA range without making it lean too far one way or the other.
 
Your recipe looks fine, but as stated above without a dry-hop your friend will be disappointed. We want the hops to jump from the glass and throttle us before we even take a taste. At the very least drop that last cascade addition in half and add 2oz. to secondary. An equal amount of centennial would be even better.

Don't be afraid of dry-hopping. Just dump them from the vacu-pac into secondary and rack on them. Your beer is already done fermenting and the alcohol will keep out all nasties.
 
I read some other people say to use either a nylon bag, tea ball or something of that sort for the dry hopping. If I do dry hop and use cascade, two oz of pellets for how long? Or should I go with whole leaf?
 
Leaf or pellet would be fine. I just dump mine in and siphon under(leaf) or off(pellet) them at bottling time. One to two weeks will be fine!
 
I'm going with pellets then and will add them after primary. Or should I leave it in primary a couple weeks, add the dry hop to the primary for a week and then rack into a keg? Or should I use one of those filter housings and push the beer through it? So many options...
 
I'm going with pellets then and will add them after primary. Or should I leave it in primary a couple weeks, add the dry hop to the primary for a week and then rack into a keg? Or should I use one of those filter housings and push the beer through it? So many options...

I'd let it ferment out. Then, either rack to secondary onto the dryhops, or add them at that point. Wait a week, then rack to the keg.
 
I am following you mostly. I don't want to sound confused here, but did we just say the same thing? If I leave it in the primary are the hops and yeast going to mess with each other or do I really want to move it off the yeast and then dry hop in the secondary (which I don't use any more really)
 
I am following you mostly. I don't want to sound confused here, but did we just say the same thing? If I leave it in the primary are the hops and yeast going to mess with each other or do I really want to move it off the yeast and then dry hop in the secondary (which I don't use any more really)

We did, but we didn't! Yes, you can leave it in the primary. But don't add the dry hops until it's all fermented. Then you can add the hops. Or, if you are planning on a secondary, you can add the dry hops then. My point was that you don't want to add the dryhops during active (primary) fermentation. After fermentation is finished, whether in the primary or the secondary, you can add the dry hops.
 
yes, I agree with that totally. Otherwise, as I understand, I am losing aroma from the hops due to the CO2 blowoff stealing the aromatics. So since I have normally had US-05 ferment in a week, then I will leave it another week and then dry hop it to get the extra hop aromas. Then into the keg for carbing before bottling 5 gallons for my friend.
 

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