IIPA Recipe feedback

Howdy,
I just built a new mash tun and am going to break her in. I havent brewed in over a year, so I am rusty... here's what I came up, let me know what you think.

I am not aiming for a traditional IIPA - I want it to have the hop bitterness, flavor and pop of a traditional IIPA, but I want it to be a bit darker with a hint or roast and burnt fruit, and a lot thicker mouth feel.

This recipe is for a 4 gallon batch.

Chubby Girl IIPA
11.00 lb Pale Malt 2-Row
1.00 lb Munich Malt
0.75 lb Flaked Barley
0.75 lb Crystal 40
0.50 lb (8 oz) Crystal 80
0.25 lb (4 oz) Crystal 120
0.125 lb (2 oz) Chocolate Malt 350

Mashed at 154.

1.0 oz. Chinook 10% Pellets@ 60 minutes
0.5 oz. Chinook 10% Pellets @ 45 minutes
0.5 oz. Chinook 10% Pellets @ 25 minutes
0.5 oz. Simcoe 11% Pellets @ 5 minutes
0.5 oz. Simcoe 11% Pellets @ Flameout

1.0 oz. Centennial Dryhopped

California Ale Yeast

Est OG 1.090
Est FG 1.021
Est ABV 9.0%

With a big grain bill like that…be careful to maintain a cooler fermentation temperature (64-68) for the first 4-5 days (the most rigorous stage of fermentation). To high and you’ll get a throat burning alcohol solvency. You can push the ambient temps up after a week (70 degrees or so) to insure fermentation is complete. I'd say 4-5 weeks in the primary.

The bill looks sound for what you’re striving for. I might push all but your bittering hops to 30 minutes or less and adjust accordingly to maintain desired IBU’s. I tend to be a late addition IIPA (20 minutes or less). My Tits Up IIPA gets 1.5 ounces of dry hopping for a five-gallon batch.

Probably will need a good 75-90 minute mash at 152 or lower to get full attenuation.

Keeps us posted on the outcome.

Thanks for the input.

I had planned on starting the ferment down around 62, and ramping it up every few days until it was around 70, and it will probably take a solid two weeks for the ferment, if not more.

The hop bill was just kind of loose, I through in that 45 minute addition because I wanted to make sure I got the bitterness I needed to balance the grain bill. But maybe I will play with the numbers a bit and see where it gets me...

I was worried that if I went too much lower on the mash temp I would lose some of the body that I was hoping to have this beer show off... But the Flaked Barley should probably make up for that, yeah?

I will keep y'all posted...

I would mash lower than 154F. I mash my Imperial Bastard (drop down) at 150F and wouldn't think of going higher. With a gravity of 1.090 and all that crystal you will have plenty of body...

Thanks! I ended up mashing at about 150, or that is what I aimed for.. I think it might have been off a bit, maybe closer to 152, but damn close...

I forgot that the beaker I usually measure my gravity with broke, so my gravity readings may be a bit off, but assuming they're not then my pre-boil gravity was only a few points lower than I expected... I could have added some DME but decided it wasnt worth it... and soon it will be time to take the SG before I pitch my yeast, and we will see how it went... If I have to I can make a DME slurry to up the gravity if I need to, but I am betting it will be in relatively the right range... considering this is only my third AG, my first time brewing in about a year, and a new mash tun, I am OK with "the right range!"