IPA Lite

So I'm planning my next series of beers and I was a little stumped on what to brew. After doing an initial brew as partly a big yeast starter, I wanted to split that yeast into two and do two beers at a time to maximize the space in my fermentation fridge. The end of the line beers are already set at an IPA and my Fresh Hop Double IPA. I was planning an Irish Red before the Double IPA, but what to do before the regular IPA? It had to be lower in gravity and not very dark. I could do a Pale Ale, but I want to hold off on that for a while. Then it hit me. What about a low gravity, session version of an IPA around 4% but full of hop bitterness and flavor? Here it is... IPA Lite.

IPA Lite
A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------
06-B Light Hybrid Beer, Blonde Ale
Min OG: 1.038 Max OG: 1.054
Min IBU: 15 Max IBU: 28
Min Clr: 2 Max Clr: 5 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 8.38
Anticipated OG: 1.044 Plato: 10.90
Anticipated SRM: 5.1
Anticipated IBU: 42.6
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------
Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 6.47 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.037 SG 9.31 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------
Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.
Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager
Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
95.5 8.00 lbs. Pale Malt Northwestern America 1.036 3
3.0 0.25 lbs. Crystal 15L America 1.035 15
1.5 0.13 lbs. Special Roast Malt America 1.033 40
Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.50 oz. Summit Whole 16.50 33.6 60 min.
0.25 oz. Amarillo Gold Pellet 8.00 1.8 10 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade Whole 6.80 1.4 10 min.
0.25 oz. Centennial Whole 8.60 1.8 10 min.
0.25 oz. Amarillo Gold Pellet 8.00 1.5 5 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade Whole 6.80 1.2 5 min.
0.25 oz. Centennial Whole 8.60 1.5 5 min.
0.25 oz. Amarillo Gold Pellet 8.00 0.0 0 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade Whole 6.80 0.0 0 min.
0.25 oz. Centennial Whole 8.60 0.0 0 min.

Yeast
-----
White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Mash Schedule
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Mash Type: Single Step
Grain Lbs: 8.38
Water Qts: 10.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 2.50 - Before Additional Infusions
Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.19 - Before Additional Infusions
Saccharification Rest Temp : 154 Time: 60
Mash-out Rest Temp : 168 Time: 15
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 45
Total Mash Volume Gal: 3.17 - Dough-In Infusion Only
All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit

Noob question here, sorry to be off topic so soon in this thread, but what is the effect of that somewhat complicated hopping schedule?

I'm very curious to hear how this turn out. My wife and I have discussed a fair bit the role of the higher ABV in the flavor of a good IPA. She is of the opinion that it would be hard to achieve the proper balance without it. Probably 80% of the beers I brew have an OG under 1.055 because I like to drink more beer and not get drunk. So I think a fair bit about lower alcohol IPAs and have been slowly lowering my ABV's on mine (6.5-7%), and would like to go even lower, but still keeep it an IPA, not a pale ale.

I wonder if you might want to increase the specialty grains a bit to help offset the hops. I know that for his Scottish Ale series, Jamil Z recommends in his book that you keep the specialy malts at the same level, and just use more or less base malt if you are making a 60, a 70, or an 80.

The complicated hop schedule is what gives an IPA the powerful heady aroma, and often an initial "softness" to the beers. Also it is fun to blend hops.

Laughing_Gnome said:

Noob question here, sorry to be off topic so soon in this thread, but what is the effect of that somewhat complicated hopping schedule?

Click to expand...

I just want lots of late hop flavor and aroma. It really just comes down to three additions in the last 10 minutes, each 0.75 oz. I have my home grown cascade, and centennial, plus some more centennial in my freezer, as well as several ounces of Amarillo pellets that I need to use up. Also, it's a little easier to need 0.75 oz of a single hop than it is to use the entire 2.25 oz late hop additions from one variety. Plus, with the variety I'll get a broader range of flavor than if I used a single variety.

pjj2ba said:

I wonder if you might want to increase the specialty grains a bit to help offset the hops. I know that for his Scottish Ale series, Jamil Z recommends in his book that you keep the specialy malts at the same level, and just use more or less base malt if you are making a 60, a 70, or an 80.

Click to expand...

I was tempted to go all base malt, but chickened out. I still want a little crystal and character malt in there, but for the most part I want it clean and fairly dry. I'm going to just use the 154 mash temp to contribute a little more body. For a full size IPA, I'd mash somewhere closer to 150.

Based on word of mouth (not experience) I agree with brewsmith. In theory (from what I read and heard), if you have a lower alcohol content then make the mouth feel a little fuller by mashing at a higher temp. Friends of mine have mashed at 158/59 with an abv at 4.5 to get fuller taste with high 70/80 beers.

Never tried it but Brewsmith is the third or fourth person I heard use this technique.

- WW

Sounds like a plan but I would dry hop the holy hell out of any IPA just to be doubly sure you can smell the pint from across the room.

I think it's just gonna be a hoppy pale ale....which is still cool. You couldn't technically call it an IPA because it just doesn't have the ABV. Likewise, you couldn't call it a Pale Ale because it's got too high of IBU's. I guess it's a custom IPA .

Saccharomyces said:

Sounds like a plan but I would dry hop the holy hell out of any IPA just to be doubly sure you can smell the pint from across the room.

Click to expand...

+1 to dry hopping. I split a batch of kit "pikes IPA" from midwest. I gave away most of the half that was not dry hopped.

I have been using an ounce or two of Cascade for Dry Hopping. I seem to like the lower alpha hops for DH purposes.

Have tried Columbus, Centenial (really liked), and Cascade (really really like)

I'll see what the aroma is after primary fermentation is done. If it still needs aroma, I'll dry hop with an ounce or so of whatever I've got, probably more Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Summit.

As far as style, I'm not really going for style, as stated above, it doesn't have the gravity. If you look in the recipe, I used Blonde Ale as the style for color and gravity purposes. It should be hop balanced like an IPA, but at a low strength, hence the "Lite." All that keeps running through my head while going over this recipe is "Great Taste, Less Filling"...