Un*earthly Imperial IPA Clone

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mjcoyne

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I recently tried a Southern Tier Imperial IPA and to be honest it was incredible. I have been in search of a good clone and came along this one (Ted's Homebrew Journal: Rat Bite IPA) although it is not a direct clone...According to Southern Tier this beer includes the following:
11% ABV
23 Degrees Plato
7.5 Degrees Lovibond
2 row pale malt
cara-pils malt
red wheat
Kettle Hops: Chinook and Cascade
Hop Back: Syrian Goldings
Dry Hops: Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook
IBU - 153

I am new to brewing and am not able to do full boils so my plans are to do a 4.5 gallon boil for a 5.5 gallon batch. Here is what I came up with for a recipe using 'The Beer Recipator':
10.5% ABV
153 IBU
OG: 1.096 FG: 1.015
2.32 lb. American 2-row
1.16 lb. Dextrine malt (Cara-Pils)
0.87 lb. Raw wheat
Mash 1hr at 162

at boil add:
6.95 lb. Light malt extract
1.16 lb. Cane sugar
3.47 lb. Light dry malt extract

1.5 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 60 min.)
2 oz. Chinook (12% AA, 60 min.)
1.5 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 45 min.)
1 oz. Chinook (12% AA, 45 min.)
1.5 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 30 min.)
1 oz. Chinook (12% AA, 30 min.)
1.5 oz. Cascade (6% AA, 15 min.)
1 oz. Centennial (10.5% AA, 15 min.)
1 oz. Chinook (12% AA, 15 min.)
2 oz. Styrian Goldings (5.5% AA, 15 min.)

Dry hop with:
1 oz. Cascade
1.5 oz. Centennial
1 oz. Chinook

Since I am new to this I could really use any and all suggestions on where to improve this recipe. Thanks for the help!
 
According to Beer Tools This has an IBU of 313.7. Thats some hops, I will say that.
 
I love Southern Tier beer, especially their imperials (unearthy, uber sun (had a bombe today) chokalt) I would say you are a little heavy on the hops too. Whatever you brew, let us know how it turns out in comparison. :ban:
 
I had a very strong feeling that the hops were on 'overload'....I am going to go back and adjust...once I figure that out I will post the new plans...thanks for the help so far!
 
I did a IIPA that is still bottle conditioning, it was an extract, 8.5% and I used, if I remember correctly, 7 oz in the boil kettle, 2 oz dry-hop. All samples thus far have been very hoppy, both in aroma and flavor. Yours will be a little stronger, so maybe shoot for 8-10 oz total during the boil?
 
After finally deciding that BeerSmith was my best option to get this recipe right I think I finally am extremely close to the final decision. Here is what the recipe has turned in to:
Type: Partial Mash
Date: 4/23/2009
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Brewer: Mike Coyne
Boil Size: 4.50 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 19.54 %
6.60 lb Pale Liquid Extract [Boil for 15 min] Extract 43.00 %
2.30 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 14.98 %
1.20 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 7.82 %
1.00 lb Wheat - Soft Red, Flaked (Briess) (1.6 SRM) Grain 6.51 %

0.50 oz Chinook [13.60 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Centennial [9.10 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Cascade [7.40 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Chinook [13.60 %] (60 min) Hops 22.5 IBU
1.50 oz Cascade [7.40 %] (60 min) Hops 18.4 IBU
0.50 oz Chinook [13.60 %] (45 min) Hops 10.3 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [7.40 %] (45 min) Hops 11.2 IBU
0.50 oz Chinook [13.60 %] (30 min) Hops 8.7 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [7.40 %] (30 min) Hops 4.7 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [9.10 %] (15 min) Hops 7.5 IBU
0.50 oz Chinook [13.60 %] (15 min) Hops 5.6 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [7.40 %] (15 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
1.00 oz Styrian Goldings [3.50 %] (5 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
1.25 lb Dextrose (Briess) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 8.14 %
1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [Starter 200 ml] Yeast-Ale

Type: Partial Mash
Date: 4/23/2009
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Brewer: Mike Coyne
Boil Size: 4.50 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 19.54 %
6.60 lb Pale Liquid Extract [Boil for 15 min] Extract 43.00 %
2.30 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 14.98 %
1.20 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 7.82 %
1.00 lb Wheat - Soft Red, Flaked (Briess) (1.6 SRM) Grain 6.51 %
0.50 oz Chinook [13.60 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Centennial [9.10 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Cascade [7.40 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Chinook [13.60 %] (60 min) Hops 22.5 IBU
1.50 oz Cascade [7.40 %] (60 min) Hops 18.4 IBU
0.50 oz Chinook [13.60 %] (45 min) Hops 10.3 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [7.40 %] (45 min) Hops 11.2 IBU
0.50 oz Chinook [13.60 %] (30 min) Hops 8.7 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [7.40 %] (30 min) Hops 4.7 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [9.10 %] (15 min) Hops 7.5 IBU
0.50 oz Chinook [13.60 %] (15 min) Hops 5.6 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [7.40 %] (15 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
1.00 oz Styrian Goldings [3.50 %] (5 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
1.25 lb Dextrose (Briess) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 8.14 %
1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [Starter 200 ml] Yeast-Ale

Est Original Gravity: 1.099 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.022 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 10.15 %
Bitterness: 135.3 IBU
Est Color: 8.7 SRM

Overall this is quite close to what I am looking for (a little low on the IBU's but then again the taste above 120 is tough to notice). I am not brewing this one until May 16th so the the tasting results will be in around the end of June.....I will update when it all goes through...
 
Est Original Gravity: 1.099 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.022 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 10.15 %
Bitterness: 135.3 IBU
Est Color: 8.7 SRM

Overall this is quite close to what I am looking for (a little low on the IBU's but then again the taste above 120 is tough to notice). I am not brewing this one until May 16th so the the tasting results will be in around the end of June.....I will update when it all goes through...

I don't think this will be ready in 6 weeks if that is your time table unless you want that kind of taste.
 
Looks like an interesting recipe, where did you get your info for that? I tried some of the Hop Sun wheat and was trying to figure out what kinds of hops were in there, they seemed to have a lemon like taste and possibly amarillo as well.
 
Well I was FINALLY able to brew this last night and it was a most excellent time, I don't think I have ever seen so many hops for a single brew. All of the ingredients remained the same but to err on the side of caution I decided to make a half gallon starter with 2 vials of WLP001 ~36 hours before I brewed this one. I did wind up missing the OG by a little bit - wound up at 1.094 and should have been around 1.100.
As of right now (18 hours or so later) there is nice and healthy fermentation going on and I am just dying for the next couple of months to pass so I can give this a try.
I will keep you all updated once this bad boy is ready to drink, and I am sure it will go slow since one of these can hit you in the face....which is why I deeming this beer Tiger Tail.
 
The last time I tried one of these out was about 3 weeks ago and it was pretty good but still had a very 'green' flavor profile. I am going to sit on this one for another month or so (probably try again in mid October) and I will post the tasting notes then. That will be about 3 months in the bottle....hopefully it doesnt take a full 6 months for that green taste to subside. Only time will tell I suppose....
 
Looks like an interesting recipe, where did you get your info for that? I tried some of the Hop Sun wheat and was trying to figure out what kinds of hops were in there, they seemed to have a lemon like taste and possibly amarillo as well.

I have brewed up a Hop Sun Clone I came up with several times and it is a highly drinkable tasty brew. The Hop Sun is AWESOME for summer drinking. I didn't see a reference to any citrus or Amarillo used on their site a year or two ago when I made the reciepe - I used all Centennial and it was close. I think I posted the recipe when I first made it. Let me see if I can find the link.
 
When formulating a recipe, don't bother making the IBUs of this magnitude. The maximum IBUs you can produce is in the vicinity of 100IBU. With hop prices being so high, it's good to know this fact and save a few pennies in the process.
 
When formulating a recipe, don't bother making the IBUs of this magnitude. The maximum IBUs you can produce is in the vicinity of 100IBU. With hop prices being so high, it's good to know this fact and save a few pennies in the process.

so true!!! 135 IBU is a waste of money.

i have some other pieces of advice:

-hop additions at 45 minutes or 30 minutes are a waste of money. You will get very little to no flavor, and no aroma from any addition longer than about 20 minutes or so. thus, if you are adding for longer than that time it makes more sense to add at the start of the boil and get more ibu's. that way you get the same flavor and aroma and bitterness while using less hops (saving you money!). if you want flavor and aroma add the hops for less time than 20 minutes.

just my $0.02.
 
Indeed this one is UnEarthly right about now! The smell is nice and floral/citrus like and there is a little bit of an herbal element as well.
Taste has a hint of orange, clearly a bitter smack after the sip but nothing compared to something like a Ruination, very smooth though. No longer 'grassy' at all and the Styrian Golding aroma addition definetly gave it a really nice woody characteristic.
Mouthfeel is pretty thick which was expected with a FG of 1.022
Appearance is a dark brown, something between cardboard and a coca-cola with the clarity being reasonable (area for improvement here!)

Overall I am a gigantic fan of this beer and will probably enter it into some competitions (if I can convince myself to part with some bottles...). I realize this beer has a TON of hops so I might try and reduce the additions at each time point by a little bit, potentially following a hop schedule similar to a 60 minute IPA but we will see in time.
The last time I compared this to the real thing at the end of July it was not even close (still really green) but with the additional 3 months of age (total right now is exactly 4 months).
 
I recently tried my first Unearthly and was blown away. The strong malt backbone with the full hops aroma and taste without the bitterness is what I am sfter.

I do not yet have the brewing chops to tackle that recipe, so I was really interested in the final result. Sounds it was worth the wait. Thanks for the update.
 
I had this beer for the first time the other night and it instantly skyrocketed to the top of my list. I'm a bigtime IPA guy and want my IPA's to taste like someone rung out hops into a glass. Not only does it have that taste, but it's done well. It finishes clean and if someone told me it was a 6% I would have believed them... no burn.

This brew is unreal. The 11% buzz after a few is a lovely bonus.
 
Just though another update might be nice for those that might want to brew this in the future. We are past the 6 months of bottle conditioning now and the alcohol burn is still slightly noticeable but fades into the background after about half a glass. The aroma has faded a touch but the hops are still right up front.
I think I may be trying this one again around the same time this year (June) but will probably decrease the sugar and mash a little bit more grain since I can easily handle 5.5lbs in a partial mash.
I will keep this updated periodically since I truly want to nail this one down as time goes on...
 
Sorry to raise this one back from the dead but I just had my first un*earthly and I am sold. This is a great beer. I've had a couple great beers between yesterday and today.

Pliny the Elder
Blind Pig
Drakes Jolly Roger 2010 Imperial Red
Stone Ruination
Southern Tier Un*Earthly

All have been really great. I am now a huge fan of the Un*Earthly and would love to make a batch of this. Hopefully someone has found a recipe for it.
 
I had one of these the other night. It was the oak aged version.

Liquid Sin in a bottle.

If you've never had one do yourself a favor, buy a few.
 
I would love a copy of that as well, I'll message you with my email and the all grain version would be excellent!
 
I had one of these the other night. It was the oak aged version.

Liquid Sin in a bottle.

If you've never had one do yourself a favor, buy a few.

I just finished my first Unearthly and didn't care much for the oak aged flavor. From what I've read in this post, it sounds like there is a non-oak aged version. Is this correct?
 
I just finished my first Unearthly and didn't care much for the oak aged flavor. From what I've read in this post, it sounds like there is a non-oak aged version. Is this correct?

Yes the normal version is called "Unearthly Imperial IPA" which is available year round instead of "Oak-Aged Unearthly Imperial IPA" which is a special release.
 
I just bottled my version of Unearthly today :ban:. Tasted great, even warm and flat. Some minor changes from the recipe posted here. I will update in a few weeks once it is carbed. I will try to compare it with the real thing also.
 
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