Brewing 2nd Batch - Extract Question

After brewing my 1st batch, an extract brew that mixed an amber with a scottish red, i am ready to try my next batch. I found what looks and sounds like a great recipe for a extremely hoppy IIPA, but i am curious as to what effect changing the extract will have on the final quality of the beer. I am thinking of changing from the called for 10.5lbs of extra light DME, to 12 lbs of coopers light LME. I guess i have no real reason to make the change, cost is about the same either way, i just like to tinker with things and can't stand to follow a recipe exactly to the letter. I just have to make it my own every time, hence the mix of extracts in my first batch. What effects can i expect from the change in extract? Also if i went with less extract, say 7lbs, and cut the hops down a bit how do you think that would come out?

Again i am a total newbie, so be gentle. I am brewing 5gal batches if that helps. here is the recipe that i am going off of.

For a partial boil:

10.50 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3 SRM) Dry Extract
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20 SRM) Grain
5.00 oz Chinook [13.0%] (90 min) Hops
2.00 oz Cascade [5.5%] (60 min) Hops
2.00 oz Cascade [5.5%] (30 min) Hops
1.00 oz Cascade [5.5%] (2 min) Hops
1.00 oz Tettnanger [4.5%] (1 min) Hops
1.00 oz Tettnanger [4.5%] (Dry Hop 6 days) Hops
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs British Ale (Wyeast Labs #1098) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.093 SG
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.023 SG
Estimated Color: 7 SRM
Bitterness: 120.5 IBU
Alpha Acid Units: 17.4 AAU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 9.2 % (5.0-7.8 %) Actual


Cheers

Dustin in Alaska

wow. That's a huge beer. Since its your second batch you may want to get a third one going right away. This one will age/mellow in the bottle significantly.

Not sure about the change from 10.5 DME to 12 LME. Cutting down to 7 and the hops to something not insane will give you a more standard IPA...but hey.... go for it, that looks...interesting.

I don't think you'll notice much difference between DME & LME. LME will probably come out a little darker, which you can minimize with late boil additions.

That is an awfully big beer...I'm pretty sure it would kick you clean out of the double-IPA class!

Welcome Dustin, it's nice to have you here.

Do you have a beer program? You can download BeerSmith for a free trial, input your recipe and changes and it will let you know if you are keeping your IPA well balanced.

VTBrewer said:

wow. That's a huge beer. Since its your second batch you may want to get a third one going right away. This one will age/mellow in the bottle significantly.

Not sure about the change from 10.5 DME to 12 LME. Cutting down to 7 and the hops to something not insane will give you a more standard IPA...but hey.... go for it, that looks...interesting.

Click to expand...

I thought it would be a monster, but i am a hophead for sure. :rockin: so it caught my attention. Maybe i will try a more mellow version this go around and then try to kick it up down the line. thanks for the input.

BlindLemonLars said:

I don't think you'll notice much difference between DME & LME. LME will probably come out a little darker, which you can minimize with late boil additions.

That is an awfully big beer...I'm pretty sure it would kick you clean out of the double-IPA class!

Click to expand...

Go big or go home!! as my father-in-law would say. I might just have to knock this one down a few on the hops end and see how it comes out.
thanks for taking the time to offer some help to a newbie

Nurmey said:

Welcome Dustin, it's nice to have you here.

Do you have a beer program? You can download BeerSmith for a free trial, input your recipe and changes and it will let you know if you are keeping your IPA well balanced.

Click to expand...

I dont' have beersmith, i will try the free download. I am still trying to wrap my head around all the different characteristics of the grains and hops.

I learned a lot about recipes and ingredients just by playing around with the program. The nice thing is that your can change your quantities and it will show you what is happening to the IBUs, color, and gravity. I bought the program after trying it for a couple weeks and consider it one of the best brewing purchases I've made.

The designer of the program is a member here and very helpful if you have a problem.

BeerIsGood4Me said:

Go big or go home!! as my father-in-law would say. I might just have to knock this one down a few on the hops end and see how it comes out.
thanks for taking the time to offer some help to a newbie

Click to expand...

No problem, that's how we roll around here!

Nurmey is so right about Beersmith, I learned a LOT about recipe formulation and brewing in general from experimenting with that program. I wouldn't do without it.

If you do make this big recipe, be prepared to let it age a good long time. Furthermore, oxygenate the hell out of the wort, and pitch a huge starter. Personally, I think it's WAY over the top...but if that's your thing, by all means give it a try!

Thanks for the advice gents!! i will play around with brewsmith and see what i come up with. Stay tuned for an update on what i come up with!! I doubt i will go full strength with this one, but a toned down version of this will soon be in the works.

Hey! I'm not a gent!

With that amount of hops, I think you could sub the extract for chicken poo and not even notice the difference.

There HAS to be a typo in that recipe. The 126 IBU's, while insane, just seemed way too low for all that hops. I ran it thru the bitterness calculator:

Garetz Rager Tinseth Daniels
Hop 1 IBU: 192.07 272.44 163.22 272.44
Hop 2 IBU: 27.09 39.46 25.82 40.68
Hop 3 IBU: 11.92 20.75 19.85 32.54
Hop 4 IBU: 0 3.39 1.09 4.07
Hop 5 IBU: 0 0 0.46 3.33
Total IBU: 231.08 336.04 210.44 353.06
Average IBU: 282.65

I'm not sure that would be drinkable.

Nurmey said:

Hey! I'm not a gent!

Click to expand...

Oopps sorry!! didn't mean to offend.

VTBrewer said:

There HAS to be a typo in that recipe. The 126 IBU's, while insane, just seemed way too low for all that hops. I ran it thru the bitterness calculator:

Garetz Rager Tinseth Daniels
Hop 1 IBU: 192.07 272.44 163.22 272.44
Hop 2 IBU: 27.09 39.46 25.82 40.68
Hop 3 IBU: 11.92 20.75 19.85 32.54
Hop 4 IBU: 0 3.39 1.09 4.07
Hop 5 IBU: 0 0 0.46 3.33
Total IBU: 231.08 336.04 210.44 353.06
Average IBU: 282.65

I'm not sure that would be drinkable.

Click to expand...

yeah i have been palying with this one in beer smith, and the original IBU's wer well over 300!! I cut it back quite a bit and am going to give it a go this week.

Here is what i am thinking.....
7.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 77.78 %
2.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 22.22 %
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
4.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 86.6 IBU
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (30 min) Hops 14.1 IBU
1.00 oz Mt. Hood [6.00 %] (10 min) Hops 3.6 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (2 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
1 Pkgs Burton Ale (White Labs #WLP023) Yeast-Ale