Need help turning a Citra Pale Ale kit into a DIPA

I bought the Citra Pale Ale kit from Morebeer.com and I'm trying to turn it into a DIPA. I'm looking for some suggestions to improve it as I'm not very familiar with creating recipes yet. Here's what I have so far:

Citra DIPA

Imperial IPA
Type: Extract Date: 8/31/2013
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 2.30 gal
Boil Time: 60 min

Ingredients

Grains:
8 lbs Ultralight Malt Extract [Boil for 10 min] (2.2 SRM) 60.4 %
3 lbs Munich Malt Extract (9.0 SRM) 22.6 %
8.0 oz Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) 3.8 %

Steeping Grains:
12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 15L (15.0 SRM) 5.7 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) 3.8 %
8.0 oz White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) 3.8 %

Hops:
0.50 oz Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min 6 8.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [14.00 %] - Boil 25.0 min 11.6 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [14.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min 8.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [14.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min 3.3 IBUs
2.00 oz Citra [14.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 12 0.0 IBUs

Yeast:
1.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001)

Beer Profile:
Est Original Gravity: 1.082 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.080 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.016 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 8.8 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 8.5 %
Bitterness: 82.2 IBUs Calories: 274.0 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 8.1 SRM

Just took a quick look, but the cara/crystal malts seem a little heavy. Maybe leave out the carapils.

Oh, and you'll want to make a good sized starter. Check Mr. Malty for size.

Would a 2L starter with a stir plate be enough?

Yeastcalc.com and mrmalty.com are where most go for yeast starter sizes i think. Im on my phone or id look it up for you, but somewhere between 1.5 and 2 liter sounds about right for stirplate and 1.080, it will ask you the manufacture date also.

I think you need more hops all around. The timing looks ok, but for a big beer like this, and a dipa, I would increase you bittering charge to 1.5-2 oz and double your late addition hops. I'd dry hop with 3oz. The citra heavy beer will be very "mango" aroma wise.

Moar hops! ;-)

(Especially on the bittering side)

I would replace the table sugar with dextrose. Use Munich over crystal.

More late hops. Less crystal.

DocScott said:

I think you need more hops all around. The timing looks ok, but for a big beer like this, and a dipa, I would increase you bittering charge to 1.5-2 oz and double your late addition hops. I'd dry hop with 3oz. The citra heavy beer will be very "mango" aroma wise.

Click to expand...

By late hops do you mean just the 5 min or the 25, 15, and 5 min addidtions? I'll definitely raise the bittering to 2 oz and add an oz to dry hopping.

Usually late addition hops are 15 to flameout

I would recommend adding the sugar two to three days after fermentation has started. You want the yeast to get through the maltose before giving them the preferred sucrose. Just boil up a two cups of water and add the sugar. Boil it long enough to sterilize. Cool the water and sugar and add to the fermentor. Make sure you control your fermentation temp for the first two days to avoid fusil alcohol. I keep mine at 66 degrees, but I am not sure if that is ideal.

I have a very similar all-grain version fermenting as we speak... Good luck!

StrongBad42 said:

By late hops do you mean just the 5 min or the 25, 15, and 5 min addidtions? I'll definitely raise the bittering to 2 oz and add an oz to dry hopping.

Click to expand...

I mean the 15 min additions and down

Not trying to sway your choices but have you made the citra pale just as it is before. I use this as my house beer all the time. Any time I mow the lawn and want something to quench my thirst without falling off a bar stool this is the one. Again, not trying to sway you. Just curious.

DoWBrewer said:

I would recommend adding the sugar two to three days after fermentation has started. You want the yeast to get through the maltose before giving them the preferred sucrose. Just boil up a two cups of water and add the sugar. Boil it long enough to sterilize. Cool the water and sugar and add to the fermentor. Make sure you control your fermentation temp for the first two days to avoid fusil alcohol. I keep mine at 66 degrees, but I am not sure if that is ideal.

I have a very similar all-grain version fermenting as we speak... Good luck!

Click to expand...

OG was 1.072 without the sugar. Just took a reading and it's down to 1.046. It's been about 4 days now at 62 degrees. Do you think now is a good time to add the sugar or should i wait a bit longer?

StrongBad42 said:

OG was 1.072 without the sugar. Just took a reading and it's down to 1.046. It's been about 4 days now at 62 degrees. Do you think now is a good time to add the sugar or should i wait a bit longer?

Click to expand...

Add the sugar and let the temp free rise.