English IPAs

I've made an extract version of Yooper's English IPA. Here is the original recipe:

10 pounds maris otter
1 pound torrified wheat
1 pound victory malt
8 ounces crystal 80L

1 ounce EKG 60 minutes
1 ounce EKG 30 minutes
1 ounce EKG 15 minutes
1 ounce EKG 5 minutes

London ESB yeast Wyeast 1968 (big starter)

OG 1.050
FG 1.012


Converted it to an extract recipe as follows:

6 lbs Light LME
12 oz torrified wheat
12 oz victory malt
4oz crystal 150L
4 oz Crystal 60L

White labs London Ale yeast(WLP 013)

Same hops and hops schedule, plus 1 oz of irish moss at 15 min. Steeping at 150 F for 30 min.
One can of LME (3lbs) at first, then the second can at 15 min left of boil.

Came out very good. I now have BIAB capability and will try the AG version. I'd also like to find a Fullers ESB AG recipe to try.

BTW my wife came come today with a couple beers to try. They were this American IPA called "something *****" with a wild dog on the label. Geezus, it was so damn bitter and citrus pukey that I couldn't swallow it. Of course she loved it. Go figure, my wife is a Hop head. There was a kolsch left in the fridge, I drank that.

The two IPAs I see the most often in shops here are the Fuller's Bengal Lancer and the Marston's Old Empire. Old Empire has a finishing of cascade (well, hops have been brought to the UK since who knows when)... but you'd probably judge both a bit maltier than the US IPA versions I've tried. They're both great on cask, specially when Wetherspoons is selling them at two quid a pint :-D

Also, I've seen they're available online in the US, as I ordered some for a friend in Pennsylvania!

http://www.fullers.co.uk/rte.asp?id=296
http://www.marstonsbeercompany.co.uk/our_brands/marstons/oldempire.asp

some good english ipas available commercially:
bengal lancer from fullers (first time i tasted this, i was like WOW)
fullers india pale ale (bottle conditioned)
meantime ipa (in the big champagne bottle)
worthingtons white shield
jaipur from thornbridge

in terms of grist... i know for sure that fullers use all pale ale malt, no crystal, in their IPAs. white shield on the other hand, uses some crystal apparently.

as for hops.. bengal lancer uses fuggles and goldings for bittering, and has quite a good size dry hop with goldings and target. target is quite underrated as a dry hop btw.

white shield uses challenger and northdown apparently...

the fullers yeast strain is a good one to use for an english IPA - wlp002 or wyeast1968

if i was planning one just now (and i've done a little bit experimentation on the topic)..

i would go with something like this

-all Maris otter in the grist
-bittering with challenger
-hop burst with a big whammy of different UK hops, a "best of" if you will. this could include:
east kent goldings
challenger
fuggles
first gold
northdown
target

then finally do a dry hop with a mixture of goldings and target..

i haven't done this yet but i think it has a lot of potential!

Hey Padalac

I find the ones that mix a tad of heavier malts in the grist pretty good (5-10% vienna or munich), and usually some normal crystal will do but that's up to taste.

Yea you know what I just listened to a podcast with one of head brewers from meantime giving the recipe about the meantime ipa and they use english Munich in there, and sugar. Recipe from 19th century apparently!

I might be a novice brewer but I'm a pro drinker