English IPA help

Here's an English IPA recipe that I created to use up my East Kent Goldings. I am still really new to this especially recipe creation so suggestions, comments or even tell me "Your a freaking idiot!" is all welcome, thanks.

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.30 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 (I am working on improving this, I believe it to be the crush.)

Grain:
13.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 83.87 %
1.25 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 8.06 %
0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 4.84 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3.23 %

Hops:
1.75 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (50 min) Hops 24.4 IBU
1.75 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (30 min) Hops 19.7 IBU
1.75 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (15 min) Hops 12.7 IBU
2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (0 min)
3.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days)

Yeast:
1 Pkgs British Ale (Wyeast Labs #1098) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile:
Est Original Gravity: 1.066 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.44 %
Bitterness: 56.9 IBU
Est Color: 11.8 SRM

Mash:
Single Infusion
150.0F for 75 minutes
Batch Sparge

This looks OK to me. One thing you did not mention is if you plan on using a starter. On a gravity that high, I always use around a 2000ML starter. Your fermentation will take off much quicker and the finished product will come out tasting much cleaner.

WYeast has a great calculator on their website for reommended starter size for gravities over 1.060. According to their calculations, useing their ACTIVATOR packet, to achieve the best pitch rate, you should go with a half gallon starter for your batch size and OG.

One you go this route, I doubt you will go back.

Yeah I did plan on doing a starter, didn't realize it had to be a half gallon though, THANKS!!

I think you're over the top with the hops. You've essentially put together an American idea of IPA, substituted English hops, and called it "English". It doesn't work like that. English IPAs are more restrained, more balanced than American alpha-acid delivery vehicles. Your BU:GU ratio is appropriate, but your late/dry hops are off the board! English IPA is less hops-forward and more malt-forward than American. Moreover, that malt profile is traditionally based on pale malt only. Thus, it should not include discernible crystal-malt notes; I fear your 1.25 lbs of crystal malt will take it out of balance. Plus, that's a lot of biscuit! Half a pound is usually enough to have the impact you're after, especially if your Pale Malt is Maris Otter, which has a biscuity, crackery flavor on its own.

Don't get me wrong - me like EKG, lots of EKG, and I'd drink the heck out of this recipe - but calling it English IPA as written isn't exactly accurate.

Cheers!

Bob

With the Crystal I was trying to add some color, mouthfeel, and head retention. If I take out the Crystal all together drop down the biscuit and use MO instead of Pale 2row will I still achieve what I am looking for (minus the color)? Is there something that I should subsitute the crystal with?

I would like to stay within the guidlines of a true English IPA.

Oops I forgot to add that I would lessen the dry hop to maybee 1.5 ounces.

EricS said:

I would like to stay within the guidlines of a true English IPA.

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We don't have BJCP style guidelines over here, so ironically if you're after specific guidelines on what an English IPA "should" be, you would need to ask someone who's familiar with whatever the BJCP has decided an English IPA "is". I suspect that would be a much more narrow definition than is actually seen in the IPAs over here, given that UK brewers are a lot more promiscuous with their labelling. There's also a distinction between historic English IPAs, which were (most probably) big hoppy beers, and contemporary English IPAs, which are pretty indistinguishable from bog-standard English ales, in that they're not necessarily all that hoppy, and can be anything from 3 to 6 percent ABV. TBH I much prefer current American IPAs to current English IPAs, but I'd love to try a historical English IPA, which your recipe might be a good approximation of.

Good point, Danek. There are many English beers labelled "IPA" that really don't deserve the moniker.

EricS: See this article and part two - a very illuminating series on IPA.

Bob

I would drop all grains except the 2 row and maybe add 1/2 lbs of light crystal. (or use all Maris Otter and mash a little higher for body, 155F 60 min) English IPA's should be very pale and have low attenuation. Also drop some of the hops, maybe 1 oz @ zero and 1-2 oz dry hop 10 days.

If you’re trying to follow the BJCP guidelines for an English IPA I like the recipe. I think the hop rates are dead on with what the guidelines are looking for. If you want a recommendation try some special roast in substitute for a portion of the biscuit and crystal but keep in mind that the crystal will balance the aggressive hop additions. If you want to win competitions or impress your friends you need to add the big quantities of crystal and hops. If you cut out all the specialty grains you will loss some of the flavors you need in an English IPA.

I also disagree with the color it should not be pale

Appearance: Color ranges from golden amber to light copper, but most are pale to medium amber with an orange-ish tint.

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Ok, after all your great comments I changed my recipe around just a bit. After reading that article on IPAs I realized that there are many different
IPAs and not to mention Danek saying that in the UK they don't even have our style guidlines. I decided since I am not entering this in a competition I don't need to adhere to a style category. This is being brewed for a private tasting that I was invited to and I need to impress some rather "experienced" palates.

Oh yeah I had the wrong alpha % for the EKGs I have so I had to change the hops additions abit.

Grain:
13.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 83.87 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 6.35 %
0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4.76 %
0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 3.17 %
0.50 lb Special Roast (50.0 SRM) Grain 3.17 %

Hops:
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [6.20 %] (50 min) Hops 25.8 IBU
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [6.20 %] (30 min) Hops 20.8 IBU
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [6.20 %] (10 min) Hops 9.8 IBU
2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [6.20 %] (0 min)
2.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [6.20 %] (Dry Hop 7 days)

Yeast:
1 Pkgs British Ale (Wyeast Labs #1098) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile:
Est Original Gravity: 1.066 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.52 %
Bitterness: 56.4 IBU
Est Color: 13.8 SRM

Mash:
Single Infusion
150.0F for 75 minutes
Batch Sparge


Please comment, again thanks for all the help.

Looks great to me. The only thing I'd change is the 30 minute addition. Move that to 20 minutes and move the 50 minute to 60, it'll be better...

I changed the hop times to what Soulive suggested and this brought my IBUs down to 53.4 and my IBU/SG ratio to .805. Anyone think this is a big deal?
Or should I add .25 oz to the 20 and 10 min additions to get 57.7 IBUs and .871 ratio?

Soulive said:

Looks great to me. The only thing I'd change is the 30 minute addition. Move that to 20 minutes and move the 50 minute to 60, it'll be better...

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Is there a reason you want to add the hops at 50 rather than 60min? I ask cause some people like to boil a few minutes before adding the hops to get a better break. If thats your reason just boil for 90min and add the hops at 60min.

BTW - the recipe looks good. I'm going to try it this weekend but with a little more special roast and less c20.

Good luck post how it turns out and I'll do the same.

why is your efficiency so low? (60%)With almost 16lbs of grain I'd be making a 1.093 beer...Also nearly 2 lbs of crystal and a pound of special/biscuit malts is way too much IMO I like IPAs to be simple, 1 hop/1grain...But its your recipe, looks good otherwise and especially the hops save for the 50 not 60 min addition...

TeleTwanger said:

why is your efficiency so low? (60%)With almost 16lbs of grain I'd be making a 1.093 beer...Also nearly 2 lbs of crystal and a pound of special/biscuit malts is way too much IMO I like IPAs to be simple, 1 hop/1grain...But its your recipe, looks good otherwise and especially the hops save for the 50 not 60 min addition...

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Low efficiency is fine as long as it's consistent. I feel a lower efficiency gives more malt because it's not stripping every thing out of the grain plus there is a high percentage of husk that will give you more malt flavor (not that you need it cus you have a kick ass recipe with plenty of specialty grains)

I agree with simple for an American IPA but not for the English IPA.

Allright the last grain bill I posted is what I just ordered from my LHBS and will be picking it up in the next hour. Brewing on Sunday.

TeleTwanger said:

why is your efficiency so low? (60%)With almost 16lbs of grain I'd be making a 1.093 beer...Also nearly 2 lbs of crystal and a pound of special/biscuit malts is way too much IMO I like IPAs to be simple, 1 hop/1grain...But its your recipe, looks good otherwise and especially the hops save for the 50 not 60 min addition...

Click to expand...

English IPAs are vastly different than American IPAs. For the latter, yes, single grain bills are essential. But for the English style, it is very much more malt forward with subtle sweetness being delivered by the crystal grains. The Biscuit helps out the MO in terms of delivering that bready taste and Special Roast is just tits-awesome.

LHBS did not have the yeast in yesterday, just picked it up. Looks like my starter will not be ready by tomorrow morning. I might have to postpone brewing until Sunday or Monday night.

Just mashed in, got some Dead playing and a glass of homebrew, can't get much better than this. I have a long night ahead of me.

I had some killer efficency, overshot my SG, ended up with 1.072 instead of 1.066. Time to pitch the yeast and hit the sack.