Big Hop IPA - recipe advice

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Grossy

Grossy

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American IPA

I’m looking to create an IPA, with huge hop flavor and aroma. The characteristics I am looking for are Citrus, Pine, and Spice.

Here is what I am thinking, please let me know what you think, and any suggestions that you can think of.

(For my learning purposes, if you have a suggestion please tell me what it will do. example: switch out the Willamette with XZY, this will really do...)

Recipe below:

10 gallon batch
75% efficiency.

25 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row)
3 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
3 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine
12 oz Acid Malt

2 tsp calcium chloride
2 tsp gypsum.

3 oz Chinook, 60 min, IBU 43.6
3 oz Chinook, 15 min, IBU 21.6
4 oz Cascade, 15 min, IBU 14.7
3 oz Willamette, 10 min, IBU 6.7
2 oz Chinook, 1 min, IBU 1.3

4 oz Chinook Dry Hop, in primary
2 oz Cascade Dry Hop, in serving keg (hop bag in keg)

Total IBU: 87.8
Yeast: WLP001 (washed)(Starter)
Aerate: Oxygen tank
ABV: 7.5
 
I'd rather see you substitute Centennial for the Chinook early on in the beer, then go with all Cascade the rest of the way. I'm not a big fan of Chinook, personally, and in large amounts can be a bit cloying.

The Willamette is fine, but is going to be overwhelmed by the other hops.

Another approach you could take would be to use just Cascade throughout the entire beer. It will give the flavor profile you are looking for, and I have found it instructive to brew beers with only one hop, to really learn how they taste. (Same is true for grains, btw.)
 
Chinook and Willamette seem very appropriate here given the OP's goal. I would however replace all of the Cascade with Simcoe. Simcoe has more of the traits you're looking for than Cascade-- which is basically all grapefruit. Chinook has plenty of spicy/herbal grapefruit... not pine. Simcoe is way more complex with added pine notes. And the Willamette will offer some earthiness to tame the pungent Chinook and add overall complexity to the recipe. You could also get your hands on some Columbus, which I feel would fit very well here.

For your particular goal, I would use:

Chinook and/or Columbus anywhere from 60-10 min.
Simcoe anywhere from 10 min-Dryhop
Willamette at Flameout only
Simcoe and Columbus in the Dryhop... more heavy on the Simcoe

What is the percent of Crystal 40 in this recipe? Seems kind of high if you want the hops to shine. I don't think 6 lbs. of cara- malts are necessary... More like 2 or 3 perhaps.
 
bobbrews said:
Chinook and Willamette seem very appropriate here given the OP's goal. I would however replace all of the Cascade with Simcoe. Simcoe has more of the traits you're looking for than Cascade-- which is basically all grapefruit. Chinook has plenty of spicy/herbal grapefruit... not pine. Simcoe is way more complex with added pine notes. And the Willamette will offer some earthiness to tame the pungent Chinook and add overall complexity to the recipe. You could also get your hands on some Columbus, which I feel would fit very well here.

For your particular goal, I would use:

Chinook and/or Columbus anywhere from 60-10 min.
Simcoe anywhere from 10 min-Dryhop
Willamette at Flameout only
Simcoe and Columbus in the Dryhop... more heavy on the Simcoe

What is the percent of Crystal 40 in this recipe? Seems kind of high if you want the hops to shine. I don't think 6 lbs. of cara- malts are necessary... More like 2 or 3 perhaps.
Click to expand...

The recipe is 3 lbs of Crystal 40 at 9%, and 3 lbs carapils at 9%.

Thanks for the help.
 
Yeah, I would personally reduce both to 3-5% each if I wanted the hops to be the star while still achieving enough crystal 40 character and body, especially if you're mashing higher than 151-ish.
 
bobbrews said:
Yeah, I would personally reduce both to 3-5% each if I wanted the hops to be the star while still achieving enough crystal 40 character and body, especially if you're mashing higher than 151-ish.
Click to expand...

I agree. Well, I'd probably just leave out most of it, and use a total of 1.5 pounds at the most.

Why 12 ounces of acid malt? That's a lot for pH adjustments, and I am afraid you'll have a definite sour taste to the beer.
 
Yooper said:
Why 12 ounces of acid malt? That's a lot for pH adjustments, and I am afraid you'll have a definite sour taste to the beer.
Click to expand...

Really? That's only 2.3% of the grain bill. I've done 6 ounces for a dark strong before, without any sourness issues (6 gallon batch).
 
afr0byte said:
Really? That's only 2.3% of the grain bill. I've done 6 ounces for a dark strong before, without any sourness issues (6 gallon batch).
Click to expand...

I didn't do the math, so you are probably correct but seemed like a LOT to me. I just brewed an IPA yesterday, and I used three ounces in a ten gallon batch for pH adjustment. The recipe had no crystal malt at all. But I didn't use alkaline water so I didn't have far to go.

I'd ditch half of the crystal/cara- malts in this recipe, leaving a 26.5 pound grainbill. Using a reasonable water supply, 8 ounces of acid malt would be more than sufficient (less than 2%) but I guess you're correct that if it's only 2.3% than the flavor should NOT be impacted. I stand corrected- sorry about that!
 
Looks good to me.

+1 on the advice to drop the Crystal and Carapils to about a pound each.

Also, you may want to think about taking all or some of the 15Min Cascade charge and first wort hopping. That will up the bitterness to counter act the malt sweetness and still give you the flavor.
 
OK here is what I have.

Water chemistry from Yooper's Water Chemistry Primer:
Baseline: Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride to each 5 gallons of water. Add 2% sauermalz to the grist.
Deviate from the baseline as follows:
For British beers: Add 1 tsp gypsum as well as 1 tsp calcium chloride
For very minerally beers (Export, Burton ale): Double the calcium chloride and the gypsum.​

Ok from this at 10 gallons I should be at 4oz Calcium, 4oz Gypsum.

The Crystal 40 and Carapils will go to 1.5 lbs each.

From my grain bill, the acid malt is 2% between 8-12oz, I'll take Yoopers intuition, and lower it to 8ozs.

I will mash at 154 degrees, which will most likely lower to 153 over the 60 minute mash. I like 154 degrees, it gives me play room.

I'll post a revised recipe soon.

Thanks for everyone's advice.
 
Grossy said:
OK here is what I have.

Water chemistry from Yooper's Water Chemistry Primer:
Baseline: Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride to each 5 gallons of water. Add 2% sauermalz to the grist.
Deviate from the baseline as follows:
For British beers: Add 1 tsp gypsum as well as 1 tsp calcium chloride
For very minerally beers (Export, Burton ale): Double the calcium chloride and the gypsum.​

Ok from this at 10 gallons I should be at 4oz Calcium, 4oz Gypsum.

The Crystal 40 and Carapils will go to 1.5 lbs each.

From my grain bill, the acid malt is 2% between 8-12oz, I'll take Yoopers intuition, and lower it to 8ozs.

I will mash at 154 degrees, which will most likely lower to 153 over the 60 minute mash. I like 154 degrees, it gives me play room.

I'll post a revised recipe soon.

Thanks for everyone's advice.
Click to expand...


Just to verify, you're starting with RO or similar low alkalinity water, right?
 
afr0byte said:
Just to verify, you're starting with RO or similar low alkalinity water, right?
Click to expand...

Yes I am using water conditioned, RO water.

I live in Tucson, basically what comes out of our taps is liquid calcium.
 

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