All Nugget IPA for competition

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zam216

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I am entering in a competition my local homebrew store does with a local pub. This is my first competition and I feel as though I can make a decent beer for it. The rules of the competition are that we have to use only nugget hops and must use at least 2 malts. With that said here is the recipe I put together so far.

7# 2 row
4# munich
2# victory
1# Crystal 30L

.5 Nugget (First wort)
.5 Nugget (60 min boil)
.5 Nugget (30 min boil)
.5 Nugget (15 min boil)
.5 Nugget (5 min boil)
1 Nugget (Flame out)
1.5 Nugget (Dry Hop 7 days) (**keg addition if pressed for time**)

WLP001 California ale yeast

Estimated IBU-75.8 OG-1.065 FG-1.013 Alch%-7.0

I plan to do a water salt addition to increase my sulfate to chloride ratio to accentuate the hop flavor. If any recommendations for the ratio for that please share. My current water is 5 sulfate and 73 chloride. As far as flavor goes I know nugget is usually used as a bittering hop so it can be very harsh. I want to get a good aroma and a nice flavor up front with the bitter ipa after taste. Does my hop additions look like they will achieve this or will it be to harsh? Should I get rid of the 60 min addition since im first wort hopping and just add some more to the first wort or to the late additions? I wanted the malts to be slightly sweet to counter the bitterness of the hops. Does my recipe look good or is there any slight tweaks I should make?
 
zam216 said:
I am entering in a competition my local homebrew store does with a local pub. This is my first competition and I feel as though I can make a decent beer for it. The rules of the competition are that we have to use only nugget hops and must use at least 2 malts. With that said here is the recipe I put together so far.

7# 2 row
4# munich
2# victory
1# Crystal 30L

.5 Nugget (First wort)
.5 Nugget (60 min boil)
.5 Nugget (30 min boil)
.5 Nugget (15 min boil)
.5 Nugget (5 min boil)
1 Nugget (Flame out)
1.5 Nugget (Dry Hop 7 days) (**keg addition if pressed for time**)

WLP001 California ale yeast

Estimated IBU-75.8 OG-1.065 FG-1.013 Alch%-7.0

I plan to do a water salt addition to increase my sulfate to chloride ratio to accentuate the hop flavor. If any recommendations for the ratio for that please share. My current water is 5 sulfate and 73 chloride. As far as flavor goes I know nugget is usually used as a bittering hop so it can be very harsh. I want to get a good aroma and a nice flavor up front with the bitter ipa after taste. Does my hop additions look like they will achieve this or will it be to harsh? Should I get rid of the 60 min addition since im first wort hopping and just add some more to the first wort or to the late additions? I wanted the malts to be slightly sweet to counter the bitterness of the hops. Does my recipe look good or is there any slight tweaks I should make?
Click to expand...

what style are you going for? I'm assuming IPA? I would ditch the victory, and sub it for more 2 row (possibly sub all of the 2 row for pale ale malt). I'd probably consider decreasing the munich a bit, too. Of course if you're not doing an IPA, you could likely disregard the comments on the grain bill.

I would definitely ditch your 60 minute addition--your BU:GU is ~1.2, which is a bit high.
I would consider dropping the 30 minute addition, and just doing your FWH, and then everything else at less than 15 minutes. Maybe move your 60 and 30 minute additions into the dry hop--1.5 oz is a bit low IMHO.
 
I agree with fantomlord, ditch the 60 min addition and the 30 as well. Adjust your FWH addition to get most of your IBUs then add a 10, 5 and 0 or hop stand addition then finally id pack at least 2 oz of hops into your dry hop.
 
I've heard a couple professional brewers advise to never use munich in an IPA. Its just too malty to let the hops take center stage. I also agree that's too much crystal and victory. I'd sub like a pound of one of those for a pound of simple sugar to get the body of the beer thinned out for an IPA. As the recipe stands now, it seems much more like a weaker version of a barleywine
 
I like the recipe for the most part. I do appreciate maltiness in an IPA rather than just hops so I like the grain bill.

I don't ever do FWH mostly because when I'm doing BIAB I let the bag drain into the wort and when I achieve boil I use a hop bag on the pulley. With that being said I would just do the 60 minute boil, lose the FWH and 30 minute addition.

I would also increase the 15 and 5 minute additions to 1 ounce. I may increase the 60 to .7 or .8 oz or whatever for your desired bitterness.

I'd also increase the dry hop to 2oz.

Please let us know how this turns out. I almost exclusively use nugget for bittering. I did put in a 5 minute addition into a brown ale. I'm not a huge fan of the flavor and I think it's mostly because I used 1098 yeast.
 
I wouldn't use Victory or Munich, and I would reduce the crystal malt to 4-5%. Try using 20% or less Vienna, Rye, or Wheat to supplement the 2-row. The spice of rye and nugget hops would work really well together. I understand this contest is strictly for Nugget hops... If it were me though, I would introduce more hops to the party. Nugget is rather meh on its own.

For your typical 5 gallon batch of outstanding AIPA, I expect more like 8-12 oz. total hops. 25-40% by weight in the post-boil hopstand and 40-50% by weight for the dryhop. First stage dryhop for 4 days in the primary. Second stage dryhop for 4 days in the keg.

Sulfate to chloride ratio is meaningless. Make sure your chloride is within acceptable levels, and then add enough Gypsum (maybe with some Epsom Salt if your Magnesium is low) to hit 300-350 ppm Sulfate.

Lastly, if you want an inherently bitter beer, don't FWH. Don't be afraid of a large bittering charge. HopShot works well for AIPAs, or you can add 1-2 oz. of actual high alpha hops to a full rolling boil.
 
Fantomlord- it is an ipa, I think I will try dropping the higher boiling time additions for more lower times.

M00ps- for the sugar would I just add table sugar?

Bobbrews- I like the idea with the rye, would I just sub out the victory and Munich with the rye and reduce the crystal? Still keeping the 2 row or a pale malt?

Overall I think I want to experiment with the fwh addition over the higher boil time addition. I think this may help make my beer stand out over the rest. I will add a larger hop stand addition and dry hop to get more flavor. As for the malts since my hop bill can only be nugget I need something to make this beer stand out so I do want some maltiness to the bill. I am thinking of leaning more towards 2 row or pale ale malt with the rye and crystal. I have never brewed with rye or nugget so I am unsure the flavor profile I will get from this. Any ideas? I will post an updated recipe sometime today.
 
Up to 20% Rye works well in IPAs. Rye is rather gummy/sticky though; you will need rice hulls to prevent a stuck sparge. In addition to looking into Gypsum, a bit of acid malt or lactic acid may be required depending on your water.


Here is are two examples of using Rye in an AIPA (1.065 / 1.010 - Mash at 149 F for 90 min):

66% American 2-row
14% Rye
10% Maris Otter
6% Flaked Rye
4% CaraFoam

or

74% American 2-Row
18% Rye
4% C30
4% CaraPils
 
I just did a Vienna/Nugget SMaSH. Nugget has a definite spicy character with a few earthy notes. If i had to do it again I would switch to 2-row or pale malt as I think even the Vienna was a bit too malty for this hop on its own. As others have said, the rye would compliment the spice nicely.
 
I definitely like the idea of the rye I think I will try that would 2 row or pale malt give more flavor?
 
I prefer the clean flavor of 2-row for crisp, dry, hoppy IPAs. IMO, you don't want things to get too malty or sweet for this style. Malt ranges from varying degrees of bready, biscuity, sweet, earthy, toasty, roasty, and nutty flavors. For an AIPA, you want to keep those notes at a minimum and let the hops shine.

People always talk about how you need a strong malt backbone or good malt complexity for an American IPA, when in fact, most of the top commercial examples contain nothing more than 2-row, perhaps a dash of wheat, rye, or light crystal, and maybe some sugar. Keep it simple, otherwise brew an APA or a Black Ale.
 
Ok here is my updated recipe let me know what you think.

10# 2-row
2.5# rye
1# crystal 30
1# Carafoam
.5# rice hulls

1oz Nugget FWH (IBU 46.8)
.5oz Nugget 15 min (IBU 10.6)
.5oz Nugget 5 min (IBU 4.2)
2oz Nugget Hop Stand (IBU 0)
3oz Nugget Dry hop (IBU 0)

yeast WLP 001 California ale

IBU-61.6 SG-1.065 FG- 1.013 ABV-7.0%

Mash temp 152 for 60 minutes
Boil 60 minutes
Dry hop ~7 days

My question I have with the hop stand is how long from the time I put them in at knock out to the time I begin cooling with my immersion wort chiller? Should I put them right in while the temperature is still above 200 or should I wait for it to drop to get less bitterness? Other than that how does the recipe look?
 
zam216 said:
Ok here is my updated recipe let me know what you think.

10# 2-row
2.5# rye
1# crystal 30
1# Carafoam
.5# rice hulls

1oz Nugget FWH (IBU 46.8)
.5oz Nugget 15 min (IBU 10.6)
.5oz Nugget 5 min (IBU 4.2)
2oz Nugget Hop Stand (IBU 0)
3oz Nugget Dry hop (IBU 0)

yeast WLP 001 California ale

IBU-61.6 SG-1.065 FG- 1.013 ABV-7.0%

Mash temp 152 for 60 minutes
Boil 60 minutes
Dry hop ~7 days

My question I have with the hop stand is how long from the time I put them in at knock out to the time I begin cooling with my immersion wort chiller? Should I put them right in while the temperature is still above 200 or should I wait for it to drop to get less bitterness? Other than that how does the recipe look?
Click to expand...

I think i have read for a hop stand chill the wort to under 180 and then add your addition and let it sit there while you chill to pitching temps. Maybe 15-30 minutes total for the hop stand? or you could just toss them in at flameout and let them ride while you chill to pitching.
 
That just seems like a lot of hops for the hopstand and dry hop. The hopstand would probably bring a ton of flavor. Personally I would probably only do 2oz for the dry hop.

I bet it'll be good overall but I think the hops may overpower any of the malts. Maybe not though.
 
I was thinking the same thing mainly because nugget hops are such a high alpha hop maybe I'll drop it back down to the 2oz
 
So I went with the above recipe with crystal 40 instead of 30 and a 2oz dry hop instead of 3. I well let everyone know how it went.
 
zam216 said:
So I went with the above recipe with crystal 40 instead of 30 and a 2oz dry hop instead of 3. I well let everyone know how it went.
Click to expand...

The high alpha won't affect the dry hop or the hop stand.

Let us know how it turns out!
 
So the brew competition was yesterday and the nugget rye ipa was a hit and won first place thanks everyone for the tips and suggestions! If your ever in philly I owe you a beer
 
Can't beat first place! I bet it's a great brew.

Do you think you'd brew it again?
 
Congrats on the win! I am a big fan of Nugget, and use it for bittering regularly. Haven't tried an all Nugget IPA though...I'll have to put it on my to-do list (trying an all Nelson APA next).

:rockin:
 
zam216 said:
So the brew competition was yesterday and the nugget rye ipa was a hit and won first place thanks everyone for the tips and suggestions! If your ever in philly I owe you a beer
Click to expand...

That's great! Congrats. Can you edit your first post with the recipe you ended up using?
 
Yes it came out very good, it wasn't too upfront with the hops but the nugget still came through with an amazing rye backbone. It would make a great summer ipa that you can drink all day.
 
The final Recipe is as follows:

10# 2-row
2.5# rye
1# crystal 40
1# Carafoam
.5# rice hulls

1oz Nugget FWH (IBU 46.8)
.5oz Nugget 15 min (IBU 10.6)
.5oz Nugget 5 min (IBU 4.2)
2oz Nugget Hop Stand (IBU 0)
2oz Nugget Dry hop (IBU 0)

yeast WLP 001 California ale with a stir plate

IBU-61.6 SG-1.062 FG- 1.013 ABV-6.5%

Mash temp 152 for 60 minutes
Boil 60 minutes
Dry hop 10 days in keg (6 days at 60degrees 4 days at 40 degrees under carbonation)

I did alter the water profile to enhance hop flavor aswell
 

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