Calling All HopHeads!! IPA Recipe Critique

[gman122889]

I'm looking for some critiques on this recipe that I'm throwing together. I'm trying to make a citrusy piney IPA with a little smokey character to it.

I know there's a lot of Hop Additions. I don't want overwhelming bitterness I want more bitterness to come from the aroma and flavor of the hops. Let me know if you have any suggestions. Here it is! Thanks!

Also, do you recommend LME or DME? I went with the DME because its cheaper but if it won't yield good results I'll go back to LME.


BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - BeerSmith Home Brewing Software, Recipes, Podcast and Blog
Recipe: IPA
Style: American IPA
TYPE: Extract


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 3.50 gal
Post Boil Volume: 3.10 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.70 gal
Estimated OG: 1.068 SG
Estimated Color: 10.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 63.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 0.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
12.0 oz Caramel Malt - 60L (Briess) (60.0 SRM) Grain 1 8.3 %
8.0 oz Victory Malt (biscuit) (Briess) (28.0 SR Grain 2 5.6 %
4.0 oz Smoked Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 3 2.8 %
7 lbs 8.0 oz DME Golden Light (Briess) (4.0 SRM) Dry Extract 4 83.3 %
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 29.7 IBUs
0.75 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 6 17.1 IBUs
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 4.8 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 3.1 IBUs
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 9 7.4 IBUs
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 10 0.4 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 11 0.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 12 0.6 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 Yeast 13 -
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Da Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 16 0.0 IBUs



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[elproducto]

Can't go wrong with Amarillo/Simcoe. Best hop combo ever.

 

[SilverZero]

I think you'll get the aroma and the smoky body you're looking for. I'd FWH instead of a 60-minute addition, but that's just my personal bent. Otherwise I think you'll be happy with it.

Good quality DME should be fine, just use light/extra light and rely on the grains for the rest. (Take that with a grain of salt, I've never used extract before.)

 

[gman122889]

How would I FWH with Extract?

 

[SilverZero]

How would I FWH with Extract?

. . . Oh yeah. I'd say I missed that part, but I clearly mentioned it in my reply, so, my bad. Never mind then! (Unless you want to put the hops in while you're heating the water.)

 

[nicadrick]

I am a huge fan of simcoe, however I wouldn't consider it based on what our looking for. would recommend simplifying your hop schedule, just me. If you want piney, you are on the right track with chinook. I would add some at 10 minutes and at flameout.

I recently did an IPA that where the only kettle additions were equal amounts of Chinook at 75, 10 and 5 minutes, with an ounce each of crystal, cascade and chinook in the dry hop. Fantastic piney aroma, plus citrus from the cascades.

I would encourage you to come up with a good grain/extract bill, then make a series of single hop IPA's that showcase individual hop varieties. In other words, same fermentables, just change out the hop. Just adjust the bittering based the the AA's of the hop you are featuring, then keep all other additions the same. This will allow you really get to know what each hop will bring to the game.

Cheers!

 

[C-Rider]

I don't think your gonna taste the smoke w/only 4 oz in a 5 gallon batch. I used 8 oz in a 1.75 gallon batch and it was there just barely. I've got another 1.75 batch going w/1 full pound.

 

[gman122889]

Thanks for the responses guys! I like your idea of "learning" the hops. I wish I had the equipment to do a few IPAs like you mentioned but this is my 4th batch and I only have one fermenter. It would be sweet to make a few small batches of different IPAs to learn the characteristics of each hop...I just don't think I have the equipment for it yet.

I'm brewing an IPA because I think IPAs are good spring and summer beers. I love dark and heavier beers in the winter so I'm working my way towards spring now...

I honestly like to have more aroma bitterness from hops than downright bitterness. My favorite IPAs are Dogsfish 60 and 90 and Darkhorse Crooked Tree. The Crooked Tree is what I'm trying to go for (not a clone but I something similier)....

 

[Keffa]

Could also use Warrior to help the pine along.

But honestly, this is my critique:

I'd drop the 30 minute Simcoe, as it's not going to add a lot other than IBU. If you must use Simcoe early in the boil for IBU, move it to 60 minutes, and drop the amount to .5 or less. Change the Cascades to Chinook. The caramel malt is a little high, I'd drop it to 8 oz, and I'd up the smoked malt to 6 oz or more (I'd let the smoked malt guru's tell you an exact amount to try).

Outside of that, I don't see anything else I'd change. Simcoe/Amarillo is a fantastic combo for an IPA.


What's mash temp?

 

[Brulosopher]

Smoke malt in an IPA? Eh, I'm from California

1 oz Chinook at 60 min will give you a pretty sharp bitterness. If you're seeking a smooth bitterness with heaps of hops flavor/aroma, consider either:

1. Making your first bittering addition at 45 min, or...
2. Using less harsh bittering hops (e.g., Warrior)

I use Chinook to bitter very often, and I've learned to practice some retraint. Just my 2 cents...

Cheers!!

 

[nicadrick]

Just make them as you have capacity. Believe me, after 4-5 gallons of a particular IPA, you will know how it tastes and will be able to compare to the next IPA you have in line

I seem to always have an IPA on tap (or on bottle).

Cheers and happy brewing!

 

[gman122889]

Ok...here's the most up to date recipe after critiques. Here's what I changed:

• Upped the Smoked Malt to .5#
• Took out the Amarillo after talking with my LHBS owner...he doesn't have any and says I should simplify the hop additions so that I could pick out the individual hops more...he also said they are very similar
• Upped the 30 minute addition of Simcoe to add a little more bitterness and flavor after removing the Amarillo Hops

Let me know what you think now.

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - BeerSmith Home Brewing Software, Recipes, Podcast and Blog
Recipe: IPA
Style: American IPA
TYPE: Extract


Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.069 SG
Estimated Color: 10.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 58.1 IBUs
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
12.0 oz Caramel Malt - 60L (Briess) (60.0 SRM) Grain 1 8.1 %
8.0 oz Smoked Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 2 5.4 %
8.0 oz Victory Malt (biscuit) (Briess) (28.0 SR Grain 3 5.4 %
7 lbs 8.0 oz DME Golden Light (Briess) (4.0 SRM) Dry Extract 4 81.1 %
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 29.6 IBUs
0.75 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 6 17.1 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 7 -
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 3.1 IBUs
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 9 7.4 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 10 0.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 11 0.6 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 Yeast 12 -
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Thanks for all your suggestions. I look forward to hearing more! Cheers!

 

[Yooper]

As someone else mentioned, the simcoe at 30 minutes is pretty useless. You'll get bittering, but not as much as at 60 minutes so you're using more hops for the same amount of bittering, while not getting any flavor out of them.

Amarillo is a great hop, but since you don't have it you can learn about it next time.

I'd be far more inclined to do this:
1.50 oz Chinook 60 minutes

1.0 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min
1 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 5 min
1 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 1 min
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Flame out

1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs

 

[Brulosopher]

As someone else mentioned, the simcoe at 30 minutes is pretty useless. You'll get bittering, but not as much as at 60 minutes so you're using more hops for the same amount of bittering, while not getting any flavor out of them.

Amarillo is a great hop, but since you don't have it you can learn about it next time.

I'd be far more inclined to do this:
1.50 oz Chinook 60 minutes

1.0 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min
1 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 5 min
1 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 1 min
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Flame out

1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs

Amen.

 

[gman122889]

Thanks for the advice.

Question (and maybe a dumb one): When you boil a hop for 60 minutes (or whatever your bittering addition calls for) you're just getting the bittering characteristics out of it...correct? So If I use say Simcoe for 60 mins in one beer and Chinook for 60 mins in a different beer and only do those hop additions I'm not going to notice a difference in the flavor of the bittering because boiling a hop that long only brings out its bitterness? Or will there be a different bitter flavor when you use a different type of hop?

I know there are 3 different types of hop additions: bittering, flavor, and aroma. I know the flavor and aroma characteristics are different but when using hops soley for bittering is there I guess...different bitter flavors each hop contributes?

The reason I did the two was because I thought they imparted different bittering flavors and thought, based on reading the descriptions of the hops, that Simcoe and Warrior bittering characteristics would blend well together and be close to what I’m trying to create with this IPA.

Sorry for all the lack of knowledge – I’m still working on learning the ropes. I’m grateful for all the help and advice.