Citrus IPA - first recipe advice please!

[Mountainsax]

SWMBO and I are thinking about doing our first custom recipe and I'm hoping for some tips/suggestions/guidance. We want to do an IPA, with medium color, full body, and lots of citrus flavor. ABV 6-7% and probably on the higher end of the IBU scale (70-80 ish). Here is what I'm thinking:

5gal batch - extract and steeping grains

Malt - 9.15 lbs Munich; 1lb Pilsen Dry
Grains - 1lb Caramel 40L
Hops - 3oz Summit (1oz 60min, 2oz dry); 4oz Cascade (1oz 15min, 1oz 5min, 2oz dry)
Yeast - California Ale or S-05 (haven't used liquid yeast yet so might go with S-05 since we are more comfortable with dry)

60 or 90 min boil, dry hop for 7 days at the end then keg. We typically do a 5 gal boil and end up adding about 1/2 gal of top up water at the end.

Brewers Friend (free version) puts this at 1.075OG, 1.021FG, 7.07% ABV, 69.55 IBU and 12.83 SRM.

Thanks for your thoughts!!!

 

[m00ps]

Im not sure on using a munich base for an IPA, might be more of a hoppy bock than an IPA. Id use 2 row, or even pilsner

I'd omit the caramel and switch for some cane sugar or another base malt. I dont like to ever use any caramel in my IPAs cause I dont want to lessen the great hop character im shooting for. I know at least Mitch Steele from Stone and Vinnie from Russian River have been quoted in interviews to do the same. If I really want to use a specialty malt, I will do something like a bit of honey malt or aromatic, never anythign too sweet

I dont think that's nearly enough hops for an IPA. I do 1oz at 60, maybe another at 10min or so, and then 8-12 at flameout followed by a hopstand. But this is just how I do them to get as much hop flavor as possible with no lingering bitterness on your palate. You could easily do a more tradition hop schedule, but IMO, you'll need at LEAST 6oz total hops on the hot side

 

[Mountainsax]

Thanks m00ps! I picked the Munich malt to give it more body and substance. I know IPAs are typically dryer. Do you think it will be too much with the Munich and caramel? I could do a Pils base malt and something else to add some color.

I have 7oz of hops total (its a little hard to see how I put it in). I have thought about a whirlpooling the hops, but wanted to keep it simple for our first shot at a custom recipe. Definitely will try something like that later as we tweak things. You think more hops at the end of the boil or dry? I'd be curious to get opinions about hops at flameout vs dry hopping.

 

[chickypad]

I'm kinda with m00ps. I'm pretty sure I would not like an all Munich base IPA, though I don't in general care for styles that use a lot of Munich anyway so if you know you love it then disregard. That plus a lb of C-40 would just be way too much for me. I think the hop schedule would be okay if you just throw in 3-4 oz hopstand with what you've got. Also that's not extract with steeping, you're going to mash that Munich, right?

 

[atom]

that's a pretty high estimated FG. I would expect it to go down to 1.011-1.014 using 05.

 

[Mountainsax]

I'm kinda with m00ps. I'm pretty sure I would not like an all Munich base IPA, though I don't in general care for styles that use a lot of Munich anyway so if you know you love it then disregard. That plus a lb of C-40 would just be way too much for me. I think the hop schedule would be okay if you just throw in 3-4 oz hopstand with what you've got. Also that's not extract with steeping, you're going to mash that Munich, right?

I haven't used Munich before but was listening to Mitch Steel with Stone and he was mentioning using Munich for a little more body in an IPA. We just brewed the India Dark IPA kit from Northern and really like it. We are still doing extract so the Munich is a LME.

that's a pretty high estimated FG. I would expect it to go down to 1.011-1.014 using 05.

I thought the FG was a little high too (glad I'm not the only one).

 

[cantrell00]

I haven't used Munich before but was listening to Mitch Steel with Stone and he was mentioning using Munich for a little more body in an IPA. We just brewed the India Dark IPA kit from Northern and really like it. We are still doing extract so the Munich is a LME.



I thought the FG was a little high too (glad I'm not the only one).

10% munich is a good amount. Standard in all of my IPA recipes.

 

[Mountainsax]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm going to do some more research and re-work the recipe. I found the Fresh-Squeezed IPA clone recipe and might work off that!

Definitely open to other suggestions to get more color and body than a straight Pilsen or light base malt would give.