Red IPA critique

[McUbermensch]

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Conan
Yeast Starter: I plan to
Batch Size (Gallons): 6
Original Gravity: 1.071
Final Gravity: 1.013
IBU: 72.3
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 14.8

13lb 2 Row 85.2%
1lb Caramel Wheat Malt 6.6%
4oz Crystal 120 1.6%
4.0 Roasted Barley 1.6%
12oz Turbinado sugar

1oz Columbus 60min (36.9 IBUs)
.75oz Chinook 20min (15.6 IBUs)
1oz Centennial 15min (13.1 IBUs)
.50oz Simcoe 10min (6.2 IBUs)
.50oz Simcoe 5min (3.4 IBUs)

Conan yeast starter

1oz Simcoe dry hop 4 days
1oz Chinook dry hop 4 days


What do you think?

I'm trying for a piney red IPA. The chinook addition I am unsure about because I find that chinook hops can quickly take over a beer and I'm looking for a balance pine hop profile. All my other IPAs come out very citrusy and fruity and I want to get away from that with this beer.

Any feedback is much appreciated.

 

[BreezyBrew]

It's looking like your going to need quite a bit more crystal malt than that for a red ale. Maybe bump that to 6%? I haven't seen a red ale with sugar in it.. Pretty untraditional. Usually red ales are maltier beers and I just don't see that with 1.6% crystal, unless it's strictly for color and you are looking for a traditional IPA flavor.

I think your hop schedule look good.

 

[McUbermensch]

Could I replace the crystal 120 with some combo of crystal 40 and 80 while getting it to 6%?

 

[modifier]

Could also try adding CaraRed from Weyermann, altho you might need to add quite a bit and can't tell if you want it sweet or not..

 

[McUbermensch]

I guess it would have helped to explain what I'm going for. I want something G'Knight like without being high gravity.

 

[BreezyBrew]

I guess it would have helped to explain what I'm going for. I want something G'Knight like without being high gravity.

Ah, well, if you're shooting for that... I'd start with the CYBI Recipe and scale it down.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=175564

Pretty easy to do since they have the percentages in there. If 2 out of 4 say it's cloned, I'd think it would get you really petty close.

From my tastes there's a very unique maltiness that Gordon has, which I don't think you can replicate with anything but Carastan. I have tried to get a similar flavor in other amber beers, but haven't gotten exactly that particular flavor profile. Since it's only a lb or less, could always order it online if your LHBS doesn't carry it. Good Luck!

 

[chickypad]

I think the posters missed that you had a whole lb of caramel wheat and were just looking at the 120, so you've already got 8%. If you're using that I would probably sub it for the C-45 in the clone recipe.

 

[m00ps]

I think you need more late hops. With 8% crystal, the sweetness will end up clashing with the hops. Focusing more on hop flavor will make it more of a Red IPA rather than an slightly hoppy Amber Ale

 

[McUbermensch]

I think the posters missed that you had a whole lb of caramel wheat and were just looking at the 120, so you've already got 8%. If you're using that I would probably sub it for the C-45 in the clone recipe.

Thanks for the clarification... I thought that lb of caramel wheat would add plenty of sweetness. The 120 is mostly there for color.

 

[McUbermensch]

I think you need more late hops. With 8% crystal, the sweetness will end up clashing with the hops. Focusing more on hop flavor will make it more of a Red IPA rather than an slightly hoppy Amber Ale

What would you suggest? I'm trying to stay away from much chinook late in the boil because I find it can over power. More simcoe? Centennial?

 

[chickypad]

Lots of ways to go. I'd probably do something like add 0.5 oz centennial to your 10 and 5 min additions, throw in 1.5 oz each of simcoe and centennial for hopstand, and consider bumping the dry hop an oz.

 

[Owly055]

Could also try adding CaraRed from Weyermann, altho you might need to add quite a bit and can't tell if you want it sweet or not..

CaraRed is just Weyermann's name for crystal 20..........

 

[BreezyBrew]

Ah, whoops! Didn't see the wheat was a crystal malt, sorry man.

 

[Hujo]

I think the malt bill looks good, but I agree with the others saying that you could do with more hops. I'd recommend something similar to what Chickypad suggested.

 

[TheHopfather]

More late hops. I'd move some of those early additions to 10 min or less and add in a big hop stand. I won't make any sort of IPA these days without a large hopstand. Anyone can make a bitter beer, making a beer full of hop flavor is way to go in my books.

 

[McUbermensch]

Lots of ways to go. I'd probably do something like add 0.5 oz centennial to your 10 and 5 min additions, throw in 1.5 oz each of simcoe and centennial for hopstand, and consider bumping the dry hop an oz.

More late hops. I'd move some of those early additions to 10 min or less and add in a big hop stand. I won't make any sort of IPA these days without a large hopstand. Anyone can make a bitter beer, making a beer full of hop flavor is way to go in my books.

I wasn't sold on doing a hopstand for this beer but now that you both mention it I think it would be smart to do. I do one for all my other IPAs, so why change on this brew?

I plan to brew this on 10/25 and I will give a full report on the final grain bill and hopping schedule. I'll update on how it turns out as well.

 

[modifier]

They're not the same, altho good substitutes for each other.

EDIT: forgot to quote. I mean CaraRed and Crystal 20.

 

[McUbermensch]

This is what the recipe ended up being.

12# 2 row
1.5# melanoiden
1# caramel wheat
4oz roasted barley

1oz citra 60 min (38.1 IBU)
.50oz simcoe 10 min (6.4 IBU)
.75oz chinook 10 min (9.6 IBU)
.50oz centennial 10 min (4.9 IBU)
.25oz chinook 5 min (1.8 IBU)
.50oz simcoe 5 min (3.5 IBU)

.50oz centennial 15 min steep
1oz simcoe 15 min steep

1.5l conan yeast starter

1oz each chinook, simcoe, centennial dry hop 5 days.

With this recipe I accidentally found a great winter warmer. There's a great nutty character that compliments the earthy and slightly spicy hop profile. It's more of an India Brown Ale than an India Red Ale. The color is a deep brown and the first few bottles have been cloudy.

Things I would change: the yeast. I would use a clean American ale yeast like US05 instead of the Conan yeast. The fruity character that yeast gives doesn't fit with the earthy characters of the malts and hops.

I would also consider bumping up some of the late addition hops but not by much. The way the hop schedule is now this beer has plenty of lingering hop character.