Request: Mother Earth Boo Koo IPA Recipe

[fendersrule]

This is one of my favorite IPAs...at least for the past 6 months. I continue to keep buying it and am now just thinking I should try to make it.

I'm wondering if anyone has any information on how to make this beer it home. There's no doubt that it doesn't have a lot of bittering hops, but has tons of aroma and is very drinkable, on the dry side, even with the 6.5% ABV.

My last IPA was too malty, but I blame that on my un-careful mashing. I would love to be able to re-create, or get really close to Mother Earth's Boo Koo.

Here's all I have for the description:

"Notes / Commercial Description:
Boo Koo IPA is a straw colored All Mosaic IPA. A simple Pilsen grain bill makes this brew hop forward, spotlighting the piney aroma and foresty flavors with an overall unique experience. Clocking in at 6.5% ABV with 65 IBUs, It’s just beaucoup enough, just don’t call it “Too Bookoo!”

 

[blubrewbbq]

This is one of my favorite IPAs...at least for the past 6 months. I continue to keep buying it and am now just thinking I should try to make it.

I'm wondering if anyone has any information on how to make this beer it home. There's no doubt that it doesn't have a lot of bittering hops, but has tons of aroma and is very drinkable, on the dry side, even with the 6.5% ABV.

My last IPA was too malty, but I blame that on my un-careful mashing. I would love to be able to re-create, or get really close to Mother Earth's Boo Koo.

Here's all I have for the description:

"Notes / Commercial Description:
Boo Koo IPA is a straw colored All Mosaic IPA. A simple Pilsen grain bill makes this brew hop forward, spotlighting the piney aroma and foresty flavors with an overall unique experience. Clocking in at 6.5% ABV with 65 IBUs, It’s just beaucoup enough, just don’t call it “Too Bookoo!”

Based on the description you posted it's a SMaSH recipe. 100% pilsner malt. For hops maybe start at .5oz to bitter add a 10 minute and FO addition till you get to 65 ibu. Software like beer Smith will be one heck of a timesaver for you on this.

 

[fendersrule]

Good information. Here's another description I've found on their website:

That's a low finishing IPA for sure. Just what I want!

 

[blubrewbbq]

That looks similar to the grain bill of one of my APA.
9# 2row
1# flaked wheat
12oz c40

I get roughly 80% effeciency on my system

 

[fendersrule]

What's your mashing temps in order to get something that low?

 

[blubrewbbq]

What's your mashing temps in order to get something that low?

Mash roughly at 155. And I circulate a couple gallons of wort every 15 or 20 mins.

 

[fendersrule]

I thought higher the mashing temps will restrict the final gravity.

I've never been able to make a beer yet that has gone to 1.008, but I've been partial mashing. That's nuts!

My last pale ale I will check in 3 days, but I mashed at 152 and had a pretty high gain to DME ratio. I expect it to have a low FG, but we'll see. I'll be pissed if it's not below 1.012.

I'll see if I can reach out to the brewmaster for this recipe. Do brewmasters usually give their receipes out?

 

[blubrewbbq]

I thought higher the mashing temps will restrict the final gravity.

I've never been able to make a beer yet that has gone to 1.008, but I've been partial mashing. That's nuts!

My last pale ale I will check in 3 days, but I mashed at 152 and had a pretty high gain to DME ratio. I expect it to have a low FG, but we'll see. I'll be pissed if it's not below 1.012.

I'll see if I can reach out to the brewmaster for this recipe. Do brewmasters usually give their receipes out?

My FG was 1.010. my mash effeciency was 80%.

 

[fendersrule]

Good news. The brewmaster is going to email me the ingredients. They however will not give out the exact nature. Hopefully I can put something together with you guys.

 

[blubrewbbq]

Good news. The brewmaster is going to email me the ingredients. They however will not give out the exact nature. Hopefully I can put something together with you guys.

Yeah I figure we can get close.

 

[TerpRush]

You ever get that email? Let’s figure this out!!

 

[fendersrule]

Still waiting on it. I'll let you guys know when I get it! I'm about to bottle soon, so I'll be damned ready to start another one, and this has to be it!

 

[fendersrule]

Here's what I got from Mother Earth Co. It's pretty much exactly what's available already online.

Grain Bill: Pale 2-row, Flaked Wheat, Carahell
Hops: Warrior, El Dorado, Mosaic, Simcoe
OG: 1.056
FG: 1.008
Colour: 6.4 SRM
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 57.5

Now, how would I go about putting together a partial mash recipe for this puppy?

 

[fendersrule]

I've started to put together a recipe. I'm only an amateur here and could use lots of help!

I don't know however how to get the FG to list on the calculator to 1.008. I think that's going to be the trick with this beer. I can't imagine the mashing temp to be any higher than 152F with this beer, but I am noob.

https://brewgr.com/recipe/64786/

 

[fendersrule]

I've updated the recipe to where I think it will be close. I've never used wheat flakes before. I'm assuming that it's a "late" add, somewhere about 20 minutes left to the boil?

To get to finish at 1.008, you obviously need high attenuation. I think US-05 is easily up to the task. The trick I believe is going to be low mashing temperatures. I'm thinking to mash for 60 minutes at 150-152F.

Updated and could use some feedback!:

https://brewgr.com/recipe/64786/

 

[OswaldvW]

The flaked wheat goes in the mash, not the boil. If you like a dry beer, mash around 146-148.

 

[fendersrule]

Well, I don't necessarily want it "dry". I don't consider Boo Koo to be a "full bodied" IPA, but I don't know if "dry" is the right word. With the specs like 1.056 to 1.008, you know they can't be mashing at high temperatures.

I made an Orange Peel Coriander Pale ale (partial mash) and I kept it at 152ish on average...maybe a few minutes at 153, but that was my max. With US-04, it ended up at 1.010 right on the dot...I did add a little bit of sucrose because my OG was a little on the low side, but not more than 6-7% of grain bill. Should be a beautiful tasting beer, but I just want to make sure I keep this IPA tasting very light with a kick in the mouth of floral notes.

Thanks, I updated the recipe.

When you guys think this is good to go, then I may brew this Sunday! I still think it needs some tuning. I'm very much a noob at guessing recipes.

Some things I noted about the receipe thus far that needs work:

1) The color is still slightly off. I don't know if adding more Carahell is the right call here....I think 2lbs of it in a double batch could be plenty, but I may be wrong.

2) Is 2lbs of flaked wheat about right for a double batch? Totally guessing.

3) Right now I have 13lbs of grains (9lbs pale 2 row, 2lbs flaked wheat, and and 2lbs Carahell) and only 4LBS DME ("Light"). Does this seem to be about the right proportion? I added 1.4lbs of sucrose for good measure.

I'm a little surprised that no one has had this beer. That would definitely help out!

 

[fendersrule]

Anyone?

 

[fendersrule]

Here is my attempt with a partial mash recipe. This should be close to the real deal.

I plan to mash at 151F.

Any last words? Anything look really off?

Boo Koo IPA is a very smooth, crisp, low-IBU IPA with tons of back hops. Piney, citrusy, grassy, etc all come to mind after each sip. It's an IPA that doesn't fill you up, either, which is very dangerous.

 

[Vader ipa]

That looks similar to the grain bill of one of my APA.
9# 2row
1# flaked wheat
12oz c40

I get roughly 80% effeciency on my system

@bluebrewbbq
What is your hop schedule for your APA?

 

[blubrewbbq]

@bluebrewbbq
What is your hop schedule for your APA?

No bitter hop addition.

1oz centennial @ 20
1oz centennial @ 5

I tend to sub the centennial with other hops like Galaxy, citra, or whatever is new from Yakima Valley on a regular basis. This is a good beer to try out new hops on.

I will also dry hop the keg from time to time with 1oz of whatever hop I have on hand. I will do 2oz with something with a lower AA like Cascade.

 

[fendersrule]

Brew day finished as of this Sunday!

It will really well. I only came up with 56% efficiency. I think my efficiency sucks because I'm cramming lots of grains in muslin socks. I really need to move on to brew-in-a-bag and get it going!

Other than that, it was successful. I built my grains to go higher than the OG required by Boo-Koo because I know I've had problems with effiency. I came out to 1.053. Added 1lb of table sugar (which isn't a lot for 10 gallons) and landed right at 1.057 OG. Added 1.5 packs of US-05 in each carboy, and within 6-8 hours she was starting to take off.

Mashed at 149F. I did a 75 minute mash.

The color is dead-accurate. It's a straw-color, yellowish IPA.

The trick now is to "hit my gravity" at 1.008.

I plan to use 2-2.5Oz of dry hopping for each carboy after fermentation finishes (another week or so). I will probably use 1.5 Oz of Mosaic, .25 Oz Simcoe, and .25 Oz of Warrior per each 5-gallon carboy.

 

[fendersrule]

Here's my official brew notes:

A starting attempt for Mother Earth's Boo Koo IPA. The grain bill is slightly oversized to account for my lowish home-brew efficiency because I cram a lot of grains in muslin socks. You will want to slightly reduce the Pale 2-row and the flaked wheat at the appropriate proportions if you have 75% efficiency or above.

1LB of sucrose is completely optional and was only used to boost my OG from 1.053 to 1.057ish. If you hit your OG by having good efficiency you should skip the sucrose.

I mashed for 75 minutes, but you'll likely only need 60 minutes. I mashed for longer due to my stuffed muslin socks in trying to extract as much as I possibly can.

1.5 packs of US-05 per each 5-gallon carboy, no-rehydration needed (in my experience). Pitched when wort was about 68F. I generally cool the room at this time to about 64F.

The trick for Boo Koo is to get a high attenuation rate in order to hit 1.008 FG. It's a thin IPA that doesn't offer a complex mouthfeel but has very strong aroma which makes the beer highly drinkable and addictive. US-05 is certainly up to the task, but mash temps need to be low. In this attempt, I shoot for a mash temp of 149F. Since I mash in the kettle, I re-heat the kettle in 30 minute intervals (while stirring) to bring the mash target back up and repeat this process.

I gave these primaries 7 full days before dry hopping since they started off to a healthy and decently quick fermentation. I used 2.5 Oz of hops (mostly mosaic because Boo Koo has strong grassy notes and it is considered a mosaic IPA after all) per each 5G carboy. I'll wait 7 days after dry hopping and then proceed to bottle conditioning.

Here was my partial mash grain bill for a double batch (10 gallons):

Grain:

7.7 lbs Pale 2-row
1.5 Carm/Crystal 15L (Carahell substitution as the shop didn't have 10L)
2.2 lbs Flaked wheat
6 lbs light DME
1 lbs wheat DME
1 lbs table sugar (not needed if you have 75% efficiency or above).

Hops:
1 oz warrior @ 60 min
1 oz simcoe @ 30 min
1 oz el dorado @ 10 min
1 oz mosaic @ 2 min
1 oz el dorado @ FO
3 oz mosiac DH
1 oz simcoe DH
1 oz warrior DH

I will keep you guys informed how my Boo Koo Partial Mash came out!

 

[fendersrule]

I'd say so far I'm nailing the **** out of this.

Tested at FG today at 1.007. Bottling tomorrow.

 

[fendersrule]

I like to always give my bottles 3 full weeks of carb time, but I may sneak one in the fridge tomorrow night for a 3-day chill and give it a try.

I calibrated my Hydrometer (finally). It turns out the hydrometer reads about +.002, so I need to subtract -.002 from every reading here on out. Should have done this before, but better late than never.

So this beer really came in at 1.005, and the OG really came in at 1.055. Still 6.5%. I expect that it will still taste very good and would make a perfect spring/summer hop-bomb IPA.

I would recommend for anyone attempting this recipe to mash at 151F, and not 149F for the next go around with my hydrometer correction in mind. I know that 151F for my setup would equal around a FG of 1.008 with US-05 yeast.

I'll give you guys a taste report in a week!

 

[fendersrule]

Update!

I did a taste test tonight after 3 weeks of bottle conditioning, and 48 hours in the fridge.

It tastes similar to Boo-Koo, but not exact. It's a good IPA, and it's close.

I bought a 6 pack of Boo-Koo in order to directly compare. I poured some Boo-Koo in my hydrometer, shook it up, removed it, poured it in a bowl, and went back and forth for 35 seconds to decarb it, poured it back in, and shook it up some more, and Boo-Koo appears to be 1.010, not 1.008 as stated at about 60F with hydrometer correction. Close enough, as shooting for 1.008-1.010 should hit the mark.

Anyhow, my Boo-Koo clone tastes pretty good. It's light and clean, but it doesn't have that Boo-Koo taste that continues down your throat, which I suspect is just tangerine and more dry hops.

I am SUSPECTING that they are using tangerine peel in their recipe. It says so right on the can, but not on the official ingredients list. I wrote down, as a amateur homebrewer, what I will do differently next time. Here are my notes:

1) More Mosaic bittering hops. I was close, but not exact. I did use some Mosaic to bitter initially, but my girlfriend accidentally threw warrior or cascade to bitter at the 15 minute mark instead of mosaic. I would make sure to get the Mosaic bittering hops all up front to make sure it lands at a strong 57 IBU, and not a penny less.

2) Whirlfloc tab. Looking at a glass of Boo-Koo, it is not a hazy IPA, but a clear one. I will use a whirlfloc next time...I didn't realize that Boo Koo is a clear IPA.

3) Mashing at 149F is too low. I measured Boo-Koo out to be 1.010. I would recommend 153F to be a more suitable mash temp to re-create this beer. Maybe 152-153, but 149F created 1.006 for me, which is too low (still learning, I never mashed this low before).

4) Dry hop more! I dry hopped 2.5 OZ of hops per each 5G carboy, but I suspect that they are REALLY dry hopping more than this. The aroma is pungent...I would recommend dry hopping 3.5 OZ per carboy (with at least 2 OZ of mosaic per each carboy....the rest warrior or simcoe). They have STRONG grassy notes in this beer, so don't be afraid to use higher AA to dry hop, such as mosaic. This throws some people off, but I believe that's part of their secret.

5) Use tangerine peel. I suspect that they are boiling about 2OZ of it per 5 gallons...at least. Feel free to use a little more.......I may try 3 OZ of it per 5 gallon carboy. It's better to overshoot than to undershoot here because the aroma is strong with Boo Koo.

My foam head from the wheat is exact...so I have the right ratio of grains. In-fact, you could probably get by with a little less wheat than I used because my head stayed longer than boo-koo's head.

My color was close. A little lighter would be better, but that might just be because I didn't use a whirlfloc.

With all that said and done, the next round should be VERY close!

 

[fendersrule]

Here's what I will do for next time:

DOUBLE BATCH! (10 gallons)

OG: 1.059-1.062
FG: 1.009-1.011
Color: 6.0 SRM
Efficiency: 75%
IBU: 57
ABV: 6.5%

Grain:

17 lbs Pale 2-row
2.4 Cara/Crystal 15L (Carahell substitution as the shop didn't have 10L)
2.4 lbs Flaked wheat

Hops:
1 oz warrior @ 60 min
1 oz simcoe @ 30 min
1 oz el dorado @ 10 min
1 oz mosaic @ 5 min
1 oz el dorado @ FO
6 oz mosiac DH
1 oz simcoe DH
1 oz warrior DH

Other:
Whirlfloc it!
4 oz of tangerine last 15 minutes of boil.

Mash:
Mash at 152-153F for 60 Min

Yeast:

3 packs of US-05 (1.5 packages per each carboy)

Who wants to try that? I bet it would be a winner!

 

[fendersrule]

Trying a 5 gallon batch of the above modified recipe.

 

[fendersrule]

I'll be trying it in a week.

The first recipe only scored a 33/50 at the local pro-am. Not a bad score, but I knew it needed work for it to be 'excellent'!

I'll let you guys know how the above came out. If it turns out excellent, then I'll be brewing it again using treated tap water to really just knock it out.

 

[thehaze]

The recipe on their website clearly states Mt. Hood as one of the hops, so you might be missing some flavours from it. Also, you are not using El Dorado in the dry hop. It seems you want a very Mosaic leaning beer. Is the beer you are trying to clone very Mosaic-like?

 

[fendersrule]

Boo Koo is a heavy mosaic balanced IPA IMO.

Where does it say they use Mt Hood?

That's interesting. They seem to have updated it.

https://motherearthbrewco.com/our-beers/

 

[fendersrule]

Sadly, I think I may have gotten my first dumper in about 9 batches.

I know green bottles aren't the best, but I opened up another one that was brown (that was room temp) and I got the same off-smell and off-taste. I noticed no matter how carefully I poured, the white specs (which assume are dead yeast) would float around. It's hard to pinpoint the smell/taste, but it almost tasted a touch like fuel/ethyl. With the amount of dry hopping that I did, the fresh flavor that should have been there just tasted like a touch of jet fuel and didn't come through at all.

Ugh. Not sure what I did wrong, but Boo Koo beat me again. I always cover my glass carboys when fermenting.

I'm going to attribute this failure to pulling up too much trub during racking.

Bad news, I have a failure, and it will just force me to look closely into making sure I do everything wrong.

Good news, brew day this Sunday.

I stuck another bottle in the fridge for the hell of it to make sure. Will wait 48 hours and try again, but something tells me it's all bad.