Thoughts on this IPA BIAB recipe? System only holds 13.5 lbs of grain.

[ReggieDunlop]

I can only fit 13.5 lbs of grain in my kettle so working with that in a Brew in a Bag system with 65% efficiency I came up with the following for my first IPA. It's a little lower in alcohol and I'm not sure if the IBUs fit an IPA. It almost seems like a tweener between a pale and an IPA. I was hoping for something closer to an IPA like Rogue's Northwestern Ale. I would appreciate your thoughts.

Batch Size: 5 gallons
OG: 1.058
FG: 1.016
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 54

11 lbs 2 Row
3/4 lbs Munich
3/4 lbs Victory
1/2 lbs Crystal 60
1/2 lbs Carapils

1 oz. Centennial @ 60
1 oz. Amarillo @ 10
1 oz. Cascade @ 5
1 oz. Willamette @2

Mash at 149 for 90 mins

 

[NathPowe]

For my taste that pushing the limit on crystal malt in a grain bill of that size. I'd use half that. Also seems like a lot of victory, but maybe you dig that. Do you have anything else to bitter with? That centennial will give you some nice bang for your buck as a late addition. Also - what are you dry hopping with? This is a must in my book for IPA's. At the very least throw a couple ounces at it after fermentation.

I'd say OG/IBU ratio looks pretty good. I actually like the lower ABV IPA's quite a bit. Finally, this thing will probably taste better if you add some yeast (just breaking your ball$).

Have fun and enjoy man.

Cheers.

 

[ReggieDunlop]

For my taste that pushing the limit on crystal malt in a grain bill of that size. I'd use half that. Also seems like a lot of victory, but maybe you dig that. Do you have anything else to bitter with? That centennial will give you some nice bang for your buck as a late addition. Also - what are you dry hopping with? This is a must in my book for IPA's. At the very least throw a couple ounces at it after fermentation.

I'd say OG/IBU ratio looks pretty good. I actually like the lower ABV IPA's quite a bit. Have fun and enjoy man.

Cheers.

Thanks for your reply. I didn't think of dry hopping but I certainly can. I have some extra Willamette that I can use. I could add the Amarillo earlier to add bitterness if you thought it needed it. As far as the Victory. I like the biscuit flavor and was just looking for some extra complexity, color and aroma for the malt profile.

 

[NathPowe]

I wasn't saying you should add more bitterness, just that centennial has some really nice flavor and aroma that will be gone after boiling it for 60min. Same thing with Amarillo. I'd save those bad boys for late additions or dry hops. I have little to no experience with Willamette so I can't comment. I can say that Amarillo/Centennial combo'd in the dry hop is powerful good.

:rockin:

 

[mstbrewery]

I always start my IPA's with hop additions going at 30 min in the boil. IPA is a style that is supposed to be a display of hop flavor and aroma so by adding them at 60+ min you loose both flavor and aroma. Start you hop additions at 30 min and just add more hops or higher AAU hops to achieve your target IBU. I got this tip from a podcast featuring an interview with Gordon Strong and it made a huge difference in my IPAs hop character. Just an idea.

 

[ReggieDunlop]

I always start my IPA's with hop additions going at 30 min in the boil. IPA is a style that is supposed to be a display of hop flavor and aroma so by adding them at 60+ min you loose both flavor and aroma. Start you hop additions at 30 min and just add more hops or higher AAU hops to achieve your target IBU. I got this tip from a podcast featuring an interview with Gordon Strong and it made a huge difference in my IPAs hop character. Just an idea.

I really like this idea and the idea by other gentleman to use the Cent and Amarillo more for flavor and aroma. I think I can incorporate both ideas by starting the hop additions at 30 mins with the Cent and hopefully drawing more flavor and aroma from 30 versus 60. I can manipulate the hop schedule starting at 30 mins and not have to increase the amount of hops and still reach the desired IBUs (mid 50s) with the following:

1 oz. Cent at 30
1 oz. Cascade at 20
1 oz. Amarillo at 10
1 oz. Willamette at 3

 

[TangoHotel]

I can only fit 13.5 lbs of grain in my kettle so working with that in a Brew in a Bag system with 65% efficiency I came up with the following for my first IPA. It's a little lower in alcohol and I'm not sure if the IBUs fit an IPA. It almost seems like a tweener between a pale and an IPA. I was hoping for something closer to an IPA like Rogue's Northwestern Ale. I would appreciate your thoughts.

Batch Size: 5 gallons
OG: 1.058
FG: 1.016
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 54

11 lbs 2 Row
3/4 lbs Munich
3/4 lbs Victory
1/2 lbs Crystal 60
1/2 lbs Carapils

1 oz. Centennial @ 60
1 oz. Amarillo @ 10
1 oz. Cascade @ 5
1 oz. Willamette @2

Mash at 149 for 90 mins

Mashing @ 149 would make it a little too dry for me. I like some good body to my ipas. However at 149, your FG will likely be lower. What yeast are you using? I had great success with wlp001.

Also, for my ipas, dry hopping is a must. That initial smell before you sip is just as intoxicating as the beer itself. I love it. Dry hop with an ounce of all your late additions, it will turn out great.

Grain wise, I might cut the Munich, but it could make the malt profile pretty interesting playing with your hops. Its going to turn out a pretty orange-red with the victory and c60. Look good.

If you haven't brewed it yet, double crush tour grains to a 'grainy flour' consistency. Do your 90 minute mash with lots of stirring, and squeeze all the juice out of that bag. Your 65% could jump to 80% or higher. It means in the future you can start using less grain for the same result, saving you some cash.

Brew on!