Total Domination-ish IPA

[GuitarGumption]

Oops, I realized I posted this in the wrong section at first so here it is here:

I am trying to brew something similar to my favorite IPA, Ninkasi Total Domination. I have gathered as much info as I can, and here is what I have ready to brew. Any thoughts are appreciated:

11.25 lbs. 2-row
1.6 lbs. Munich Light
.8 lbs. Carahells
.25 lbs. Crystal 80 (this is my own addition, hoping to add a small amount of red color)

2 oz. Summit for 60 minutes
1 oz. Summit for 30 minutes
2 oz. Centennial 5 minutes
2 oz. Citra for 5 minutes. (this was supposed to be Amarillo from what I've researched, but the local shop was out of Amarillo).

Wyeast London ESB yeast. (I'm doing a starter in a growler)

Probably mash at....152? Not sure yet. I'm brewing tomorrow, so any critiques or suggestions are welcome. Will the Citra sit well in place of the Amarillo in this case??

 

[MVKTR2]

Never had that beer so I can't say how it would compare, but thought I'd 'bump' your thread.

I can't imagine that much of the nuance of London ESB yeast will shine through that hop profile. I generally use Notty as a go to on hoppy brews as a relatively cheap and very good option. Recipe etc. looks solid. I'm a fan of first-wort-hopping as due to some sort of ninja brew science some of the flavors from the FWH addition are preserved in the bier increasing your hoppyness.

God speed,
Phillip

 

[GuitarGumption]

Thanks for the reply. I wonder if the lower attenuation of the ESB yeast has something to do with the flavor I like....who knows. But I am going to stick to that since it seems to be either what they use, or very similar to it, from what I have read.

What does FWH stand for? Sorry I'm still sort of new to all the abbreviations for beer stuff.

 

[KraphtBier]

first wort hop. do a search and you'll find a plethora of information about the technique

 

[chumpsteak]

To answer your citra vs amarillo question, in my experience citra is much more tropical than amarillo in late additions. Not a direct substitution but I think it would compliment your beer pretty well.

 

[GuitarGumption]

Cool thanks for the tips. I had never even heard of first wort hopping, I think I will try that!

 

[bobbrews]

Ninkasi doesn't FWH Tricerahops, so I don't think they would for Total Domination.

Your bittering additions are quite high. I would research the IBUs and shoot for about 30-40 with the first addition. Pound it out late at 15/0/DH. Add a small 30 minute addition if you need it. This is a much better strategy than FWH for American IPAs.

Research the color while you're at it. I would rather use something like Briess Midnight Wheat vs. more Crystal malt, especially for an IPA. Though color wouldn't be a factor for me if I'm off by 1 or 2 SRM.

Jamie says they use the London ESB yeast at 68F because it's quite fruity and accentuates the hop fruitiness/juicyness.

 

[GuitarGumption]

Now that you mention it, I am trying to remember where I came up with 2 oz. Summit for the 60 minutes, and I can't find it anywhere. I have a feeling I was getting mixed up from a 10 gallon recipe I found. I think I'll bring that down to 1 oz. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[GuitarGumption]

Since I'll have extra Summit, would it possibly mix well as a late addition with the Citra and Centennial, to add more flavor and aroma at the end?

 

[Boy]

Summit is excellent late in the boil. A lot of brewers mention that while the ESB has a reported low attenuation they can get it to go a lot further. I'd assume they start cool and let the temp slowly ramp up to get the most out of it. At home you could keep it in a water bath and towards the end pull it out and let it hit room temp of 69 70 to finish low.

 

[GuitarGumption]

Cool, well I brewed last night and got an OG of 1.072, and it smells great. I didn't end up throwing summit in later in the boil, but if I think I need more aroma later I may dry hop. But anyway, at that gravity, even with a relatively low attenuation from the ESB yeast I'll end up in a good ABV range for an IPA, and if it attenuates more, even better!

Already bubbling away this morning, I am a big fan of starters....!

 

[GuitarGumption]

Man, this fermentation is nuts. Since I got home from work the day after brewing it's been like a bubble volcano. Like 10-15 bubbles per second through the blowoff tube. A constant stream of CO2. I've never had one go like this. Is this normal? Not complaining at all, just surprised.

 

[Tangelo]

IMO you need to dry hop to take IPAs to the next level. I've used summit to dry hop and was very happy with the result.

 

[GuitarGumption]

So on the subject of this Wyeast ESB yeast, the more I read, it seems very common for it to finish up around 1.020 with my starting gravity. Mine seems to have almost finished fermenting, and it's right around 1.021, which is correct attenuation for this yeast. This just seems a little sweeter than the Total Domination, and I'm wondering if maybe Ninkasi pitches another yeast at the end to finish it up? Any thoughts are appreciated. I definitely never thought of TD as a sweet IPA.

 

[GuitarGumption]

My next brew is going to be an oatmeal stout, and I think I'm going to use WLP005 British Ale Yeast for this. Would it hurt my IPA if I pitched a bit of the starter from this yeast into it to bring the gravity down a bit more? I'm not saying I'm going to do this, just throwing it out there to see if anyone has done something similar...?

 

[GuitarGumption]

After 2 weeks or so, my IPA has still only gotten down to 1.019, from a start of 1.071. It tastes good, but still just seems a little sweet for an IPA. I'm still looking for any opinions on if this is an appropriate FG for an IPA of this style?

Also, though it tastes good, as I said, it still doesn't seem to have that bitter or hoppy "bite" that I like in an IPA, despite quite a large amount of Summit bittering hops, and fairly generous 5 min. hops. Is this likely a water problem, that my hops aren't getting utilized as they could be?

Thanks again for any input.