Thoughts on my "Caramel Sutra" IPA recipe

So I woke up yesterday planning to brew a Gumballhead inspired beer using Citra and Amarillo, then when digging through the freezer to find my hops I saw some Summit and Citra Hops and "Su-tra" popped in my head. Trying to come up with a creative name, I thought utilizing several caramel malts may be a good option. So I ended up with "Caramel Sutra" Below is the recipe I came up with and brewed yesterday. I have done a couple Citra IPAs before, and was really wanting some of the tropical fruit flavor/aroma, but also wanted to get some citrusy/grapefruit in there also, so added the Centennial and Amarillo. Anyone have any recommendations for dry hops? Should I switch out the Cascade/Simcoe for Centennial/Amarillo?

"Caramel Sutra IPA"
Brew Type: All Grain
Style: American IPA
Post Boil Volume : 5.5 gallons
Boil Time: 60 min
Estimated Original Gravity: 1.065 SG
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.017 SG
Estimated Color: 10.3 SRM
Bitterness: 71.1 IBU
Post Boil Volume : 5.5 gallons
Boil Time: 60 min


Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
11.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) 87.6 %
0.50 lb Caramel 20L 4.0 %
0.50 lb Caramel 60L 4.0 %
0.30 lb Carafoam 2.4 %
0.25 lb Caramel 120L 2.0 %
1.00 oz Summit [14.00%] (60 min) Hops 43.4 IBU
0.75 oz Citra [12.30%] (15 min) Hops 14.2 IBU
0.75 oz Citra [12.30%] (5 min) Hops 5.7 IBU
0.50 oz Centennial [9.20%] (5 min) Hops 2.8 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [6.90%] (5 min) Hops 2.1 IBU
0.75 oz Citra [12.30%] (1 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
0.75 oz Centennial [9.20%] (1 min) Hops 0.9 IBU
0.75 oz Amarillo Gold [6.90%] (1 min) Hops 0.7 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50%] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Citra [12.30%] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Simcoe [12.40%] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
California Ale (DCL Yeast #S-05) Yeast-Ale

Mash: 152.0 F for 60 min


Any input would be appreciated.

That's quite a hop schedule you have there. Hard to say, try it!

Well, if the final product comes out as good as my "fermentation closet" smells it will be pretty damn good.

I'd shorten the name to Cara Sutra. I'm sure you'll love the beer either way!

Looks like a solid recipe to me... let us know!

Ok, little update here:

I went with the recipe listed above. My yeast did some work; it finished at 1.013 (80%). Primary for 12 days, then dry-hopped for 10. I bottled 9 or 10 and force carbed the rest yesterday. Aroma is very strong and exactly what I was shooting for. Lots of citrus/grapefruit/tropical fruit. I had a small sample, and flavor is great. Nicely balanced, not too dry, not too sweet. Nice color, still needs to clear up though. It tastes like it smells. It is definitely a keeper, and will be happening again. I'll report back after it has had some time to age a little or the bottles are ready.

14thstreet-Thanks!! I started with Cara, then the g/f recommended Caramel. I think I will take your advice and my original thought and use Cara Sutra.

duplicate thread (without pictures)

Well, it is safe to say this was a hit with everyone that tried it. The keg ran out last weekend, but another 13g boil was underway when it kicked. Here are a couple pictures.

Nice! Are you happy with the flavor (15m) addition of Citra? In hindsight, I would have subbed Centennial there and kept more Citra towards the end, but maybe it's perfect as is... what say?

Some people think Citra can be over-powering. The 15 minute addition definitely allows the flavor to shine without it being overkill. Personally, I could double or triple it and be fine with it, as I really like citra. Or do like you mentioned and add some centennial in there for additional flavor. I'd also consider adding another oz of citra dryhop or sub it for the cascade just to make sure the aroma lasts a long time (if the keg ever does).

At some point I am going to bump this up to an Imperial.