1st extract IPA recipe help needed

[sean99]

This is my first (semi) original IPA recipe. I've previously only done kits and a few simple recipes. It's based on a few different recipes I found on the web. Does this look O.K.? I wasn't sure about adding the crystal 40 and sugar or honey.

5 gallons
7lbs. extra light DME
.5 lbs. crystal 40?
.5 lbs honey or sugar?

.5 oz. magnum 60 min.
1 oz. Mosaic 10 min
1 oz. Galaxy 5 min.
1 oz. Mosaic 5 min.
2 oz. galaxy 2 min.
2 oz mosaic 2 min.

Yeast: US-04

Dry hop 1 oz. mosaic and 1oz galaxy for 5 days

Brewers friend calculator says:
IBU: 44
OG: 1.060
FG : 1.017
5.67%

 

[Yooper]

Looks good to me! I'd use the honey if I had it, but if not I would use the (much cheaper) sugar.

 

[Snowden]

Looks yummy. I made a Citra IPA with a similar recipe (bittered with Magnum, with Citra from 15 min to flameout and 3 oz dry hop...did use 1 lb corn sugar and Crystal 60 at 1/2 lb, though); took a bomber to my homebrew club's Christmas party - a bunch of BJCP certified guys enjoyed it, but said they wanted a little more malt presence. Overall, yours looks like a solid recipe! <3 Mosaic!


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[Sailingeric]

If you are going for honey flavor, try a honey malt. I used some on a blonde ale, about 4 oz and it has nice kiss of honey flavor. Next time I might up it a couple oz just to see how much more comes through.

 

[mac21]

For the sweetness I know you can get some from the crystal malts and the honey malt like Sailingeric suggested. The honey itself would dry it out a bit I think. Maybe if you're bottle conditioning you could prime the bottles with honey instead of the boil or primary. Love me some Mosaic hops!

 

[Norselord]

The recipe looks fine for a session IPA.

Personally, I like my IPAs to have a higher SG and FG, and a higher bitterness. Your IBU to SG ratio is in the range i prefer though. (~0.730)

What is your objective for adding honey and/or sugar? If you are looking to boost ABV, then just add more DME. If you are looking to add sweetness then i would not add either, but would add some dextrine.

Sugar tends to thin out a beer and add cidery flavors, in my experience. I see adding it to a beer when you want a higher ABV, but are already pushing higher SG. I would skip the sugar/honey and add 8oz of crystal to get to an even pound.

I am not sure if i understand your hop schedule -- 7 oz of hop in the last 10 minutes and then 2 more for dry hopping, but only 0.5oz bittering hop. You might want to cut your late hop additions by half and save those hops for another batch.

 

[Psylocide]

I'd second dropping the corn sugar altogether... put another lb of DME in there if you want. I added a pound of corn sugar to my APA and it dried it out terribly... still plenty drinkable, but not what I had in mind.

 

[Yooper]

I'd second dropping the corn sugar altogether... put another lb of DME in there if you want. I added a pound of corn sugar to my APA and it dried it out terribly... still plenty drinkable, but not what I had in mind.

Maybe for an APA, but for an IPA the sugar is a good idea and would help the yeast fully attenuate rather that increasing the malt extract.

 

[Norselord]

I would just imagine that you want a malty profile to balance out 9oz of late addition hop...adding sugar to an IPA that starts at 1.060 (with the sugar) could be making a brew that is dry and hoppy.

 

[Psylocide]

That's kind of what I was getting at... just made the mistake, and this recipe looks somewhat similar. Came off with way to much bite, cider-y type, intense hoppiness.

Thought it was over carbed at first, it was that dry and hoppy.

Don't get me wrong, I love intense hoppiness, but not if it's unbalanced.

 

[sean99]

Thanks for the replies. Based on what everyone is suggesting, I'll adjust the recipe.

1. Up the crystal to .75 or 1 lb.
2. Up the magnum (bittering) to 1 oz.

Maybe for an APA, but for an IPA the sugar is a good idea and would help the yeast fully attenuate rather that increasing the malt extract.

3. keep the honey the same 8 oz.

The new calculations are: 6.18% ABV (about where I want it)
57 IBU