3rd Batch, 1st Recipe, Big IPA.

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TacoGuthrie

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Went into the homebrew store with a couple of recipe ideas from the internet and worked with Dan to make an extract recipe for a big IPA.

13 lbs Pale Malt Extract
1 lb Crystal 37 L

2 oz Zeus whole hop [16.4%] @ 60 min
.5 oz Centennial whole hop [9%] @ 15 min
.5 oz Centennial whole hop [9%] @ 10 min
.5 oz Centennial whole hop [9%] @ 5 min
1.5 oz Centennial whole hop [9%] @ flameout
1 oz Centennial pellet hop [9.5%] Dry Hop

1 package Nottingham

23L ~6Gal batch size.

I ran it through beer calculator:
OG - 1.082
FG - 1.020
IBU - 58.7
Color - SRM

couple of questions I have:

1) My brewpot is only 16 quarts. So i can usually only do a 3 gallon boil. LHBS recommended to get a bigger pot. How necessary is that? Why?

2) I also think they recommended a second pkg of Nottingham but not sure why?

actually i have more questions but i'll wait for a few thoughts to trickle in first.

Any thoughts or comments are appreciated!:mug:
 
I'd try and get your IBU's up higher -- 59 on a 1.082 beer will be a little too malty in my opinion.

They recommended 2 packs of notty because of the huge OG - pitch 'em both; oh, and rig a blow off tube right away -- you'll need it.

try and get your IBU's up to 70 or 80. just a suggestion.
 
how would i modify it to get the higher ibus?

I can imagine a blow off would be necessary which leads me to this question...I've got a big pail with lots of room and a 6G glass carboy. I'd like to just use the carboy and let it sit for 3 weeks rather than using the pail and racking to the carboy for a secondary. Am i asking for a mess or it something a blow off tube can handle?
 
you can increase your bittering hop quantities or AA% to get a higher IBU.

For a beer this big, I'd recommend an ale pail with a blow off tube. A 6 gallon carboy may handle it if you only rack 5 gallons into the ferment, but if you get closer to 5.5 or so, you'll be asking for trouble.
 
I will fiddle with the bittering hop amounts, thanks.

My plastic bucket is huge. It came with the kit and i would guesstimate it to be around 10 Gallons. It has a lid that fits on but i don't think it is tight fitting like an ale pail. I used it as a primary for my 2nd batch before racking to the carboy. I could do that again. There is certainly enough room in the bucket for a 6G batch and its not so tight lid would mean it wouldn't blow the lid off either.

Do you see any issues with using that?
 
This is my bucket. I looked it up and i was right about the 10 gallon.

5120.jpg
 
why don't you just make a 5 gallon batch and then use the 6 gallon glass carboy.

Also, just a thought on your recipe; IPA's are my favorite kind of beer. I like them big and I like them hoppy. But an IPA with a 1.08 starting gravity seems really high to me.
 
This is my bucket. I looked it up and i was right about the 10 gallon.

5120.jpg

is that from save on?

I have the same one, used it once, but I use a 30L one for the primary now.

I used a 15qt pot before, but I decided to get a 30qt, makes things a little easier, don't really have to worry too much about boil overs and you can pretty much do a full boil or close to it.
 
First of all a bigger pot will allow you to do full boils which will give you better hop utilization.

You can get a 10 gallon pot cheap HERE

Also, I would only add around half the pale malt extract at the beginning of the boil and wait until the last 15mins of boil to add the rest. By doing this you have a smaller concentration of sugars for most of the boil which will give you better hop utilization (more IBUs from your 60min addition) Also, you want IPAs to finish pretty dry so I would substitute 1 lb of table sugar for a pound of extract.

I would definitely use 2 packs of Nottingham, it's cheap and two would make sure you good attentuation.

later
Seth
 
You can do a 5 gallon batch in the 6 gallon carboy, just make sure to use a blow-off tube. Also with something like this temp control would be nice, it will be putting out a lot of heat running through that much sugar. You may want to set the carboy in a tub with water and bottles of ice to regulate the temps (Unless you have a temp controlled refrigeration unit set up of course). 2 packs of Notty is a good idea.
 
Thanks for the comments everyone.

why don't you just make a 5 gallon batch and then use the 6 gallon glass carboy. Also, just a thought on your recipe; IPA's are my favorite kind of beer. I like them big and I like them hoppy. But an IPA with a 1.08 starting gravity seems really high to me.

Dialing it back to a 5 gallon batch has been mentioned a couple of times. Would there need to be any adjustments to the recipe other than less water mixed with the wort at the end?

You can get a 10 gallon pot cheap HERE

I’ve done a bit of research into buying a new pot online. I was ready to buy from that site but they don’t ship to Canada. I will keep looking.

Also, I would only add around half the pale malt extract at the beginning of the boil and wait until the last 15mins of boil to add the rest. Also, you want IPAs to finish pretty dry so I would substitute 1 lb of table sugar for a pound of extract. I would definitely use 2 packs of Nottingham, it's cheap and two would make sure you good attentuation. later Seth

I was flip flopping about the late extract addition. The LHBS staff said it was a pain because it stops your boil but I know it is recommended by many around here.

I will also look into your sugar recommendation. Is 1 lb sugar = 1lb extract the right conversion? When is it added?

. Also with something like this temp control would be nice, it will be putting out a lot of heat running through that much sugar. You may want to set the carboy in a tub with water and bottles of ice to regulate the temps (Unless you have a temp controlled refrigeration unit set up of course).

This was a question I had. What would be a good fermenting temp? My brew room can run at 65-70 with the heat on or about 10-15 degrees colder with the heat off, depending on how cold it is outside (it is cold here). Nottingham is a pretty flexible yeast, right?
 

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