Anyone brewed an IPA with EKG ?

[14thstreet]

Looks good there hopplease, glad you are enjoying your first AG batch! I've been meaning to do a review of the two IPAs I did side-by-side but feel they may not be accurate due to the old EKG hops I'm using. I like this description as I think I'm picking up some of these nuances in the Jaggery IPA.

For both IPAs I used Wyeast 1882 Thames Valley II, which is currently available as a seasonal strain. However, I've brewed the Jaggery IPA twice now with the same yeast and with 2lbs jaggery sugar per 5 gallons, I believe the yeast is having some problems finishing the beer. I've targeted 2 vol CO2 for bottling but the end product seems 2.5 volumes or greater. The extra bite from the carbonation isn't working and it may be masking some flavors in the beer. I would only recommend this recipe with this yeast by lowering the sugar to 1 pound and use fresh EKG hops. For me, it looks like the use of sugar requires me to really have a handle on how my yeast behaves.

If you are enjoying the IPA you made, why not make it again?!? I brewed the bowenz IPA with 1.25 oz of Chinook dryhop and I think it easily stands above the EKG in this recipe (remember my EKG are old). Nice aroma with a bit of flavor from that addition. The amber/crystal malt helps balance this beer, even low the bittering is on the low end for an IPA.

 

[hopplease]

I guess the reason I don't want to brew this again is because I am so early into my brewing I want to try different recipes. Plus, I have >7 #'s of 14 different types of hops in my freezing. I itching to try them all.

Maybe, I'll redo bowenz with different hops? Hmmmmmm

 

[14thstreet]

I understand your point, I've been there too. I'd really like to rebrew some recipes just to make sure my process is down and if I can achieve some level of reproducibility, but the draw of different styles is too great to remain stubborn to that goal.

I had another bottle of my bowenz IPA last night and enjoyed it enough that one bottle wasn't enough. Still a worknight so I had to resist. Went down rather quickly. I am picking up the EKGs in the middle of the beer but not sure about their quality. At this point I'd say they are rather earthy/spicy which I pick up in my other EKG IPA. Cannot tell if the crystal is giving the beer its sweetness or its the piney/citrusy/resinous Chinook hops in the finish that's doing it. Nice deeper amber color with a hint of red in it. Haze goes away on warming (the dryhops are causing this) to a rather clear beer. A bit overcarbonated again. Small 1.5 gallon-ish batch so my boil rate probably adds a bit of color and my volumes are off. Nose seems to already be fading slightly. Got to drink these up fast, definitely like the earth/citrus combo.

 

[cwhouston]

Hi - thanks for the recipe mrbowenz. I have a batch of this in the primary at present and I'm wondering about the dry hop. I have never used chinook before and was considering it versus EKG. Does chinook in a dry hop give the beer a citrusy aroma/flavour or is it more pine? Pine I dig, otherwise I'll go with EKG.

Comments appreciated from anyone with chinook dry hop experience.

 

[14thstreet]

I felt the Chinook gave this an American feel to it, whether it was citrus and/or pine. On the other hand, I've also gotten the same sort of character from Styrian Goldings, which is basically a Fuggle. If it were me, I'd go with whatever hop you can get the freshest and you can't go wrong.

 

[inthesound]

In general, I feel like chinook gives a piney aroma to a beer, when dry hopped. It seems very "american" when I smell it. If I was going to dry hop an otherwise EKG hopped beer, I would just double down on the EKG, and go with two ounces. I feel like EKG and fuggles are so much milder than the big, brazen american hop varieties. I used .5oz willamette, .5oz golding, and .25 oz of challenger in a dry hop on my ESB and I felt like they were barely noticeable. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to do a 2oz EKG dry hop.

 

[14thstreet]

I follow a number of UK homebrewing resources and although things are changing, I see more recommendations of dry-hopping with 0.25-0.5 oz (7-14g) per 5-6 gallons (19-23L) than I do 2 oz! Granted, a majority of these are not IPAs as Americans know them. I guess for traditions sake it is all in the name of subtlety. But you are right, those amounts are barely perceptible to me as well.

 

[inthesound]

I'm sure that the right beer could be dry hopped with that amount and be noticed. And to be fair, I put an ounce of pretty mild hops in my ESB which is 10% crystal 60. They don't have much of a chance. They do help create a wonderful aroma, but it's not something that we would think of as hoppy in the American sense.

 

[bierhaus15]

While I normally use smaller amounts of (UK) dry hops in my English styles, EKG are somewhat tricky in that they often give a different flavor depending on the usage. For instance, you really have to use a lot of them in the boil and/or dry hop to achieve that intense "marmalade jam" character that they are so known for. In contrast, just using a oz or two throughout the brewing process won't give you nearly the same character... usually coming off as carroty, grassy, floral, ect.

Then there is the issue that a lot of the EKG's people claim to be using are just US Goldings - which have a completely different character - and that it is hard to find good quality EKG hops here in the states. I've had my best luck with whole cone and organic (pelleted) EKG. However, I've not been impressed by the quality of HopDirect's whole cone UK selection.

 

[JKaranka]

I'm waiting for my oak aged English IPA to get ready. Added a load of goldings (4oz) at 15m and it was fairly noticeable. Finished of with Willamette. There's some good single hop very pale Goldings beers around (I think Marstons makes one), and the aroma is very distinctive. To be fair, I'd say that EKG, cascade, simcoe and amarillo are the only very unique and recognizable hops I know.

 

[dylanphelan]

First time I am giving this out :

14.4 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 7.58 %
6.4 oz Amber Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 3.45 %

I am planning an English IPA for a homebrew competition - isn't this one rather sweet with so much Crystal malt?

 

[DylanTO]

Hi mrbowenz,

I know this is an old post, but would you mind giving some insight into your fermentation schedule/process for this beer? I'm specifically interested to know if you crash cooled early, or right after FG was reached, to preserve yeast character.

Any help is appreciated!

First time I am giving this out :

Dry hopped with Chinook, other than that , all East Kent Goldings, Chinook is a distantly related cultivar of the Petham Golding


GABF Pro AM -Gold Medal
Brew Type: All Grain Date: 5/16/2007
Style: English IPA Brewer: Christopher Bowen
Batch Size: 5.00 gal Assistant Brewer:
Boil Volume: 5.72 gal Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 % Equipment: My Equipment
Actual Efficiency: 69.96 %

Taste Rating (50 possible points): 48.0
Best of show at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival - ProAM catagory, Silver medal at the AHA regional , Gold medal at the Kona Beer Festival 2008

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
10 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 86.13 %
14.4 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 7.58 %
6.4 oz Amber Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 3.45 %
5.4 oz Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM) Grain 2.84 %
1.25 oz Chinook [12.00 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops -
2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 33.1 IBU
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (30 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (10 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days) Misc
1 Pkgs Thames Valley Ale (Wyeast Labs #1275) [Starter 125 ml] Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.062 SG (1.050-1.075 SG) Measured Original Gravity: 1.058 SG
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.015 SG (1.010-1.018 SG) Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Color: 11.0 SRM (8.0-14.0 SRM) Color [Color]
Bitterness: 33.1 IBU (40.0-60.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 10.0 AAU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 6.10 % (5.00-7.50 %) Actual Alcohol by Volume: 6.26 %
Actual Calories: 257 cal/pint


Mash Profile Name: Single Infusion, Full Body
Mash Grain Weight: 11.61 lb Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Sparge Water: 2.03 gal

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 3.63 gal of water at 163.7 F 152.0 F 90 min
Mash Out Add 1.45 gal of water and heat to 180.0 F over 2 min 180.0 F 10 min


Mash Notes
Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar Carbonation Volumes: 2.4 (2.2-2.7 vols)
Estimated Priming Weight: 3.8 oz Temperature at Bottling: 60.0 F
Primer Used: 3.5 Age for: 2.0 Weeks
Storage Temperature: 58.0 F

 

[dylanphelan]

I need to brew an english ipa tomorrow. this looks good, but am worried about it being too sweet?

how did yours turn out? was it very sweet?

 

[Shenanigans]

I know this is an old thread but maybe someone has an answer. :fro:

I was thinking of brewing this but I have a pack of WYEAST 1968 ESB yeast would this make a big difference to the Thames Valley Ale yeast?

Thanks!

 

[DylanTO]

I know this is an old thread but maybe someone has an answer. :fro:

I was thinking of brewing this but I have a pack of WYEAST 1968 ESB yeast would this make a big difference to the Thames Valley Ale yeast?

Thanks!

That will work fine. It won't be exactly the same beer of course, but this recipe is far and away the best English IPA I've had. Commercial or otherwise.

That said, I personally didn't care for the Chinook as dry hop. YMMV

 

[JKaranka]

If you find crystal sweet replace it with invert #2. How did you find the Amber malt? I use it in small amounts in some pale ales and it complements the MO nicely.

 

[Shenanigans]

That will work fine. It won't be exactly the same beer of course, but this recipe is far and away the best English IPA I've had. Commercial or otherwise.

That said, I personally didn't care for the Chinook as dry hop. YMMV

Thanks, I'll give it a go in a few weeks.
I used the same strain from White Labs (WLP002) once before at about 65F and bottled it after the SG didn't change for about a week. However about a month later it was totally overcarbed

This time when it appears to be finished I'll bump the temperature up to 70F for 3 or 4 days just to be sure.

Getting back to the Chinook, I have used it in two beers in the kettle and I wasn't mad about it.
Maybe it has a more pleasant flavour when dry hopping?
Anyway I have 1/2# of the stuff so I'll give it another chance.

 

[MEPNew2Brew]

I just dry-hopped a batch on Saturday. The only real difference between the original recipe and mine is that I used West Yorkshire Ale (1469). My OG was 3 points low, but it finished at 1.008, 7 points lower than BeerSmith and the original recipe expected. Fermented at 64-65 for 3 days, then increased to 70 degrees to finish. I am very much looking forward to trying this one.

 

[Shenanigans]

I'm planning on brewing this on Friday.
I hope it's ready within 5 weeks because I would like to serve it at a party.
3 weeks total for fermentation and dry hop then 2 weeks in the bottle.

I have never used amber malt or dry hopped with Chinook before, would two weeks in the bottle be long enough for this to start hitting it's stride or does it need longer?

Should I consider brewing something else if I want a great beer within 5 weeks?

 

[Shenanigans]

I'm planning on brewing this on Friday.
I hope it's ready within 5 weeks because I would like to serve it at a party.
3 weeks total for fermentation and dry hop then 2 weeks in the bottle.

I have never used amber malt or dry hopped with Chinook before, would two weeks in the bottle be long enough for this to start hitting it's stride or does it need longer?

Should I consider brewing something else if I want a great beer within 5 weeks?

So I brewed this with 1968 and it turned out very good but AGAIN after about a month in the bottle they started gushing. That yeast drives me mad

Anyway I would like to give it a go again using the same grain bill but different hops and yeast. Probably a dry yeast this time - I have Nottingham, S-04 and Windsor.

I have a load of Target and a few ounces each of Challenger, EKG, Fuggles Styrian Goldings, Willamette (not English I know)

So I'm thinking:

Bitter with Target, Challenger in the middle of the boil and aroma with EKG.
Ferment with Windsor (maybe add some brown sugar to dry it out a bit)
Then dry hop with Willamette.

 

[JKaranka]

Or try all Target with Nottingham if you want a clean dank hop bomb.

 

[Shenanigans]

Or try all Target with Nottingham if you want a clean dank hop bomb.

Also sounds good.
I have about 185g from a 250g pack of Target in my freezer for almost 2 years, would be good to use them up.

What hops schedule would you suggest?
Dry hopping too?

Thanks!

 

[JKaranka]

Definitively dry hop. Have you had Bengal Lancer? That has a Target dry hop.

 

[Shenanigans]

Definitively dry hop. Have you had Bengal Lancer? That has a Target dry hop.

I'm from Ireland but live in Germany so unfortunately I dont have easy access to any Fuller's beers.

Still not sure if 100% Target is the way to go so maybe I'll add some EKG or Fuggles at flame out

 

[JKaranka]

I've seen pretty good selections of Fullers and St Austell in Germany! I think I saw a pretty complete set in a department store in Franconia couple of years ago. They even had Robinsons Old Tom.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

this in not an ipa but a very good beer, i drank the keg in a week so it must be good

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/284030/standard-english-pub-ale

 

[Shenanigans]

Coming back to this again.
A few years back I bought two packs of Windsor dry yeast but never got around to using them.
Do you think this beer would turn out good with that yeast as they are expired since last month and I'd like to use them up?
However I'd rather not mess up this beer for the sake of a few bucks.
The attenuation would probably be a bit low but I can mash at a lower temperature to counteract this; maybe also add 1/4 to 1/2 a pound of dark brown sugar.

 

[Shenanigans]

Coming back to this again.
A few years back I bought two packs of Windsor dry yeast but never got around to using them.
Do you think this beer would turn out good with that yeast as they are expired since last month and I'd like to use them up?
However I'd rather not mess up this beer for the sake of a few bucks.
The attenuation would probably be a bit low but I can mash at a lower temperature to counteract this; maybe also add 1/4 to 1/2 a pound of dark brown sugar.

So I actually brewed this again 3 weeks ago with the only change from the original recipe being that I used WLP005 at about 65F.
I measured a sample a few days ago and it was at 1.016 with no hints of diacetyl. However yesterday I added a Fermwrap to see if I could get it a few points lower before I bottle tomorrow.

I have no idea what temperature it will be raised to but I guess somewhere between 68 and 70. I'm going to take another sample tonight so I'll measure the temperature then.

Looking forward to this one because last time I tried was with WLP002 and I thought it was finished. It was my first English IPA and I was really enjoying it too but after two weeks in the bottle it was way overcarbed.

I always have a hard time handling that yeast. Be it either WLP002 or WY1968

 

[Shenanigans]

So I actually brewed this again 3 weeks ago with the only change from the original recipe being that I used WLP005 at about 65F.
I measured a sample a few days ago and it was at 1.016 with no hints of diacetyl. However yesterday I added a Fermwrap to see if I could get it a few points lower before I bottle tomorrow.

I have no idea what temperature it will be raised to but I guess somewhere between 68 and 70. I'm going to take another sample tonight so I'll measure the temperature then.

Looking forward to this one because last time I tried was with WLP002 and I thought it was finished. It was my first English IPA and I was really enjoying it too but after two weeks in the bottle it was way overcarbed.

I always have a hard time handling that yeast. Be it either WLP002 or WY1968

So it went up to 80 with the brew belt but it seemed to have done the trick because it finished at 1.011 and I don't have any fear of it being overcarbed.
After 9 days in the bottle it's tasting great. :rockin:

 

[JKaranka]

So it went up to 80 with the brew belt but it seemed to have done the trick because it finished at 1.011 and I don't have any fear of it being overcarbed.
After 9 days in the bottle it's tasting great. :rockin:

Have you posted the recipe?