Bastardized 60 Minute IPA

[ihavenoclevername]

Hello!
About to brew my 2nd batch and I Have a question/concern...
I have a recipe from the Papazian book Microbrewed Adventures for a 60 min IPA clone...
Recipe calls for a combination of Warrior, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops...doing a bit of research, I have found that Simcoe hops are all but impossible to find in the contintental US, and, doing more research, I found a recipe using Columbus hops instead, which I was gonna do...
until I did yet more research and found that Warrior hops won't be available until 1-12-11 (I know I know, not to far away, but still) at my LHBS store...

so...faced with the dilema of using 2 (!) hop substitutions (the Palmer book recomends Nugget instead of Warrior) for a recipe, and having just (prematurely?) sampled my 1st batch after a whopping 6 (!!) days in the bottle (inpatience!), my confidence is at a first-time (or is it an all-time) low...

So, my question is this: should I get all "ballsy" and try to substitute hops (in addition to replacing .25 pounds of the 1.25 lbs of crystal malt the recipe suggest with .25 lbs of honey malt, which, for some reason, sounded good to me) and make a bizarre bastardized 60 minute IPA...or should I just buy a kit, then wait and try the weird recipe in a few weeks when I have more hop availability...

Since I plan to go to the LBHS tomorrow, I will most likely just buy a kit..but for brew #3, I still have my hearts set on a weird IPA.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Welcome to HBT!

First, my philosophy on homebrewing involves both experimentation, and brewing what you want to drink. I've cloned some of my favorite commercial brews, but what really hooked me on this hobby were the experiments, and "screw ups" that turned out great. After that, I quit trying to clone my prior favorites to the "T" and started venturing out on my own. Undeniably, you will end up with some brews that you like more than your favorite commercial brew.

With that said, go ahead and wait it out to follow through with your clone recipe, but I would suggest brewing with your substitutions in another batch as well. If it turns out OK, but not as good, then you still have decent beer and you learned something, but if it turns out that you like it better, well, then 1. you learned more about what you like, and 2. you can work on a recipe that will become a new favorite and you can call your own.

Either way, I hope your brew turns out well.

TB

 

[dummkauf]

ummmm...what!!!!

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=simco

They ship too, where did you get the idea in your head that Simcoe is that hard to get??? Maybe your LHBS doesn't carry them, but there are a number of brewshops that will ship that have them.

 

[dummkauf]

and for warrior: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=warrior

Midwest is my LHBS and I have never had an issue finding hops there

 

[ihavenoclevername]

The only reason I said the Simcoe (or Warrior) hops were hard to find were due to my inpatience...I want them NOW (OK, so not really NOW, but, like, ASAP, meaning at the shop...like...right....NOW. On a serious note, thinks for the help)

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Although missing the point, I will vouch for Midwest Supplies.

 

[ihavenoclevername]

My fiance got my fist kit through midwest supplies! And Tiber Brew, thanks for the advice. My roomie and I, several years ago, got into homebrewing. My first batch (a brown ale, go figure) was awesome, and my first batch was pretty much a tribute to nostalgia. I just want my 2nd and 3rd to be a little more complex, and wanted to get some opinions about hops, etc. I will most likely try a kit, but for bew #3, am looking for suggestions, such as: adding honey malt to IPA recipe? Suggesionts?

 

[ihavenoclevername]

Forgive my spelling errors...having some (non-homebrews)...well...


BEER.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

My fiance got my fist kit through midwest supplies! And Tiber Brew, thanks for the advice. My roomie and I, several years ago, got into homebrewing. My first batch (a brown ale, go figure) was awesome, and my first batch was pretty much a tribute to nostalgia. I just want my 2nd and 3rd to be a little more complex, and wanted to get some opinions about hops, etc. I will most likely try a kit, but for bew #3, am looking for suggestions, such as: adding honey malt to IPA recipe? Suggesionts?

Forgive my spelling errors...having some (non-homebrews)...well...


BEER.

No worries.

A slight amount of honey malt in an IPA should be fine. Keep it minimal, as you want an IPA to be a hop-forward beer, but some complexity never hurt.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with brewing kit beers, but you might find that brewing your own recipes will feel a bit more rewarding, especially if you find how to brew what you like to drink more than kits and clones.

Cheers,
TB

 

[brew2enjoy]

I have a 60 minute ipa's clone conditioning in bottles right now. I wouldn't substitute simcoe as it is a big part of the 60 minute ipa recipe. Have it shipped to you, you'll be glad you did.

 

[stevedasleeve]

Simcoe is a great hop - my favorite actually! But don't listen to these bozos, use Columbus and honey malt and all that you want and I bet the beer is fantastic. Nothing wrong with impatience (or Columbus for that matter.)

The very best thing about home brewing for me - aside for the unlimited suply of excellent beer of course - is making my own unique brew.

 

[brew2enjoy]

I'm sure it will be great beer. It just wont be a "clone"