I have some Homebrew beer questions for you brewer types out there..
I am trying to put together a less malty easy to drink citrusy IPA and wanted to bound a few thoughts off you guys.
The IPAs i enjoy the most are the ones where the malt takes a back stage to the hops. Obviously this seems like an insanely obvious point, right? Well here is what I am seeing alot in new micro brews and even some old and seasoned ones. They make a 7% IPA mashed at a low temp to get a dry yet malty beer. Because let's face it, a 7% all grain beer is still a bunch of malt. But the issue is drier malt profile alone is not always enough when you have that much 2-row. So they end up throwing a bunch more hops to counter the malt forward profile. So here are a couple of fairly common things I hear about very some successful breweries that makes IPAs that I like are doing, yet you just don't hear much about in the homebrew world:
Pilsner malt- some are using pilsner malt either all together instead of or to replace a certain % of 2-row. The common flavor things to be concerned about are buttery flavors, so extended boil time is advised. The Pilsner malt has a lighter more delicate body as well as color which when utilized properly can really bring the hops forward. I have yet to try this, but it is actually more common than many probably know.
Munich malt- this being used instead of crystal to provide color while keeping higher fermentables. Keeps out the sweeter flavors without sacrificing head retention and color(apparently). I use Munich malt often, but have not done back to back one with munich and one with crystal for conparison.
Corn sugar- The idea is to offset some of the malt with corn sugar to get fermentable without getting a ton of malt body. The recommended is no more than 5% of your grainbill. This does have a tendency to give the beer more fruity flavors. Seems like this is often a debatable topic as many all grain brewers think this is cheating. I use corn sugar in my big IIPAs, but have not tested on a regular IPA or lower % beer. I know for a fact many of the top rated IPAs use Corn Sugar or another non-malt sugar.
Any thoughts?
I am trying to put together a less malty easy to drink citrusy IPA and wanted to bound a few thoughts off you guys.
The IPAs i enjoy the most are the ones where the malt takes a back stage to the hops. Obviously this seems like an insanely obvious point, right? Well here is what I am seeing alot in new micro brews and even some old and seasoned ones. They make a 7% IPA mashed at a low temp to get a dry yet malty beer. Because let's face it, a 7% all grain beer is still a bunch of malt. But the issue is drier malt profile alone is not always enough when you have that much 2-row. So they end up throwing a bunch more hops to counter the malt forward profile. So here are a couple of fairly common things I hear about very some successful breweries that makes IPAs that I like are doing, yet you just don't hear much about in the homebrew world:
Pilsner malt- some are using pilsner malt either all together instead of or to replace a certain % of 2-row. The common flavor things to be concerned about are buttery flavors, so extended boil time is advised. The Pilsner malt has a lighter more delicate body as well as color which when utilized properly can really bring the hops forward. I have yet to try this, but it is actually more common than many probably know.
Munich malt- this being used instead of crystal to provide color while keeping higher fermentables. Keeps out the sweeter flavors without sacrificing head retention and color(apparently). I use Munich malt often, but have not done back to back one with munich and one with crystal for conparison.
Corn sugar- The idea is to offset some of the malt with corn sugar to get fermentable without getting a ton of malt body. The recommended is no more than 5% of your grainbill. This does have a tendency to give the beer more fruity flavors. Seems like this is often a debatable topic as many all grain brewers think this is cheating. I use corn sugar in my big IIPAs, but have not tested on a regular IPA or lower % beer. I know for a fact many of the top rated IPAs use Corn Sugar or another non-malt sugar.
Any thoughts?