Brewing tonight....finally

[HOOTER]

With the Holidays and overtime at work it's been a while since I've brewed. Tonight I finally get to brew up a new batch. I've got some ingredients to throw together and here's what I've come up with:

6 lbs. extra-light DME
1/2 lb. CaraVienne
1/2 lb. Crystal 20L
1/2 lb. CaraPils
1 oz. Simcoe (30 min.)
1 oz. Summit (15 min.)
1 oz. Centennial type (5 min.)
1 oz. Centennial type (DH)
Safale US-05

I'm going for a hoppy APA with a nice malt backbone. I've decided to experiment with a 30 min. boil to lighten it up and maximize hop flavor and aroma. This should end up around 60 IBU's, 7 SRM and 5.5% ABV. Any input?

Edit: I'm considering experimenting with continuous hopping with this brew. Any ideas on that?

 

[larrybrewer]

60 IBU sounds high to me for that recipe, especially with the 30 minute boil. Are you doing a full wort boil?

You can try adding half the DME in the last 10 minutes to lighten it, and get the benefit of more IBUs. I like this calculator for IBU:
IBU Calculator - Updated for all grain | Brewer's Friend

If the BJCP standards matter to you, an APA is between 30 and 45 IBU.

 

[305guy]

i've seen everything from 30min to 120min boils, but have only tried 60. what does boil duration affect other than bitterness? more specifically, what would be the reason to do a longer or shorter boil?

 

[HOOTER]

60 IBU sounds high to me for that recipe, especially with the 30 minute boil. Are you doing a full wort boil?

You can try adding half the DME in the last 10 minutes to lighten it, and get the benefit of more IBUs. I like this calculator for IBU:
IBU Calculator - Updated for all grain | Brewer's Friend

If the BJCP standards matter to you, an APA is between 30 and 45 IBU.

I always do a late extract addition. I'm going to throw 3 lbs. in for 30 min. and 3 lbs. in for the last 5 min. The Simcoe hops are 12% AA, the Summit hops are 18%, and the Centennials are about 9%. With the late extract addition, this should get me around 60 IBU's. This may be more appropriately called an IPA.

Edit: With your IBU calculator I'm closer to 47 IBU's. Of course that doesn't take into consideration the late extract addition, which will increase hop utilization. I'm not overly concerned about hitting a certain IBU anyway. I just want a citrusy American ale. This should fit the bill.

 

[HOOTER]

i've seen everything from 30min to 120min boils, but have only tried 60. what does boil duration affect other than bitterness? more specifically, what would be the reason to do a longer or shorter boil?

The 30 min. boil will reduce caramelization of the extract and also maximize hop flavor and aroma. I'm using high alpha dual purpose hops to compensate for the reduced boil time. This method is really only appropriate for extract brewing.

Here's a thread on this technique:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/30-minute-boil-42753/