Choice between three brews.

[Draken]

I Want to brew a batch for my friends 30th. He likes serious IPAs like Stone Arrogant Bastard, Hoptonium and the like. The minor catch is I have been thinking about brewing a black IPA for a while now. So I've basically narrowed down my ideas to this:
1) Black Double IPA. Essentially grab a highly rated black IPA and push the hops additions up
2) Pliny the Elder clone... Birthday brew so why not go all out?
3) A combo of the two. Brew a black IPA with the Pliny hops schedule.

Help me choose!

 

[RM-MN]

Are you brewing this for your friend or is it really for you? If he likes a particular type of beer, then brew that kind for him. Don't try to change his likes by making a batch that he may hate.

 

[bighorn_brew]

Yep, brew a clone of something he loves.....

 

[Draken]

Yep, brew a clone of something he loves.....

So he actually asked for me to make up something hoppy or a clone of something hes never had. I am not confident enough in my recipe creation skills and hops blending to do too much of that. So I know he's never had Pliny which is why I picked that one. The black ipa fits the criteria too.

 

[helibrewer]

For the Pliny you will need some time, there are multiple dry hopping additions for that recipe...it makes a wonderful beer though....just make sure you start it a couple months before you plan on drinking it.

 

[bighorn_brew]

How much time before his birthday? I am only asking because the bigger the beer the longer the aging time before the beer really comes into its own and matures.....That being said make a simple IPA like "stone ipa" for which BYO did a clone recipe in their 250 clone recipes special issue.....as well as many others.
http://byo.com/stories/recipeindex/list/recipes/104-india-pale-ale
Here are some ideas

 

[Draken]

How much time before his birthday? I am only asking because the bigger the beer the longer the aging time before the beer really comes into its own and matures.....That being said make a simple IPA like "stone ipa" for which BYO did a clone recipe in their 250 clone recipes special issue.....as well as many others.
http://byo.com/stories/recipeindex/list/recipes/104-india-pale-ale
Here are some ideas

End of July. So plenty of time.

 

[RM-MN]

So he actually asked for me to make up something hoppy or a clone of something hes never had. I am not confident enough in my recipe creation skills and hops blending to do too much of that. So I know he's never had Pliny which is why I picked that one. The black ipa fits the criteria too.

That's different from what I had assumed. If he wants to branch out to something new then by all means make it different. I'd suggest the black IPA so he gets to try something quite different from his usual. Best wishes and I hope he (or you, since you probably get to drink what he won't) likes it.

 

[StanJohnson]

I love Arrogant Bastard, but just remember that it is considered an American Strong Ale, not an IPA.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/92

 

[LoneWolfPR]

If you're going to do a Black Double IPA you'll need to do more than push the hop additions of a regualr BIPA recipe. You'll need to increase the malt profile as well to support the increase in the hops. A double is more than just more hoppy. It should be higher gravity as well.

 

[Draken]

Craziness?

Plinius the Darker

Style: Specialty Beer OG: 1.073
Type: All Grain FG: 1.018
ABV: 7.20 %
Calories: 238 IBU's: 240.87
Efficiency: 70 %
Color: 39.3 SRM Batch Size: 5.00 Gal
Boil Time: 90 minutes

Grains & Adjuncts
Amount Percentage Name Time Gravity
11.50 lbs 82.88 % Briess 2-Row Pale Ale Malt 60 mins 1.037
0.75 lbs 5.41 % Briess Carapils 60 mins 1.034
1.00 lbs 7.21 % Candi Sugar, Dark 60 mins 1.036
5.00 ozs 2.25 % Weyermann Carafa III 60 mins 1.036
5.00 ozs 2.25 % Briess Chocolate 60 mins 1.035

Hops
Amount IBU's Name Time AA %
3.50 ozs 172.33 Columbus (Tomahawk) 90 mins 13.90
0.75 ozs 31.69 Columbus (Tomahawk) 45 mins 13.90
1.00 ozs 31.31 Simcoe 30 mins 12.30
1.00 ozs 1.14 Centennial 1 mins 8.00
2.50 ozs 4.39 Simcoe 1 mins 12.30
1.00 ozs Columbus (Tomahawk) 14 days 13.90
1.00 ozs Simcoe 14 days 12.30
1.00 ozs Centennial 14 days 8.00
0.25 ozs Columbus (Tomahawk) 5 days 13.90
0.25 ozs Simcoe 5 days 12.30
0.25 ozs Centennial 5 days 8.00

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

YES. Complete Craziness!!! I am not a hop head, so 240.87 IBU's seems incredibly high to me. That being said, I know that many of you love alpha acids and think 240 is no big deal at all. If you guys like IPA's then go for it!

 

[Draken]

YES. Complete Craziness!!! I am not a hop head, so 240.87 IBU's seems incredibly high to me. That being said, I know that many of you love alpha acids and think 240 is no big deal at all. If you guys like IPA's then go for it!

So even with that hop schedule the actual IBUs will be around 90-95.

 

[LoneWolfPR]

YES. Complete Craziness!!! I am not a hop head, so 240.87 IBU's seems incredibly high to me. That being said, I know that many of you love alpha acids and think 240 is no big deal at all. If you guys like IPA's then go for it!

Even if it were that high, it wouldn't be a big deal. The palatte can't detect anything over 105 IBUs.

 

[eppo]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the most you can get into a beer is around 100 ibu. So if you do a partial boil you can only get around 50.

 

[Draken]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the most you can get into a beer is around 100 ibu. So if you do a partial boil you can only get around 50.

I think it's more that around 85 or 90 the required hops to increase even a little bit is ridiculously exponential. Most brewing software does not account for this. To actually achieve 100 your probably looking at almost half a pound of decent bittering hops at 90. (note this is a complete off the top of my head estimation)