Critique my American IPA recipe

[lhommedieu]

Looking forward to branching out to American IPA's this summer, as I've been brewing British bitters for the past year and have found a recipe that works for me.

The following is my first attempt at an American IPA recipe. It follows DFH Brewery's hopping schedule (small amounts added continuously over 60 minutes) for a 60 minute IPA, but changes the grain bill by using Munich and Crystal 80 instead of Amber Malt.

I am not sure whether the grain bill is correct and which yeast to use: I am aiming for a amber/light copper color, bright hop taste, aromatic aroma, and a dry finish.

For a five gallon batch:

10.5 pounds American 2-Row Pale Ale
1 pound Munich Malt 20 L
8 oz. Crystal 80
.5 oz Amarillo Gold hops
.5 oz Simcoe hops
.5 oz. Warrior hops
1 oz. Amarillo Gold hops (dry hopped for 7 days in secondary)
Yeast: ?

Est. OG: 1.062
Est. ABV: 6.4%
Est. Color: 9.2 SRM
Est. IBU's: 57

Thank you.

 

[dcp27]

grist looks good, but the hop schedule is closer to a pale ale than IPA, i'd at least double up. if you are going continuous hopping, be sure to stagger it so the hop additions are larger at the end of boil than the start to get the most out of them.

 

[lhommedieu]

Thanks for your response. I've tweaked my recipe a bit to reflect a continuous hop schedule. I'm aiming for a dark gold color, and a relatively low ABV to make this a summer quaffing beer.

For a five gallon batch:

9.4 pounds American 2-Row Pale Ale
1.5 pound Munich Malt 20 L
8 oz. Crystal 40
.85 oz Amarillo Gold hops (.55 oz. at 60 min; .03 - .08 oz at 50/40/30/20/10/5 min.)
.85 oz Simcoe hops (.55 oz. at 60 min; .03 - .08 oz. at 50/40/30/20/10/5 min.)
.1 oz. Warrior hops (at 60 min.)
1 oz. Amarillo Gold hops (dry hopped for 7 days in secondary)
Yeast: American Ale (WYeast 1056)

Est. OG: 1.058
Est. ABV: 5.8 %
Est. Color: 8 SRM
Est. IBU's: 55

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Have you considered hop bursting? I've done a few continuously hopped IPAs and I prefer hop bursting. You get the same smooth bitterness but much bigger flavor and aroma.
I'd up the dry hop to 2 or more oz. 1 oz won't do a whole lot for you. I'd also use more base malt to put you in the 6abv range since your making an IPA. Just make sure to adjust the Munich and crystal for the increase in 2 row to keep the same proportions.
You can also do a 90 min mash at a lower mash temp if you want a dryer beer.

 

[lhommedieu]

Done! I'll look into hop bursting (I'm not brewing this until May/June). I think that I'm going to keep the Crystal 40 at 8 oz.; I recall reading something about a high Crystal/Malt proportion not being favorable to American IPA's. Comments are appreciated.

For a five gallon batch:

9 lbs. 12 oz. American 2-Row Pale Ale
1 lbs. 12 oz. Munich Malt 20 L
8 oz. Crystal 40
.85 oz Amarillo Gold hops (.55 oz. at 60 min; .03 - .08 oz at 50/40/30/20/10/5 min.)
.85 oz Simcoe hops (.55 oz. at 60 min; .03 - .08 oz. at 50/40/30/20/10/5 min.)
.1 oz. Warrior hops (at 60 min.)
2 oz. Amarillo Gold hops (dry hopped for 7 days in secondary)
Yeast: American Ale (WYeast 1056)

Est. OG: 1.062
Est. ABV: 6,2 %
Est. Color: 8.6 SRM
Est. IBU's: 54

(BTW I made an English Special Bitter in November and mashed for 90 minutes at 149 degrees in an attempt to make a drier beer than the previous batch: it worked! Nice balance of malt and hops, with a dry finish.)

 

[stevedasleeve]

Not quite hop bursting, but it'll end up decent enough I bet! If you're feeling adventurous calculate the same IBUs for 20, 15, 10, and 5 minutes and throw in another 2 oz at 0. That's hop bursting and what I do for all my IPAs these days. With high AA hops this'll likely be 6+ oz for a 5 gallon batch.

Steve da sleeve

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Not quite hop bursting, but it'll end up decent enough I bet! If you're feeling adventurous calculate the same IBUs for 20, 15, 10, and 5 minutes and throw in another 2 oz at 0. That's hop bursting and what I do for all my IPAs these days. With high AA hops this'll likely be 6+ oz for a 5 gallon batch.

Steve da sleeve

^ this. Go for the same IBU but load the hops in during the last 20 min. I also like Steve usually end up using anywhere from 8-14oz of hops between the boil and dry hop. Its more expensive but damn is it worth it lol. Obviously if you want more malt character then back off on the hops.
Another trick you can do to dry out the beer and kick up the abv is to add 1/2-1lb of table sugar to the boil. 1lb will increase the abv by 1% IIRC.

 

[dcp27]

.85 oz Amarillo Gold hops (.55 oz. at 60 min; .03 - .08 oz at 50/40/30/20/10/5 min.)
.85 oz Simcoe hops (.55 oz. at 60 min; .03 - .08 oz. at 50/40/30/20/10/5 min.)
.1 oz. Warrior hops (at 60 min.)
2 oz. Amarillo Gold hops (dry hopped for 7 days in secondary)

that's waaaay too low of hops for an IPA, you're only adding like 0.5oz of flavor/aroma hops excluding the dry hop. there should be at least 4 times that much.

I also agree on the preference to hop bursting vs continuous. IMO, its more gimmick than useful, but if you still want to give it a whirl, i'd make those later additions at least 0.25oz each add/hop, and add in a 0min addition as well.

 

[lhommedieu]

that's waaaay too low of hops for an IPA, you're only adding like 0.5oz of flavor/aroma hops excluding the dry hop. there should be at least 4 times that much.

I also agree on the preference to hop bursting vs continuous. IMO, its more gimmick than useful, but if you still want to give it a whirl, i'd make those later additions at least 0.25oz each add/hop, and add in a 0min addition as well.

Just curious: Beersmith gives me an IBU count of about 55. I thought that was middle-of-the road for an American IPA? Just playing it by ear now because my Special Bitter tasted great with a IBU count of 32; my conception of an American IPA is that it's not going to have that kind of toasted malt in the background from the Maris Otter that I used for the bitter, and that the nuanced fruit/floral quality you get from the typical hops in that profile (East Goldings, Fuggles, etc.) is replaced by a hop flavor that's much more assertive, with undertones of citrus, pine, etc.?

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Just curious: Beersmith gives me an IBU count of about 55. I thought that was middle-of-the road for an American IPA? Just playing it by ear now because my Special Bitter tasted great with a IBU count of 32; my conception of an American IPA is that it's not going to have that kind of toasted malt in the background from the Maris Otter that I used for the bitter, and that the nuanced fruit/floral quality you get from the typical hops in that profile (East Goldings, Fuggles, etc.) is replaced by a hop flavor that's much more assertive, with undertones of citrus, pine, etc.?

That's the idea but it takes a good amount of hops if you really want an American IPA. The flavor and aroma additions are arguably the most important and basically what make the style. I typically push for a 1:1 IBU/OG ratio which is right in line for the style. Your pretty close to that as is though I will note IBU doesn't always represent how hoppy a beer will be when you hop burst. If you tried my IPA you probably wouldnt think the IBU is as high as it is by taste. Its somewhat hard to explain but if you try it you'll see what I mean.

 

[dcp27]

Just curious: Beersmith gives me an IBU count of about 55. I thought that was middle-of-the road for an American IPA? Just playing it by ear now because my Special Bitter tasted great with a IBU count of 32; my conception of an American IPA is that it's not going to have that kind of toasted malt in the background from the Maris Otter that I used for the bitter, and that the nuanced fruit/floral quality you get from the typical hops in that profile (East Goldings, Fuggles, etc.) is replaced by a hop flavor that's much more assertive, with undertones of citrus, pine, etc.?

IBU is a level of bitterness, not hoppiness. for instance, a beer with 2oz amarillo @10mins and 20 IBUS would be significantly hoppier than one with say 2oz simcoe @60mins and 100 IBUs. higher IBUs are an important part of an IPA's balance, but lots of late hops are what defines them.

 

[lhommedieu]

That's the idea but it takes a good amount of hops if you really want an American IPA. The flavor and aroma additions are arguably the most important and basically what make the style. I typically push for a 1:1 IBU/OG ratio which is right in line for the style. Your pretty close to that as is though I will note IBU doesn't always represent how hoppy a beer will be when you hop burst. If you tried my IPA you probably wouldnt think the IBU is as high as it is by taste. Its somewhat hard to explain but if you try it you'll see what I mean.

My IBU/OG ration is .872, according to Beersmith, so it looks like I'll be pushing the hops up a bit. Looks like I'll be tasting a few commercial American IPA's to determine what I like in the style, as well. Any suggestions? My model for the bitter was Fuller's "London Pride," and after a lot of experimentation, I was able to make a beer that was arguably close and I was happy with the results. I'm ready to close the chapter on that one and move on to another style.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Depends where your located really. There's some great stuff out there it just depends where you live. Try a west coast style IPA like Green Flash or Lil Sumpin Sumpin, North Pacific like Long Hammer, and east coast stuff Cigar City Jai Alai.

 

[stevedasleeve]

I'm guessing you are in the UK, so try BrewDog Punk IPA, a really good example. I believe it is around 6% ABV, maybe 60 IBUS.

I really don't think you need 6+ oz of hops for a decent IPA actually. I've had good results with continuous hopping with much less a la DFH 60 minute IPA. My preference is to hop burst these days but I would urge you to try different hopping schedules. I've done one big bittering charge then one big 0 minute addition, the traditional 60/30/5 schedule, continuous hopping, hop bursting... all produce great IPAs.

See my brewers friend profile for my more recent hop bursting IPAs below!

Steve da sleeve
http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/brewer/20450/steve-da-sleeve

 

[lhommedieu]

Actually, I'm in Long Island, New York. I've got a great hbss nearby (Karp's) and several good beer distributors nearby, so "research" into American IPA's won't be a problem.

I got into home brewing two years ago with a Northern Brewer kit and have made two all grain batches since then. I decided to make pale ales as I had some nice experiences in British pubs in the past. Thanks to a lot of reading and thinking and the advice of some nice folks here at HBT, I've got a special bitter recipe that will work for me in the future. My last special bitter batch was exactly where I wanted it.

Going forward, I could make an IPA in the British style if I wanted to but decided to develop an American IPA for drinking this summer. The recipes that I've been posting use the hops in DFH Brewery's "60 Minute IPA" (I guess that I could have just as easily used Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial) but alter the grain bill by using Munich and Crystal malts instead of Amber. I'm not sure why I decided to do this, but it seemed like a good idea. I changed the boil time to 90 minutes at that is what I've been doing for my bitters. I've also been mashing for 90 minutes on the lower end of the mashing temperature recommendations. This resulted in a drier beer for me the last time, which is what I had hoped for.

I've upped the amounts of hops to bring the IBU to 70. With respect to flavor and aroma, am I correct that the amounts of hops added increase towards the end of the boil? If so, how much do you recommend that I add at 5 minutes, or boil out?

I also upped the dry hopping to 2 oz. Amarillo, 1 oz. Simcoe in the secondary for 7 days. Comments are appreciated.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

I'd say your on the right track and theres nothing wrong with switching the grain bill a little like you did or using different hops. Theres kind of a basic outline to how an IPA should be executed but theres more than enough room for the brewer to decide how they want to go about it.
You'll get more flavor from a 15 min hop addition and more aroma from a 5 min or flameout addition so how you approach the hop schedule is really up to you. I usually go something like 2oz/4oz/2oz on my 15/10/5min additions but I'd say just play with it and figure out what you enjoy. Taste is subjective so ultimately your preference is your guide in the end.

The dry hop looks good.