Extract IPA into a double IPA?

[Bradley Yarbrough-Jensen]

I am a fan of double and tripple IPAs. I have brewed 4 extract kits but I dont have a large selection of strong IPA extract kits available to buy. Has anyone tried using half the water or just less water to make a normal IPA kit into a stronger IPA?

 

[Steveruch]

Use two kits?

 

[Bradley Yarbrough-Jensen]

I have thought about that too. Two 23 liter kits with only 23 liters of water. I was just curious if anyone has tried and if it worked?

 

[Dgallo]

Add 20 more ibus and 20% more hops and use 3 cans of LME instead of 2. You’ll be in the double range

 

[HB_ATL73]

I have thought about that too. Two 23 liter kits with only 23 liters of water. I was just curious if anyone has tried and if it worked?

I don't imagine it would work well depending on what your IBU/ABV is on just the one kit is. I would go with more of what Dgallo suggested

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I have thought about that too. Two 23 liter kits with only 23 liters of water. I was just curious if anyone has tried and if it worked?

Let's "do the math":

• Assume the IPA kit has an OG of 66.
• Combine the two kits. OG is 132.
• Assume 75% attenuation. FG is 33, ABV 12.99% (via brewers friend)

This also assumes that one has a yeast that can survive in 13% ABV.

What about starting within style guidelines?

Let's assume that there is recipe software that uses BJCP guidelines for style checking. For a double IPA: OG range: 1.065 - 1.085, FG range: 1.008 - 1.018.

For a 5 gal batch, going from OG 66 (IPA-ish) to OG 88 (double IPA-ish) is 110 gravity points (5 * 22). Add 2.5# DME (44 PPG).

OG 88 with 75% attenuation is FG 22. It's likely to be noticeably sweet, and not dry enough to be a double IPA.

It may be possible to substitute sugar for some of that DME/LME to see if it drys it out enough for ones individual taste.

 

[RM-MN]

I am a fan of double and tripple IPAs. I have brewed 4 extract kits but I dont have a large selection of strong IPA extract kits available to buy. Has anyone tried using half the water or just less water to make a normal IPA kit into a stronger IPA?

When you are limited by using extract, you are limited by the makeup of the extract and the fact is that extract contains a mix of fermentable and unfermentable sugars. Just adding more extract will get you a higher amount of both so your beer can have more alcohol but end up too sweet for an IIPA. If you really want to do this right where you get the higher amount of alcohol without the residual sweetness you need fo consider controlling all the factors so you don't have the sweetness and to me that means you go to all grain brewing. That does not need to be hard nor does it need to be expensive (the expensive part depends on you). I started all grain by purchasing paint strainer bags and a Corona mill and used the 5 gallon pot that I had used for extract but made 2 1/2 gallon batches. Once I learned the technique, I was ready to make bigger batches and knew what I wanted to purchase to make that possible.

 

[Steveruch]

OG 88 with 75% attenuation is FG 22. It's likely to be noticeably sweet, and not dry enough to be a double IPA.

It depends on which extract and which yeast.
I had a 1.050 extract batch end at 1.007 with nottingham which is 86% which would drop 88 to 13, well within the style guidelines.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

It depends on which extract and which yeast.
I had a 1.050 extract batch end at 1.007 with nottingham which is 86% which would drop 88 to 13, well within the style guidelines.

It certainly does depend on the extract and yeast.

What brand and style of extract where you using to go from 50 to 7 with Nottingham?

 

[khannon]

Have you ever done a partial mash?
You could try something similar, but with 2-row. There would be some math involved, but I would imagine that a partial mash of a couple pounds of 2-row, or 2-row and wheat etc.. at a lower temp (~143?) might help add some gravity with a more fermentable wort. You could also use sugar to boost the ABV, while keeping it from getting too sweet. I would also say that rather than buying 2 kits, just add some extra hops and some extra fermentables.

You could also look on some of the other resources like https://www.brewersfriend.com/search/ at some of the extract recipes, and order/buy just what you need.

 

[Steveruch]

It certainly does depend on the extract and yeast.

What brand and style of extract where you using to go from 50 to 7 with Nottingham?

It was Briess golden light, with some specialty grains. It's in the current issue of Zymurgy , "I got your nukey brown" accompanying the Last Drop article.

 

[jrgtr42]

There are recipe kits out there for double IPAs, check with MoreBeer and Austin Homebrew.
I've done kits from there with good results - but I do the all-grain ones.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Brewing Classic Styles (p 189) includes "Hop Hammer" for an Imperial IPA.

OG 80, FG 13, 8.9% ABV.

80% Light LME, 10% sugar; 10% other; Chico strain of yeast.

When brewing extract+steep, sugar is a well known way to raise OG without raising FG. I didn't introduce sugar in reply #6 as the extract+steep IPA kits I've seen don't use sugar.