First AG Recipe - Advice Please

[andy6026]

*** UPDATE AT END OF THREAD***

I have friends coming the first weekend of May, and we're going to try the first AG I've ever tried. I have a recipe below, with several questions:

1) For a Beer with OG this high, is 1 pack of yeast enough?
2) IT says to do a yeast starter... is re-hydrating sufficient or will it lead to a different end product?
3) Any other advice you can give would be helpful. This looks to be quite a complicated brew to undertake for a first AG batch. I'm both excited and a bit nervous.


Recipe:
Pliny The Bastid--Double IPA
(Pliny the Elder)

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Safale-56
Yeast Starter: YES
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.075
Final Gravity: 1.012
IBU: 278
Boiling Time (Minutes): 90
Color: 6 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 10 days @ 68°F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 10 days @ 68°F


A ProMash Recipe Report
Recipe Specifics
----------------
Batch Size (Gal): 5.50 Wort Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (Lbs): 13.25
Anticipated OG: 1.075 Plato: 18.12
Anticipated SRM: 6.4
Anticipated IBU: 278.6
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
86.8 11.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) Great Britain 1.038 3
1.9 0.25 lbs. Crystal 40L America 1.034 40
5.7 0.75 lbs. Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt 1.033 2
5.7 0.75 lbs. Corn Sugar Generic 1.046 0

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.50 oz. Chinook Whole 13.00 40.1 MH
2.75 oz. Warrior Pellet 15.40 146.4 90 min.
0.50 oz. Chinook Whole 13.00 20.4 90 min.
1.00 oz. Simcoe Whole 14.00 37.8 45 min.
1.00 oz. Columbus Whole 15.00 33.9 30 min.
2.25 oz. Centennial Whole 10.50 0.0 0 min.
1.00 oz. Simcoe Whole 14.00 0.0 0 min.

Yeast
-----
Cali Ale (Safale-56)

Notes
3 dry hop additions for approximately 2 weeks each, of 1.25 ounces EACH of columbus, centennial and simcoe.
Recipe copied exactly according to Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River Brewing Company Owner/Brewmaster) handout distributed at 2005 National Homebrew Conference.

 

[BrewerBear]

I don't think this brew would be ready by the first week of May.

 

[andy6026]

Are you sure? tee hee

 

[hogwash]

The OP wants to brew it the first weekend of May, not drink it.

My advice is to do something simpler with a lower gravity that isn't as expensive as this recipe. All those hops add up and if you blow it you'll be bummed to have that much money sunk into it. BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde is a great first AG batch and a great summer quaffer. By doing a simpler recipe first, it will be easier and less expensive to dial in stuff like how hot your strike water needs to be to hit your mash temp, boiloff amounts, efficiency, etc.

That being said...

The idea behind dry yeast is that you don't need to do a starter. 1.075 is big but it's not huge and you'd probably be fine with one pack re-hydrated but I might do 2 just to be sure it ferments out. Be careful with your water temps when you rehydrate.

Be sure to aerate well and use pure oxygen if possible.

 

[Glynn]

the recipe looks good but thats not the pliny the elder recipe that vinny gave out. i also think you have a tad to much bittering hop plinys ibus are 182.9 below is the one vinny gave out if you interested otherwise yours looks fine this recipe came from the july/august edition of ZYMURGY

for 6.0 gallons (22.7 L) [Net: 5 gallons (18.9 L) after hop loss]
13.25 lb (6.01 kg) Two-Row pale malt
0.6 lb (272 g) Crystal 45 malt
0.6 lb (272 g) Carapils (Dextrin) Malt
0.75 lb (340 g) Dextrose (corn) sugar
3.50 oz (99 g) Columbus* 13.90% A.A. 90 min.
0.75 oz (21 g) Columbus* 13.90% A.A. 45 min.
1.00 oz (28 g) Simcoe 12.30% A.A. 30 min.
1.00 oz (28 g) Centennial 8.00% A.A. 0 min.
2.50 oz (71 g) Simcoe 12.30% A.A. 0 min.
1.00 oz (28 g) Columbus* 13.90% A.A. Dry Hop (12 to 14 days total)
1.00 oz (28 g) Centennial 9.10% A.A. Dry Hop (12 to 14 days total)
1.00 oz (28 g) Simcoe 12.30% A.A. Dry Hop (12 to 14 days total)
0.25 oz (7 g) Columbus* 13.90% A.A. Dry Hop (5 days to go in dry hop)
0.25 oz (7 g) Centennial 9.10% A.A. Dry Hop (5 days to go in dry hop)
0.25 oz (7 g) Simcoe 12.30% A.A. Dry Hop (5 days to go in dry hop)
*Tomahawk/Zeus can be substituted for Columbus
White Labs WLP001 California Ale Yeast or
Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast
Original Gravity: 1.072
Final Gravity: 1.011
Extract Efficiency: 75 percent
IBUs: 90-95 (actual/not calculated)
ABV: 8.2%
SRM: 7
Directions
Mash grains at 151-152° F (66-67° C) for an hour or until starch conversion is complete.
Mash out at 170° F (77° C) and sparge. Collect 8 gallons (30 L) of runoff, stir in dextrose,
and bring to a boil. Add hops as indicated in the recipe. After a 90 minute boil, chill wort
to 67° F (19° C) and transfer to fermenter. Pitch two packages of yeast or a yeast starter
and aerate well. Ferment at 67° F (19° C) until fermentation activity subsides, then rack
to secondary. Add first set of dry hops on top of the racked beer and age 7-9 days, then
add the second set. Age five more days then bottle or keg the beer.

 

[andy6026]

Thanks guys. Hmmm, odd about the recipe difference. I didn't get the recipe myself that i posted, it came from one of the friends who's coming to visit. I'll ask him where he got it from. Him and another friend coming apparently drove really far to get this beer once. I've never had it.... I imagine it's quite good?

I'm leaning towards the recipe you posted. I've also suggested the previous poster's suggestion to try and tackle a simpler brew... but there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for this one, and if we succeed there will be much jubilation.

Thanks guys!

 

[kombat]

The idea behind dry yeast is that you don't need to do a starter.

Indeed. It's not only "unnecessary," but actually detrimental. Dry yeast are packed with ample glycogen reserves and ready to get to work on your beer right away. When you start them in a starter, they waste all those reserves waking back up and fermenting the heck out of stuff you're just going to discard anyway. Then when you pour them into the actual wort, they're already exhausted and depleted.

Do not use starters with dry yeast.

1.075 is big but it's not huge and you'd probably be fine with one pack re-hydrated but I might do 2 just to be sure it ferments out.

5 gallons of 1.075 ale wort would usually require 300 billion cells. I would definitely use 2 packs, as the risks of underpitching greatly outweigh the risks of overpitching.

Be sure to aerate well and use pure oxygen if possible.

Not needed with dry yeast. Source: Danstar.

 

[hogwash]

Not needed with dry yeast. Source: Danstar.

Well I'll be darn. Ya learn something new everyday.

 

[Glynn]

there are a lot of recipes with slight changes. mostly to mach other ppl systems/eff here is the percentages so you can tweek it to match your system

http://beerdujour.com/recipes/1pliny the elder clone pdf.pdf

 

[Zogman100]

Just brewed a Pliny clone Saturday. Kit from Austin pretty much matches up with the recipe in Glynn's post. (My 3rd all grain batch) SG was spot on. Double pitched Wyeast 1056 with a starter. Can't wait to sample this one.

 

[Glynn]

ok it took me a while to find it but here is the pdf i got the recipe from it includes the interview with vinny

486286.cache1.evolutionhosting.com/attachments/0000/6351/doubleIPA.pdf

 

[andy6026]

outstanding. Once again this forum points the way. Now to track down these ingredients...

Thanks all!

 

[BrewerBear]

Sorry I was sleep deprived

 

[andy6026]

***UPDATE POST***

So we brewed yesterday using the updated recipe that was posting by Glynn. Wow, what a fantastic day! The weather was perfect (about 20 C and sunny). My friends came for the weekend from Seattle, British Columbia, Texas, and Santiago (Chile), and some neighbors chipped in as well.

I divided tasks - one guy had to separate and label all the hops according to when they'd be added. Another guy calculated our water volumes and temps. Another two guys grained the mill, while I set up the rest of the equipment in the backyard, cleaned the chairs, stocked the cooler, etc.

It was fantastic. The guys milling grain on the front lawn had a crowd of passer-by onlookers watching. We were the neighborhood celebreties. Japanase tourists were even taking pictures.

Everything went perfectly too (almost I think). The mash-tun held the temps perfectly. Our water volume calculations were pretty much spot-on. Timings were all adhered to, and pitching temp was right where it should be. We did, however, miss our target OG of 1072 by 10 points (our pre-pitching OG was 1062). Still, I think this is pretty good.

That was a hell of a lot of fun. I want to do another batch this weekend. Man, I hate clean-up though. I wish I snap my fingers and have the Mr. Clean fairies magically erase the mess.

Thanks to everyone who chipped in and gave advice. Especially to Glynn for providing the recipe.

 

[Glynn]