first all grain IPA recipe thoughts??

[mockfactor]

hey all, first post here…

Thinking of using below for an IPA and wanted some feedback on how you think it will do. (Am I way off on anything?)

thanks!




Yeast: WLP001 CALIFORNIA ALE
Gallons: 5
Mash at 154 for 60min.

MARIS OTTER MALT CRUSHED: 11 lbs
20L GREAT WESTERN CRYSTAL CRUSHED 1.00lbs
L. BELGIAN MUNICH MALT CRUSHED 0.75lbs
BELGIAN WHEAT CRUSHED 0.25lbs

Chinook (Pellet) 1oz 30min
Cascade (Pellet) 1.5oz 30min
Williamette (Pellet) 0.5oz 15min
Cascade (Pellet) 1.5oz 15min
Williamette (Pellet) 1oz 5min
Cascade (Pellet) 2oz Dry in secondary

 

[Jayslay]

I'm a partial mash guy myself, but Ill chime in here on my lunch break. The grain bill looks pretty standard and should give you the maltiness you need. Your hopping bill however looks like you may need a bittering addition? You have lots of flavor and aroma, especially with the dry hopping, but with the lack of a 60minute addition I think your IBU's might be a little low for your gravity.

 

[Agtronic]

Looking at it quickly my first thought was that it does look like you would need more bittering hops, but when I plugged those ingredients into a recipe on brewtoad.com and I got the following:

(Estimates)
OG: 1.074
FG: 1.018
IBU: 75
SRM: 8°L
ABV: 7.0%
OG/IBU: 1.02

So it definitely looks good. The only concern I would have is the FG. If it really did finish at 1.018 it may end up too sweet. Maybe you could mash at ~150 to try and get a little more attenuation out of it. Though it is worth mentioning, I have found the FG estimates on brewtoad to be a little high.

Hope that helps!

 

[mockfactor]

So it definitely looks good. The only concern I would have is the FG. If it really did finish at 1.018 it may end up too sweet. Maybe you could mash at ~150 to try and get a little more attenuation out of it. Though it is worth mentioning, I have found the FG estimates on brewtoad to be a little high.

Hope that helps!

thanks for the input everybody. So, you're saying the final gravity is too high? like too much residual sugar and not enough fermentation? or the yeast might give off some sweeter flavors at that high a mash temp? (I just had to google 'attenuation', sheesh)

 

[DocScott]

I agree with the above. Without plugging this into my calculator, I'd move the 1oz of chinook from 30min to 60 min to give some more bitterness. The later additions look ok to me. I would definitley mash lower than 154*F or you risk finishing with a high FG.

The mash temp will dictate how fermentable the wort will be. Higher temps will make it less and will lead to a higher FG, and sweeter taste. Lower temps will have better attenuation, lower FG, and drier beer - which is what you want in an IPA. I'd drop your mash temp to 152 maximum -- I like to mash my IPAs around 148-150 depending on what I'm trying to get out of it.

 

[dobe12]

Agree with the above. I'd move the 30min Chinook addition to 60min. That will up your IBU a lot, so move that 1.5oz of Cascade at 30min down to flame out. That will help get the IBUs back in check and will also add a big cascade aroma/flavor punch by adding it at the end of the boil. You won't be disappointed. I will add right now your OG/IBU ratio looks good. Try to keep it right around or slightly above 1 for an IPA.

The grain bill looks great, but like others said, mash lower. I'd probably mash between 148-150F for 60-90min to get a more fermentable wort. I'd even consider adding 1/2 to 1lb of cane sugar. This will also help lower the FG and dry it out. I personally like dry APAs and IPAs, so that's why I make these suggestions. If you like a maltier IPA, leave your grain bill and mash schedule as is.

Ferment cool, low 60's to let the malt and hops shine.

If this is one of your first recipes, I'd say you pretty much know what your doing. A few personal tweaks, but as a whole it looks damn good!