First attempt at an AIPA

[Kaingers]

I used BrewMate to formulate the recipe. Feedback and suggestions are welcome.

10 gal batch
60 min boil
75% efficiency expected
Mash 152 for 60 mins

24lbs American 2-Row
.5lbs Crystal 40
.5lbs Crystal 90

1 ounce Chinook (pellet) @ 60
3 ounce Cascade (leaf) @30
4 ounce Cascade (pellet) @0
Dry Hop 4 ounce Cascade (pellet)

Brewmate has the AIPA @ 6.8%ABV, SRM 7.6

I would like to incorporate this years crop of cascade leaf hops. I know I won't have the consistency for replication, but it will be cool knowing the beer has hops from my own garden. Honestly I think I need more hop additions and I was thinking to spread them out over the course of the 60 minute boil. I plan on using Wyeast 1056.

 

[Schumed]

Might need more hops at your initial bittering at 60 your 30 minutes won't do much

 

[sptaylor70]

I ran your recipe through TastyBrew, and you're pretty well down the middle for OG and IBU for an IPA. You might try first wort hopping for your leaf Cascade - might give more flavor. But your recipe looks simple and good as is.

Post your results.

 

[Kaingers]

I have been playing around with more bittering additions. Taylor, you think I should use the cascade leafs at 60 minutes instead of 30? I know its simple and good, but I am shooting for great!

 

[Kaingers]

should my 30 minute additions be classified as "boil" or "aroma" in the brewmate program? I was under the impression that these additions are more fragrance than anything. Depending on the classification my IBU's are either really high (90) or typical for an IPA (70).

 

[ong]

should my 30 minute additions be classified as "boil" or "aroma" in the brewmate program? I was under the impression that these additions are more fragrance than anything. Depending on the classification my IBU's are either really high (90) or typical for an IPA (70).

30 minute hops are for flavor, not aroma. They will contribute a significant amount of bitterness, too.

 

[sptaylor70]

I think that you should use first wort hopping for the Cascade - Add them to your wort during sparging, and leave them in for the entire boiling/cooling cycle. Should give the same IBU, more or less, as a 20-minute boil.

Somewhere in the range 60-70 IBU is the limit for how much alpha acid you can get to dissolve in the wort. First wort hopping might increase that some. Dry hopping will give you essential oils that will make the beer taste hoppier due to aroma, rather than actual flavor.

 

[Kaingers]

Taylor, why is there a limit of 60-70 IBU's that will dissolve in the wort?

I am struggling to try and make the recipe balance out. Why do hops have such a broad range of alpha acids? should I lean towards the lower or higher end, and does pellet vs. leaf change that spectrum one way or another?

Thanks for the help!

 

[sptaylor70]

Alpha acids just aren't very water soluble. Boiling helps - isomerizes them to iso-alpha acids, which are more soluble. There is a suspicion (I'm not aware of the results of any research, which doesn't prove much of anything) that first wort hopping enables other chemical changes that allow for increased solubility of flavoring and bittering compounds. Dry hopping gives increased aroma because it solubilizes essential oils which would have vaporized during boiling, and that in turn gives the impression of a more bitter beer.

Alpha acid variations have a lot to do with growth conditions and hop varieties. New hop breeds are bred as much for their flavors and disease resistance as they are for specific alpha acid levels. One advantage to using high alpha hops is that it takes less hops to achieve the same level of bittering, which allows for less trub and lower cost.

There is a fair amount of debate over leaf versus pellet hops and what specific effects result. But most of the double blind taste testing that I'm aware of indicates no difference.

Your recipe is fine as it was. Once you've brewed it and tasted it, there's no end to the tweaking that you can do to change it around to where you want it. But you'll never know exactly how it'll turn out until it turns out.

Relax. Have a home brew. Brew your AIPA. Post your results.

 

[Crito]

Taste the beer before u add the dry hops. This will help you understand the role of late hop additions and dry hopping.

 

[Kaingers]

Thanks for the info and tips. I changed the recipe and will post it later once I get it nailed down.