first belgian ipa

[drk_boyce]

Rookie brewer still using mr beer kegs. im doing my 6th batch and im planning on a belgain ipa. any input is greatly appreciated
2.2 gallon batch, ill boil 3 gallon.

3.15 lbs northern brewer super structure extract
1.00 lb dme extra light
1.00 Briess Caramel 10L Steeping grains

60 min .75 oz warrior
20 min .50 oz columbus
5 min .50 oz amarillo
dry hop .25 oz amarllo

3944 belgian wit smack pack

this will be my first batch in my new fermentation vessel. mini fridge with digital temp controller and separate thermometer for assurance. im thinkin about fermenting at 65 degrees since it might be volatile.

 

[CBMbrewer]

If your boiling for 60min, a 3 gallon pre boil will probably boil down to less then 2.2 gallons.
What exactly is "northern brewer super structure extract"?
I would move the 20min addition to 15 or 10 and change the 5min to .25oz and the dryhop to .5oz.
65F sounds good. That yeast should be a little cleaner at lower temps but will still give you a good belgian characteristic.
If you are going for a belgian ipa I would go with another yeast. But this might be good if your going for a wit ipa. In that case I would add some wheat.

 

[drk_boyce]

Thanks for the input. The super structure is just a lme from northern brewer made for ipa's. It's supposed to keep good malt characteristics with a big hop schedule. I might bump up the temp a couple degrees to see what flavors evolve. I've used the 3944 in a wit that turned out very nice. I thought I'd experiment a little. Ill post how the beer turns out. I brewed last night and it's already churning. The mini fridge reaks of hops lol.

 

[drk_boyce]

So today was taste day on the Belgain IPA. Spot on for bitterness, but a lil shy on the hoppy floral side. Ill def adjust for more late additions of hops. Good malt backbone to accompany the bitterness. I kept the temp on the low side during fermentation, and I think the yeast was a good choice. When I racked to secondary you could smell banana and a little clove in there. I have a cold today which sucks for tasting but I can pick up that delicious Belgain kick in there. I boiled at full volume and had a fairly quick cold break but it's still a lil cloudy for an IPA. Overall good beer, I'll brew it again with changes to the hop additions.

 

[drk_boyce]

Oh and the head retention was excellent to