"Giant Smasher" Triple IPA - Extract

[Heimholder]

Please check out this recipe - I've brewed a bunch of pretty good extract single and double IPAs but here's my first shot at the big time. I haven't brewed it yet, was hoping to hear from some experts before sinking $60 bucks or so into this monster. I'm fine with it being a "hoppy barleywine" if anyone's upset with my classification . Also I tried to stick to the following ratios for a big IPA - 1) "Plain" sugar accounts for ~10% fermentables, 2)Late hop additions account for ~40% of IBUs

Using BeerSmith software:

Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: WLP001 (will add WL super high gravity if stuck)
Yeast Starter: 2L decant liquid
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.121
Final Gravity: 1.026 (maybe lower if I add the high gravity yeast)
IBU: 156.3 (I think my software calculates this high - could someone who has different software check this please?)
ABV: 12.54%
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 14.6
Primary Fermentation: 14 days @68F or as needed
Secondary Fermentation: 14 @68F

Add water to boil 3.25 gallons

Steep 1 lb. Crystal Malt 20L 30 min. @ 145C

Extracts:
60 min (3.3 lb. Extra Light Liquid Extract)
60 min (1.5 lb. Table Sugar)
15 min (13.2 lb. Extra Light Liquid Extract)

Hops:
60 min (2 oz Simcoe 13.0%)
45 min (1 oz Simcoe 13.0%)
20 min (1.5 oz Simcoe 13.0%)
15 min (1.5 oz Amarillo 8.5%)
10 min (1 oz Amarillo 8.5%)
5 min (1 oz Cascade 5.5%)

Chill and top to 5.5 gallons in 6 gal glass carboy

Secondary Ferment Dry Hop with 2oz Cascade

Bottle carb w/corn sugar, maybe add extra yeast? Maybe need to force carb?

Thanks for any input - I'll be sure to post results although it may be a few weeks before I can assemble the ingredients and free up the time.

 

[Oldsock]

The bigger the beer, the more sugar I would use. You really want a beer that big to finish out pretty dry (under 1.020 ideally). I'd go 15% sugar say, especially since you are using extract so you can't just lower your mash temp. I might just skip the crystal as well, no need to add extra color/sweetness. You might consider waiting to add the sugar until after fermentation gets going, that will lower the stress on the yeast.

I'm not a big fan of mid-boil hop additions for a big hoppy beer like this. I would get all the IBUs from a big addition at 60, Simcoe is a perfect choice. Then load the beer up with hops right at the end of the boil, I actually add some hops right at flameout, then an ounce a minute for the first few minutes of chilling. The faster you can cool the better. Simcoe/Amarillo is one of my favorite combinations. I think you can amp it up though, my last ~8% DIPA had 5 oz steeped post-boil and 6 oz of dry hops.

Otherwise just try to keep oxygen out after the start of fermentation, hop oxidize easily to make less than pleasant compounds. Some gypsum might not be a bad idea (I like 150-200 ppm of sulfate in my hoppy beers), although you’ll already have a lot of minerals in your batch from your water and all the water that went into making the extract.

Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

 

[Heimholder]

Thought I'd post an update after tasting it during a gravity reading 1 month after initial brewday. IMO it tastes incredible for a 12+% beer - next time I might do more late hop additions since I'm a big hop-head, but I'm very happy so far, especially considering it will improve even more with aging.

Thanks Oldsock for your recommendations - I totally re-worked my recipe as follows:

Using BeerSmith software:

Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: WLP001 initally, WL super high gravity along with late sugar addition
Yeast Starter: 1.5L
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.118
Final Gravity: 1.022
IBU: 152.9
ABV: 12.68%
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 12.6
Primary Fermentation: 14 days @68F or as needed
Secondary Fermentation: 7 @68F

Add water to boil 3.25 gallons
Add 1 tsp. gypsum

Extracts:
60 min (3.3 lb. Extra Light Liquid Extract)
15 min (9.9 lb. Extra Light Liquid Extract)
After 1 week fermentation: (2.5 lb. Table Sugar boiled 15 min)

Hops:
60 min (4 oz Simcoe 12.2%)
60 min (1 oz Amarillo 7.5%)
15 min (1 oz Amarillo 7.5%)
10 min (1 oz Amarillo 7.5%)
5 min (1 oz Cascade 7.2%)
0 min (1 oz Amarillo 7.5%)
-1 min (1 oz Cascade 7.2%)
Dry Hop (3 oz Cascade 7.2%, add more every couple days for 7 days)

I'm transferring this beast today to free up the 6-gal carboy, but it's still bubbling slowly so I'll probably wait another couple of weeks before dry-hopping.

I'll send another update once it's bottled and conditioned for a week (I'm impatient, give me a break)

Thanks again to Oldsock - seems like your recommendations were spot-on.

- Heimholder