Golden LME, No Steeping Grains (IPA)

[jimster]

Hey guys, first post here. This will be my fifth brew and first IPA.

I've found a lot of IPA recipes out there with 5-10% crystal, but many people have commented that the hop profile shines though much better without the crystal. So, I was looking for a steeping grain to add color and virtually zero sweetness. Haven't had much luck finding a steeping grain that would fit well with an IPA.

One very experienced brewer friend of mind suggested I just keep this recipe the way it is and keep it pale! Searching around, I haven't found anyone that's done this and what the beer will end up looking like. Obviously it won't be clear, but just curious if anyone out there has done this or knows someone who's done something similar.

10.5lb Golden LME
1.5oz Centennial - 60 min
1.0oz Amarillo Gold - Flame out
2.0oz Cascade - Flame out
1.0oz Centennial - Flame out

WLP001

7 day dry hop with Amarillo Gold, Cascade, & Centennial (1oz each).

 

[Sailingeric]

I have done several beer with no steeping grains. You could run the numbers in Brewers Friend or Beer Smith to get an estimate of IBU and SRM/ Color. And it should be clear. All my extract beers clear up in a week or two in the keg or bottle. Just throw in a little Irish Moss in the last 15 minutes of the boil.

 

[cannman]

People are full of crap and you should follow a recipe until your process is solid. I tried to brew an IPA on my home water and I couldn't figure out why it was so bad when all other brews were great. It was my house water that was bad for IPA- moral of the story is, the crystal fear is silly, and you should focus on brewing aspects more than ingredient contents because your process, water, yeast, and sanitation habits will matter more than Crystal.

 

[boydster]

...your process, water, yeast, and sanitation habits will matter more than Crystal.

^ This, times infinity, triple stamp, no erasies. Following tried and true recipes as much as you can stand will help you nail down your process, as will brewing every recipe more than once if you can. That will help you hone in on what you are doing right and wrong before you start coming up with new recipes.

You wouldn't want to come up with the greatest recipe in the world, find out you hate it, never brew it again, and never have a chance to realize that it was actually something in your process that caused that beer to not live up to its potential.

That being said, I've made a couple extract brews with no steeping grains, and you can certainly churn out a tasty beer that way. Most extracts already have CaraPils in them anyway (and possibly more, depending on the extract), so that's something to add to the calculus when you are creating a recipe. And your recipe doesn't look bad at a quick glance. I like the hop choices, although I would probably use some in the last 5-10 mins of the boil along with all the post-boil hops you have. Also, I'd make a starter with the 001 to get the pitch rate up (you can check pitch calculators like Mr. Malty to see how big of a starter is recommended).

 

[Northbank]

Hey guys, first post here. This will be my fifth brew and first IPA.

I've found a lot of IPA recipes out there with 5-10% crystal, but many people have commented that the hop profile shines though much better without the crystal. So, I was looking for a steeping grain to add color and virtually zero sweetness. Haven't had much luck finding a steeping grain that would fit well with an IPA.

I just did an IPA with 9.9lbs of Bries Golden LME and had much the same dilemma. When I thought about what I really wanted out of a beer color was about the last thing on my list I really cared about. So like you I wound up going with no grains .... I must say, I kind of appreciated how simple it was.