Help Wanted: Boneyard RPM IPA Clone Recipe

[theveganbrewer]

This is a fantastic Oregon beer, only available on tap in parts of Oregon, California, and Washington I believe. It's got Double IPA hop aroma, IPA bitterness, and pale ale smoothness. Fantastic beer. Here's the brewery website with list of beers: http://www.boneyardbeer.com/boneyardbeer/BEERS.html

Here's the web description:

RPM IPA should break the hop tachometer! Pale in color with pineapple and citrus notes exploding from the glass. Boiled and dry-hopped using four northwest hop varieties. Prepare yourself for a wild ride...rev it up with a rpm IPA today!

I found it on tap today, brought it back to the house and ran some tests. I've got 1.008-1.009 FG, 6.75-6.8 Brix FG, estimated OG of 1.058, est ABV 6.5%. Since this isn't canned/bottled/tested, I'm not 100% sold on 7% ABV, might just be a rounding effort on their part?

It is slightly lighter than 6 SRM, I'd say somewhere around 5.7-5.8. Smells very similar to Abrasive, which is basically all Citra. Pure white head, nice lacing. There's some crystal in there, not a bunch, might need some dextrose to get down that dry. Rumors are possibly some or all of Citra, Centennial, Casacade, Chinook, Simcoe, Bravo, CTZ.

There is a ton of hop character in this, it's like double IPA territory. I'd say they FWH with Citra, and then whirlpool. They do techniques similar to Firestone Walker, so it fits the bill.

What do you all think on the FG numbers? Is it 6.??% or are my numbers wrong and it's 7 with a higher SG?

 

[TimBrewz]

I am sitting at 15th Ave, Hophouse in PDX drinking this beer right now with my brewing partner trying to dissect it as well. The beer advocate and hophouse have it as 7.5% and 75 IBU (Boneayard site says 7% and 50 IBU?) Here is what we are thinking:

6 gal

15 lbs 2-row
1 lb C-30
Bravo- 60 min
5 min hops:
Chinook
Centennial
Simcoe
Citra

Dry hops with same 5 min hops

American Ale II yeast?

 

[theveganbrewer]

Oh sweet. They use Wyeast 1968 in most of their beers, including RPM.

 

[DirtyOldDuck]

Can't add much to the discussion other than to agree it is a very nice, tasty IPA. The Hoppy Brewer on Main Street in Gresham usually has it on tap.

 

[TimBrewz]

Thanks for the yeast info. I recognize it now it now, sort of that Laurelwood softness to the yeast. We made some headway after 2 pints each. Seems very Citra and Centennial forward-pineapple and fruit. Some pine for sure, but might be Chinook, not Simcoe?

We also were remarking how there was very little hop bite or lingering bitterness. Makes us think all late hop additions are a possibility. 15 min to 0 for all hops is a guess. If we go with only 4 hops, it would be Bravo, Citra, Centennial and Chinook-again mostly Citra and Centennial. Not really getting any "Cascade-y-ness" but could be wrong on that?

We are going to split a 12 gal wort into separate kettles and play around with the hops a bit to see which is closest, then work from there.

 

[theveganbrewer]

Thanks for the yeast info. I recognize it now it now, sort of that Laurelwood softness to the yeast. We made some headway after 2 pints each. Seems very Citra and Centennial forward-pineapple and fruit. Some pine for sure, but might be Chinook, not Simcoe?

We also were remarking how there was very little hop bite or lingering bitterness. Makes us think all late hop additions are a possibility. 15 min to 0 for all hops is a guess. If we go with only 4 hops, it would be Bravo, Citra, Centennial and Chinook-again mostly Citra and Centennial. Not really getting any "Cascade-y-ness" but could be wrong on that?

We are going to split a 12 gal wort into separate kettles and play around with the hops a bit to see which is closest, then work from there.

Ill do something similar. Not sure if there's a FWH going on or not. Could be a nice whirlpool too.

 

[TimBrewz]

Yeah, I think FWH and a whirpool are possibilities. Dextrose is an interesting possibility to get that dry with 1968, though Firestone Walker Union Jack gets quite dry without any sugar added. The Firestone mash is 145 f for 45 min. 155 for 15 min. They get really fermentable wort from this that has some dextrins left to support the hops. This is gonna be fun one to clone! Time to find a pound of Citra...

 

[theveganbrewer]

Yeah, I think FWH and a whirpool are possibilities. Dextrose is an interesting possibility to get that dry with 1968, though Firestone Walker Union Jack gets quite dry without any sugar added. The Firestone mash is 145 f for 45 min. 155 for 15 min. They get really fermentable wort from this that has some dextrins left to support the hops. This is gonna be fun one to clone! Time to find a pound of Citra...

Or two..Label Peelers has pounders and they're on sale, 21% off through today (i think, maybe tomorrow). Use code SPRINGSALE


http://labelpeelers.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=hifeinmlhrfdksuesnt1aoifg7&keyword=citra

 

[TimBrewz]

Or two..Label Peelers has pounders and they're on sale, 21% off through today (i think, maybe tomorrow). Use code SPRINGSALE


http://labelpeelers.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=hifeinmlhrfdksuesnt1aoifg7&keyword=citra

Thanks, I think I will treat myself.

 

[TimBrewz]

We got a reply from Boneyard that the 7% and 50 ibu is correct. This leads me to wonder if they're relying on brewing software for IBU calculations or if they have had the beer lab analyzed? 50 Ibu seems low, but Rogue I2PA is amazingly hoppy at 50 IBU due to massive whirlpool hops. Also, we are debating mouthfeel; is there some dextrin (carapils) and dextrose? I think maybe some dextrose only...?

What we are pretty sure about:

7%
50 IBU

2 row
Light crystal (20 or 30 L)
Citra
Centennial
Chinook
Wyeast 1968

What is likely:

Dextrose
Bravo

Maybe:

FWH
Whirlpool
Dextrin malt
Massive late hop additions
Warm(70f) ferment to bring fruitiness

Anything to add?

 

[theveganbrewer]

I can't say for sure what theyre doing but I will hit it with a big whirlpool to get that aroma.

It was 1.008-9 on my check so now we know the yeast we should be able to get it right.

 

[skibb]

Did you ask them what hops they were using? Or are they being super secretive :/

 

[theveganbrewer]

I think I did. He said it's a hop blend I think.

I blend hops like crazy for this beer ( safe for my flagship brand )

Oh, he said it's a 152 mash. This beer IMO tastes very similar to Surly Abrasive. There's a very good chance there is a large amount of Citra in there and not large portions of anything else.

 

[porky_pine]

50 IBU's doesn't really surprise me. The beer is not very bitter but very aromatic. The Citra really stands out.

 

[RainyDay]

50 IBU's doesn't really surprise me. The beer is not very bitter but very aromatic. The Citra really stands out.

Having not had the beer in a while, I agree. Plus, late additions count for almost no bitterness in regards to IBUs anyway.

 

[theveganbrewer]

I think it's got to have dextrose in it, quite a bit, and some sort of miracle to get it under 1.010. 71% is normal attenuation. Maybe a 150 mash. Not sure if he was clear on if the 152 mash was for RPM or for a Hop venom. I'd probably do 150 for RPM.

 

[TimBrewz]

1968 will get pretty dry if you pitch a lot and aerate well. I got 76% attenutation with it on an IPA I just brewed. But, yes some sugar needs to be added to get into the .10 range. 150 mash seems right if it is that dry.

 

[WikiAdam]

Very much looking forward to hearing how your experiments go. The RPM is far and away favorite IPA and I would love, LOVE to be able to get something close to it at home. A user in this thread said he asked the brewer about the recipe and couldn't get any information other than the fact that simcoe, chinook, and centennial hops are used, but it does have that citra feel to it as well.

 

[TimBrewz]

In the thread you referenced, it looks like the post is referring to Hop Venom, the IIPA.

 

[WikiAdam]

Ah, you're right.

 

[TimBrewz]

Interview with brewer:

at minute 11:00 he tells us there are 6 hops in RPM: Bravo, Centennial, Citra, Cascade, CTZ and Chinook.
He worked at Deschutes for years.
He used to work at 3 Floyds (and still close with), makers of Zombie Dust- all Citra APA/IPA. He worked at Firestone Walker too. I am seeing some inspiration for his style from these breweries, on website states that Hop venom is inspired by Double Jack from Firestone. What does it all mean? Lots of late addition hops, probably FWH, maybe 145 to 155 mash, and 1968 yeast (all the mentioned breweries use it or a similar strain).

My brew crew is finally brewing this on Sunday, doing four 6 gallon batches, each with a few tweaks. All are using 1968 from a big starter. Will post results in a few weeks.

 

[kigerbrewing]

Thanks for the video. I'm going to attempt a 3 gallon batch this weekend also. I have all those hops except for the Bravo and will be using 1968 yeast. I'm really surprised that Simcoe is not used in this.

 

[theveganbrewer]

Awesome, thanks, head brewer's always slip up at some point! He did confirm to me 152 mash temp on RPM btw.

 

[TimBrewz]

Awesome, thanks, head brewer's always slip up at some point! He did confirm to me 152 mash temp on RPM btw.

OK, so 152 it shall be. Do you think there is a bit of Munich in the malt bill?

 

[bela]

Just watched the video. Very interesting. He does say he uses 6 different hops in RPM. But I don't think he means all 6 in the same batch. Sounds to me he does a lot of mix and match. A lot of these hops you could substitute. That's just what I took out of it. Of course I could be wrong.

But his favorite beer is Busch? Wow, that set me back.

 

[TimBrewz]

Good point. Bravo and CTZ are similar as are cascade and centennial.

 

[kigerbrewing]

That makes sense after watching it again. He can always sub in one of the similar hops if he is short on one variety.

 

[TimBrewz]

Phew, this beer has been a lot of work and have not even brewed it yet. We are trying this grain bill:

Great Western Premium 2-Row - 84%
Great Western Munich (6L) - 7%
Great Western C-30 5.5%
Corn Sugar - 3.5%

And these are the basic hop schedules we are planning to try tomorrow:Going heavy on the citra and centennial, have not ironed out the exact numbers yet.

4 hops: Citra _FWH
Bravo-bittering
Citra-5 min and Whirlpool
Centennial-5 min and Whilrpool
Chinook-5 min and whirlpool
Bravo- 5 min and whirlpool

5 hops
Citra _FWH
Bravo-bittering
Citra-5 min and Whirlpool
Centennial-5 min and Whilrpool
Chinook-5 min and whirlpool
Bravo- 5 min and whirlpool
Cascade-5 min and whirlpool

6 hops

Citra _FWH
Bravo/Columbus-bittering
Citra-5 min and Whirlpool
Centennial-5 min and Whilrpool
Chinook-5 min and whirlpool
Bravo- 5 min and whirlpool
Cascade-5 min and whirlpool
Columbus-5 min and Whirlpool

 

[theveganbrewer]

What flavor is expected from the Bravo in the late additions and dryhop? It's the one hop of the bunch I have no experience with.

 

[TimBrewz]

Bravo is the wildcard. Not sure we will use it as late addition for all batches. It smells good. But never used it either. Seems the threads about Bravo show pretty good results overall as both a bittering and aroma hop.