Hopacles (AG)

[ohiobrewtus]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

Nottingham

Yeast Starter

none

Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter

2 sachets

Batch Size (Gallons)

5.5

Original Gravity

1.093

Final Gravity

1.018

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

306.1

Color

7.4

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

1 week @ 66

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

2 weeks @ 66

I just pulled the first pints of this yesterday and it's a monster. I've never had Pliny or DFH120 so I unfortunately I can't compare this to either of those. It ended up a bit darker than BeerSmith predicted it would, I'd say it's about 9 or 10 SRM.

The hops in this certainly come up and smack you in the face. Once you get through about a half a pint and your palate becomes accustomed to it, it seems to really balance out well.

When I brew this again I will dryhop at least one more time before I keg. This has a mild hop nose which is nice, but I was hoping for a much more agressive nose.


BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Hopacles
Brewer: HopHed Brewhaus
Asst Brewer:
Style: Imperial IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (41.0)
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.39 gal
Estimated OG: 1.093 SG
Estimated Color: 7.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 306.1 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
14.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 73.68 %
2.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 10.53 %
2.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 10.53 %
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 5.26 %
3.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 91.7 IBU
3.00 oz Warrior [16.40 %] (60 min) Hops 115.6 IBU
2.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (60 min) Hops 65.8 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [10.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (15 min) Hops 15.2 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [10.00 %] (10 min) Hops 8.5 IBU
2.00 oz Amarillo Gold [10.00 %] (5 min) Hops 9.4 IBU
2.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Nottingham Yeast (Lallemand #-) Yeast-Ale

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 19.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 5.94 gal of water at 170.1 F 154.0 F

Notes:
------
Dry hop the final 7 days of secondary with 1 oz of Amarillo.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Evan!]

Looks similar to The Destroyer of Worlds, which I bottled last weekend and should be drinking soon...only difference being that I didn't go crazy with the bittering hops like you did. I figured, hops are crazy expensive right now, and I'd much rather hit it with a simple, large Galena addition to get my IBU's up above 100, then back-load (and mash-hop) the sumbitch with tons of flavor/aroma additions. It's intensely hoppy, and the Willamette gave it a really nice spicy/cedary character.

So, at the end of the day, do you think it was worth it to front-load with all those bittering hops? Is the "humans can only perceive up to 100 IBU's" thing debunked?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I'm no scientist, so I'm not about to claim that I've debunked the "humans can only percieve up to 100 IBU's" thing, but I have brewed and consumed a lot of hoppy beers. My APA is 70, my amber is 65, my IPA is 120 and this a good deal hoppier than anything I've ever brewed before.

I stocked up on hops from AHS before prices went up. I had planned on brewing this beer for quite sometime.

It was absolutely worth it to me. I really enjoy over-the-top hoppy beers and this is certainly fits the bill. This beer certainly isn't for everyone, as SWMBO will gladly attest to.

 

[Evan!]

Yeah, I stocked up like crazy with hopsdirect before the hike...got my stuff for $11/lb., and you know what their "pounds" look like: somehow there are 28oz in a "Puterbaugh Pound". Anyway, even though I got 'em for cheap, it'll still cost me more when I eventually need to restock, so I took it a little easy. I mean, I still used 5 or 6 oz of hops in the bastard...but I think my IBU's were "only" around 140.