Hopinator

[xiang]

I'm curious to see what changes you made with batch #5. I will have to try and catch you in chat to find out.

 

[saq]

I'm curious to see what changes you made with batch #5. I will have to try and catch you in chat to find out.

Not much, still sticking with the basic idea that has been pretty honed as of v4.
Was out of the NB HopShot and Warrior so I used my new Apollo hops for bittering and also threw some in for flavor/aroma. Hit my target gravity more or less (1.083) and used Pacman like last time. Might use a hop aroma tab again since it was great like last time. This time its going into the conical (since its free) so I should get better use of my dry hops. I'll probably get a new hop back and put them in with some SS weights so I get good hop/beer contact. Oh and I backed off my SO4:CL ratio a bit, about 3.3:1 instead of 4.8:1.

I'll have v4 and v5 side by side so whichever one is better will go to the january comps

 

[Montanaandy]

Brewed this one (version III) and just sent it to keg yesterday. Agree that the leaf hops are a PITA - kept clogging the racking cane. You also lose a fair amount of beer to the hops but what I tasted pre-carb tasted very good. Anxious to try this one in a week and really give it a try after it has had a good 3+ weeks under pressure. Montanaandy

 

[saq]

I'd do a quick keg to keep as much of the hop freshness as you can.
Just set your regulator at serving PSI, get the keg down to serving temp, fill, disconnect, shake, reattach and fill, disconnect, shake, repeat a few times. After 4 or 5 times you will have perfectly carbonated beer that you can't overcarb.

 

[saq]

Zac was asking about Hopinator 5 recipe, which had the slight change of Apollo hops and no NB hopshot. Here it is! This is pretty much Hopinator perfected, I think I'm done perfecting the recipe, its pretty much everything I want in my perfect IIPA. Thats not to say I won't get a hankerin for another totally different take on the IIPA, but this one pretty much is the be all end all for me.

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Hopinator batch 5
Brewer: saq
Asst Brewer:
Style: Imperial IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.47 gal
Estimated OG: 1.082 SG
Estimated Color: 8.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 222.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 69.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
16.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 88.30 %
1.25 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 6.90 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2.76 %
0.25 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 1.38 %
0.12 lb Aromatic Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 0.66 %

2.50 oz Apollo Pellet [17.50 %] (90 min) (FWH) 146.3 IBU
1.00 oz Freshop 2009 Citra Leaf [11.00 %] (15 min) Hops 15.5 IBU
1.00 oz Apollo Pellet [17.50 %] (15 min) Hops 24.7 IBU
1.00 oz Freshop 2009 Simcoe Leaf [12.70 %] (15 min) Hops 17.9 IBU
1.00 oz Freshop 2009 Amarillo Leaf [8.50 %] (15 min) Hops 12.0 IBU
1.00 oz Freshop 2009 Amarillo Leaf [8.50 %] (1 min) 1.0 IBU
1.00 oz Freshop 2009 Citra Leaf [11.00 %] (1 min) Hops 1.3 IBU
1.00 oz Apollo Pellet [17.50 %] (1 min) Hops 2.1 IBU
1.00 oz Freshop 2009 Simcoe Leaf [12.70 %] (1 min) Hops 1.6 IBU
1.00 items Servomyces (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Pac Man (Wyeast Labs #1764) Yeast-Ale

1.00 oz Freshop 2009 Simcoe Leaf [12.70 %] (Dry Hops) 10 days
1.00 oz Freshop 2009 Amarillo Leaf [8.40 %] (Dry Hops) 10 days
1.00 oz Simcoe Pellet [11.70 %] (Dry Hops) 10 days
1.00 oz Freshop 2009 Citra Leaf [11.00 %] (Dry Hops) 10 days
1.00 oz Apollo Pellet [17.50 %] (Dry Hops) 10 days

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 18.12 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Light Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 21.50 qt of water at 164.9 F 152.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 10.00 qt of water at 207.7 F 168.0 F

 

[saq]

Hopinator 5 took Silver at the Big Beers Belgians & Barleywines festival. I need to check out the score sheet and see what kept me back from taking it to another level before I think about changing the recipe.

 

[nealf]

Just saw the results page, congrats man! I need to try to set some time (and money for hops) aside to brew this thing!

 

[Montanaandy]

Really enjoying the Hopinator III that I brewed. I am looking at Versions IV & V and they introduce one of my favorite hops (Citra) & yeast (PacMan). May try them down the line but may just stick with V3 since I really enjoy it. I used Wyeast 1056 when I brewed V3 - don't recall what the recipe called for but that is what I used/had on hand and it worked great. Montanaandy

 

[midfielder5]

This beer sounds great.
What if you added 1# of corn sugar like Pliny IIPA.... Did you consider and reject that idea? (if so, why? just curious-- it is not a critique).

 

[DavidSteel]

This beer sounds great.
What if you added 1# of corn sugar like Pliny IIPA.... Did you consider and reject that idea? (if so, why? just curious-- it is not a critique).

I definitely would have if it was mashed at 156. Otherwise, I'd probably mash at 154 and still do it. At 156, I'd probably add 1/2 a lb of honey as well, haha.

 

[saq]

I did consider corn sugar and have decided it has no place in this recipe. A different beer maybe.
I don't think Pliny is a very good IIPA, its fairly boring in my opinion. Every time I've had it I've been dissapointed with what it is and think it doesn't live up to the hype.

 

[Montanaandy]

"I don't think Pliny is a very good IIPA, its fairly boring in my opinion. Every time I've had it I've been dissapointed with what it is and think it doesn't live up to the hype."

I just finished brewing Jamil's version of Pliny (Hop Hammer) which called for a whopping 1.5 lbs of sugar. It will be interesting to compare the HH to Hopinator III which I absolutely loved, and also Dogfish Head 60 which I also liked a lot but not as much as Hopinator. I also recently brewed "Columborillo" which was a gold medal winner featured in Zymurgy and the gravity sample tasted and smelled pretty good so I am anticipating that one. Again, no sugar in that one either.

 

[saq]

Brewed this yesterday since Longshot 2010 and NHC 2010 is coming up soon. This should be in peak form when the competitions come around. Anyone else in the IPA category should be very afraid

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Hopinator batch 6
Brewer: saq
Asst Brewer:
Style: Imperial IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.20 gal
Boil Size: 7.06 gal
Estimated OG: 1.099 SG
Estimated Color: 9.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 160.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
18.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) Bel (3.0 SRM) Grain 92.50 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.50 %
0.50 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 2.50 %
0.25 lb Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 1.25 %
0.25 lb Munich Malt (8.0 SRM) Grain 1.25 %
1.00 oz Chinook Pellet [13.00 %] (90 min) (Mash Hops 7.5 IBU)

2.00 oz Apollo Pellet [17.50 %] (90 min) Hops 101.0 IBU
1.00 oz Simcoe Pellet [13.00 %] (10 min) Hops 12.7 IBU
1.00 oz Citra Pellet [11.00 %] (10 min) Hops 10.8 IBU
1.00 oz Apollo Pellet [17.50 %] (10 min) Hops 17.1 IBU
0.75 oz Amarillo Leaf [8.40 %] (10 min) Hops 5.7 IBU
0.75 oz Amarillo Leaf [8.40 %] (1 min) Hops 0.7 IBU
1.00 oz Simcoe Pellet [13.00 %] (1 min) Hops 1.5 IBU
1.00 oz Citra Pellet [11.00 %] (1 min) Hops 1.3 IBU
1.00 oz Apollo Pellet [17.50 %] (1 min) Hops 2.0 IBU

1.00 items Servomyces (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
5.50 gal Hopinator 6 water Water

1 Pkgs Nottingham Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP039) Yeast-Ale

2.00 oz Citra Pellet [11.10 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops -
2.00 oz Simcoe Pellet [12.70 %] (Dry Hop 14 days)Hops -

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 20.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 25.00 qt of water at 164.3 F 151.0 F
20 min Step Heat to 168.0 F over 2 min 168.0 F

 

[humann_brewing]

This looks like such a great beer, congrads on all your success with it.

 

[z987k]

I love the massive late hop IPAs.

Why the changes in Base malt?
You go from Marris otter to Domestic 2-row to Belgian Pale.

 

[saq]

Well initially I removed the MO because it provided too much nutty malt character that I felt got in the way. My LHBS has Briess 2row which I think is crap, its always REALLY buggy and I get poor efficiency with it. I've used Belgian 2row before and while it is a little darker and a tad sweeter it is closer in flavor to American 2row than say Maris Otter.
The Dingemanns Belgian 2row was completely bug free and I got good efficiency and super clear runoff.

 

[humann_brewing]

so where do you get apollo from?

 

[saq]

I got it from Niko with the gift cert I got from the HBT Comp for Gold in Category 14. Pretty nice hop, its clean, tangerine-ish, not pungent or onion-y like say Summit/Warrior. Has a very "light" character to it, very smooth. Great for bittering!

 

[Myrdhyn]

This looks like such an excellent beer, I hope one day I can brew something like it, but it just about brought a tear to my eye when I saw added up the price for Hopinator 6.

 

[Montanaandy]

"I hope one day I can brew something like it, but it just about brought a tear to my eye when I saw added up the price for Hopinator 6"

Purchase your grains & hops in bulk and the price is not that bad. Also take into consideration the fact that you would pay $2.50 or more per 12 oz. bottle in most markets for something comparable but not as good. Montanaandy

 

[Myrdhyn]

"I hope one day I can brew something like it, but it just about brought a tear to my eye when I saw added up the price for Hopinator 6"

Purchase your grains & hops in bulk and the price is not that bad. Also take into consideration the fact that you would pay $2.50 or more per 12 oz. bottle in most markets for something comparable but not as good. Montanaandy

Yeah I ran the numbers and it came out to like 1.65 a 12oz bottle. I realize it would be cheaper in the long run buying the hops in bulk, but I've already got a bunch of bulk hops and none of them are in this recipe. I'm just saying, the one time purchase of this recipe would be crazy. Something like 87.43 for a 5 gallon batch. I think you could save some cash by skipping the servomyces (it's like 10 by itself) and instead just aerating the crap out of it and pitching onto a cake from another beer. I'm guessing performance would be similar.

 

[Montanaandy]

"I think you could save some cash by skipping the servomyces (it's like 10 by itself) and instead just aerating the crap out of it and pitching onto a cake from another beer. I'm guessing performance would be similar."

Agreed. When I brewed V 3.0 of this beer I did not use servomyces and I also did not aerate the beer that much or pitch it onto a cake from another beer. I did prepare a healthy starter & I followed the recipe with the exception of the servomyces and it was still great. The latest version of this beer sounds very interesting and I would like to brew it at some point. Montanaandy

 

[saq]

One pack of servomyces is $10 but you get 6 tablets. My batch cost for Hopinator is around $55, and I could do it for cheaper with how low bulk hop pricing is getting.

 

[Zen_Brew]

I think I'll be brewing something similar to this this weekend. I did a lighter version IIPA a couple months back and it was very nice, but I want a bigger IIPA for some upcoming comps although I will miss the nationals with this one. I pretty much will be choosing some of my fav hops and have looked at Tasty McDoles recipe and yours for reference IBU and malt levels. I wanted to do something more unique, but after looking at my recipe nearing it's final form it looks like a cousin of yours or McDoles with a few hop and grain variances.

What can I say, I love Simcoe, Centennial, and Amarillo, and I love hop bursting. Every time i thought I had some unique grain additions I would notice you had tried most of them at some point in one of your versions.

Viva la hops

 

[Zen_Brew]

Sigh...My hops did not ship on time and will not arrive for me to brew my planned IIPA this weekend.

Saq:

I have a question for you. You said in one of your recent posts that version V is your most perfected version to date. I am curious as to your opinion of Hop Shot. I was considering playing around with some, but I see you had it in an earlier version, and have now moved away from it. What do you feel the benefit of using the actual hops is vs Hop Shot?

 

[saq]

Honestly, not much for what its priced at. #4 used the hopshot while #5 and #6 did not. I also did a 75g IIPA (Pliny-esque) with my club and we used a half a can of the same stuff that the hopshot is as opposed to a LOT of columbus. Its not done yet, we just put it in the secondary for the first dry hop round, but the 10 day old sampe we tried the bitterness is there and its clean.

If hopshots were a better price I'd use them for bittering to about 80 IBUs but I get better $/IBU with Apollo than hopshot so thats what I use.

 

[mb2696]

saq, i'm looking to brew this and was just wondering if you've been making any more changes and/or which batch you think was the best. thanks!

 

[saq]

I haven't had a chance to brew up another batch of Hopinator, and probably wont for a while. I'm doing an AIPA soon and then I'll probably get Hopinator in after that for some winter competitions. Hopinator needs to defend its Gold+BOS at Walk The Line on Barleywine
I think batch #5 was the best, though I would drop the .12lbs aromatic and replace it with .25lbs munich 10L and cut the melanoidin down to 1lbs and change the mash temp to 150.

 

[davidgsmit]

Subscribed for future brew. Thx!

 

[Montanaandy]

Subscribed for future brew. Thx!

Just brew any one of the Hopinator recipes that are listed - you will not be disappointed. I will say the V4.0 is my favorite...