Imperial IPA critique

[spookman]

Hey all, I've just finished my 2nd extract brew and have been looking into going All-Grain within the next few months. I figure now would be a good time to familiarize myself with the ingredients and try my hand at making a recipe. Here's what I came up for an Imperial IPA. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Hop correction in post 3.

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: White Labs British Ale (WLP005)
Batch Size (Gallons): 10
OG: 1.080
FG: 1.023
ABV: 7.6
IBU: 73.3
Boil (Minutes): 90
Color: 10SRM
Primary Fermentation: 7 days @ 68*
Mash: 154* @ 60 min
Mash-Out: 164* @ 15 min


21lbs 13oz British Two-row Pale
4lbs 0oz Carared
1lbs 11oz Victory Malt
1lbs 0oz Belgian Caramel Pils

1.5oz Chinook Hops(13.0AAU) @ 90 min
1.5oz Chinook Hops(13.0AAU) @ 60 min
2.75oz Northern Brewer Hops(8.5AAU) DryHopped for 7 days after Primary Fermentation

 

[eon]

I think Amarillo and Chinook go well together. I would put in a TON of late additions. But I do like a lot of hop flavor and aroma. You have only bittering additions.

 

[spookman]

Looks like I brain farted when doing my hop section. I couldn't decide on an aroma hop so apparently I just didn't put any in altogether. I removed the Northern Dryhop which i just tossed into the beer calculator while messing around with the recipe. I took you up on your suggestioin for Amarillo hops, for this:

1.25oz Chinook Hops @ 90 min
1.25oz Chinook Hops @ 60min
.75oz Chinook Hops @ 30 min
.50 Amarillo Hops @ 15 min
.50oz Amarillo Hops @ 10 min
.25oz Amarillo Hops @ 5 min

According to the calc this would keep my IBUs at about 74.8

 

[Calder]

Never dry hopped with N'Brewer. I would look to using Goldings/Fuggles/Willamette for finishing and dry hopping (preferably Goldings).

1.023 is high to finish (only 71% attenuation), and will probably leave it sweet. Mash lower and/or sub in a pound of sugar for 1.5 lbs of base malt (which should take the FG down 3 points).

 

[spookman]

I originally had the FG at 1.020 however when I saved the recipe and went back I noticed it had changed slightly, the ABV went down slightly and the FG raised a little. I've been making minor changes here and there to try and get it back down. When I do this for real (not on paper) I had planned on mashing lower than the 154* the calc recommended. I thought around 150-152* might cut the sweetness and make it a little drier.

Never dry hopped with N'Brewer.

Never have or never would?

I would look to using Goldings/Fuggles/Willamette for finishing and dry hopping (preferably Goldings).

Was looking into Willamette and Fuggles for the final dryhop selection. Ill check out Goldings.

 

[dcp27]

that seems like an absolute ton of carared to me, especially for an IIPA. I'd cut it way down, like 5% max. and definitely up the late hops, those amounts will do barely anything in a 10g batch. 15mins on should be at least 2 oz each

oh and id drop the mash temp to 150F max

 

[spookman]

Sorta stripped her down and made a few changes.

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Wyeast Imperial Blend (9093)
Batch Size (Gallons): 10
OG: 1.081
FG: 1.019
ABV: 8.3
IBU: 95
Boil (Minutes): 90
Color: 8SRM
Mash: 150* @ 60 min
Mash-Out: 164* @ 15 min


24lbs 13oz British Two-row Pale
1lbs 8oz Honey Malt
1lbs 8oz Brown Sugar
1lbs 5oz Victory Malt

.75oz Chinook Hops @ 90 min
.75oz Chinook Hops @ 80 min
.75oz Chinook Hops @ 70 min
.75oz Chinook Hops @ 60 min
.75oz Amarillo Hops @ 30 min
.75oz Amarillo Hops @ 25 min
.75oz Amarillo Hops @ 20 min
.75oz Amarillo Hops @ 15 min
.75oz Amarillo Hops @ 10 min
.75oz Amarillo Hops @ 05 min
2.25oz East Kent Goldings Dry Hopped @ 12 days

Messing around with a beer calculator so I'm still figuring out all the individual parameters you can change and whatnot. This definitely feels closer to a IIPA than my original one although I would not mind getting the *L a little higher


BTW I appreciate the constructive criticism over the need for me to wear nomex next time I post My brain feels a little fried over the 10+ pages of Brew Dudes, Homebrew Wiki, and Homebrew Talk I have open trying to balance this out and find something that suits my taste.

 

[Paramecium]

I'd skip all those mid additions and just go for 90/60 then at 15 or so start hitting it again. Maybe do a FWH with some of that chinook. You really don't have that much in the way of hops especially for 10 gallons. Hell really hoppy IPA's like Pliny have like 17 oz in a 5 gallon batch.

I'd go something like

2 oz Chinook FWH
2 oz Chinook 90
2 oz Chinook 60
2 oz Amarillo 15
2 oz Amarillo 5
2 oz Amarillo at flame out
2.5 Golding dry hop.

I'm not at home so I don't have an IBU calculator atm but it looks tasty lol.

 

[spookman]

I'd skip all those mid additions and just go for 90/60 then at 15 or so start hitting it again. Maybe do a FWH with some of that chinook. You really don't have that much in the way of hops especially for 10 gallons. Hell really hoppy IPA's like Pliny have like 17 oz in a 5 gallon batch.

I'd go something like

2 oz Chinook FWH
2 oz Chinook 90
2 oz Chinook 60
2 oz Amarillo 15
2 oz Amarillo 5
2 oz Amarillo at flame out
2.5 Golding dry hop.

I'm not at home so I don't have an IBU calculator atm but it looks tasty lol.

Wow, interesting, the idea of wort hopping didnt occur to me. If I understand the concept of FWH correctly, I'd be adding the 2oz of Chinook to the kettle before sparging but after the vorlauf? Also, your suggestion yielded an IBU of 152.7. That is rather hoppy indeed. I think its time to refresh my memory on what a good IIPA is

 

[Paramecium]

The calculators get kinda wacky after IBU's of 100. Pliny comes in somewhere around like 250 by beersmiths calculator. You'll get more of the hop bitterness by using the Chinook earlier in the boil and then you'll get some good aroma and flavor from all the late additions.

For first wort hopping just put those hops in after the Vorlauf in the first runnings.

 

[eon]

+1 on parameciums idea. MUST get those late additions in there!!! Let us know how this one turns out!