Imperial IPA

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wildbeers

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All-Grain - Imperial IPA

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Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: American Ale WYEAST 1056
Yeast Starter: Yes
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.070
Final Gravity: 1.011
IBU: 143
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 8.4
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14
Additional Fermentation: no
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 17
Tasting Notes: -



Attempting to make a heavily hopped deliciously fruity IPA, hope i'm not going overboard with this hop-bill, I would love feedback on this one.

Imperial IPA
OG= 1.070
FG= 1.011
Expected Color= 8.4 SRM
Expected IBU (using Tinsenth)= 143
Boil Volume = 7 gallons
Post Boil Volume = 6 Gallons
Volume of finished beer = 5.5 Gallons
Starter = 2 L
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70%

Fermentables:
US Pale Malt= 13.88 lb 87.0%
US carapils malt = .64 lb 4 %
US Caramel 40 L= .64 lb 4 %
Corn Sugar= .80 lb 5 %

Hops:
US Columbus (Alpha 14%) 3.00 oz - 60 minutes
US Chinook (Alpha 11.5%) 1 oz - 15 minutes
US Simcoe (Alpha 13.0%) 2 oz - 1 min
US Amarillo (Alpha 5 %) 2 oz - 1 min
Whirlfloc Tab
Servomyces
American Ale Wyeast 1056 Yeast

US Chinook 1 oz - Dry Hopped 12-14 days
US Simcoe 1 oz - Dry Hopped 12-14 Days
US Amarillo 1 oz - Dry Hopped 12 -14 Days

US Simcoe 1 oz - Dry Hopped 3 days
US Amarillo 1 oz - Dry hopped 3 Days
 
That is going to be one hoppy, bitter son of a gun. Make sure your water profile is balanced or it may be over the top. I find that well balanced water will let the hop stand out without being astringent. But hard water will make your face turn inside out with something like this... but that's just my opinion.
 
Many people and studies say that after about 80-100 IBU's the human tongue cannot perceive any additional bitterness, so 143 IBU's is pretty crazy in that regard. I'd suggest toning it down to somewhere between 70 and 90 (thats a big range, I know). You're OG is towards the higher end of the style guidelines (not that I'm saying you have to follow the BJCP guidelines, but they do give you a reference point) but your IBU's are twice what they suggest as the high end.

Also for reference, Stone Ruination is 105 IBU's
 
I'm drinking a 70+ IBU DIPA right now... It curls toes on some of the lesser beings that wander through the Temple. But I got relatively hard water for the style.
 
Beersmith has IIPA as 1.075 to 1.090.
Ive recently kegged an "Imperial Cascadian Dark Ale" - 1.075 and 75 IBU with Amarillo at 60/30/15/5 and dry hop. Its mighty tasty.
I also reckon you should pull the bittering hops back a bit. Possibly increase the aroma hops. Consider US-05 at the higher side of the temp range for some fruitness. Combination of fruity aroma and extreme bitterness works well.
 
Many people and studies say that after about 80-100 IBU's the human tongue cannot perceive any additional bitterness, so 143 IBU's is pretty crazy in that regard. I'd suggest toning it down to somewhere between 70 and 90 (thats a big range, I know). You're OG is towards the higher end of the style guidelines (not that I'm saying you have to follow the BJCP guidelines, but they do give you a reference point) but your IBU's are twice what they suggest as the high end.

Also for reference, Stone Ruination is 105 IBU's

Thanks for the comments, I've also read that anything above 120 ibus is a waste of hops. Dont get me wrong I have no interest in making a beer that will burn my tongue, but I guess I was most skeptical about beer alchemy tinsenth formula- am i crazy or is it surprising that 3 oz columbus would bring it way up to 130 ibus. What I'm hoping for is massive late kettle and dry hopping additions, and a solid bitter backbone to balance the beer out. I may try dropping the bitter addition to 2 oz.
 
Just an fyi that the recipe database is supposed to be for "tried and true" recipes...

There's a recipes/ingredients subforum to help with tinkering recipes (I know this now because I once posted an out of control India brown ale experiment in the recipe database ;))
 
Just an fyi that the recipe database is supposed to be for "tried and true" recipes...

There's a recipes/ingredients subforum to help with tinkering recipes (I know this now because I once posted an out of control India brown ale experiment in the recipe database ;))

Haha whoops, I appreciate it, next time I'll put it in the right section, would hate for people to go ahead and waste $25+ on hops alone thinking that this was tried and true.
 
Haha whoops, I appreciate it, next time I'll put it in the right section, would hate for people to go ahead and waste $25+ on hops alone thinking that this was tried and true.

I like it!

I'd sample it. I'd probably reduce the columbus to 1.5 ounces or so, just because I'd like to be able to taste the other hops, too!

Look at the Pliny clone recipe- it calculates out to like 250 IBUs, but of course that's not really possible.
 
My final recipe which I'll brew next week is as follows. Note that I adjusted my batch size down to a final 5 gallon batch.

OG: 1.073
FG: 1.011
Color: 8.9 SRM
Expected IBU (Tinsenth): 99 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70%
Boil Volume- 6.35 Gallons
Pitch V- 5.5 Gallons

Fermentables:
US Pale Ale Malt- 13.42 lb 87.5%
US Carapils Malt- .59 lb 3.9%
US Caramel 40 L- .59 lb 3.9%
Corn Sugar- .74 lb 4.8%

US Columbus 14% 1.70 oz- 60 minutes
US Chinook 11.5% 1 oz -20 minutes
US Simcoe 13% 1 oz - 5 minutes
US Amarillo 5 % 1 oz- 5 minute
US Simcoe 13 % 1 oz- FO
US Amarillo 5 % 1 oz - FO
Whirlfloc Tab
Servomyces
American Ale WYEAST 1056

US Chinook- 1 oz DH 14 Days
US Simcoe- 1 oz DH 14 days
US Amarillo- 1 oz DH 14 Days

US Simcoe- 1 oz DH 2 Days
US Amarillo- 1 oz DH 2 days

Ill post results
 
My final recipe which I'll brew next week is as follows. Note that I adjusted my batch size down to a final 5 gallon batch.

OG: 1.073
FG: 1.011
Color: 8.9 SRM
Expected IBU (Tinsenth): 99 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70%
Boil Volume- 6.35 Gallons
Pitch V- 5.5 Gallons

Fermentables:
US Pale Ale Malt- 13.42 lb 87.5%
US Carapils Malt- .59 lb 3.9%
US Caramel 40 L- .59 lb 3.9%
Corn Sugar- .74 lb 4.8%

US Columbus 14% 1.70 oz- 60 minutes
US Chinook 11.5% 1 oz -20 minutes
US Simcoe 13% 1 oz - 5 minutes
US Amarillo 5 % 1 oz- 5 minute
US Simcoe 13 % 1 oz- FO
US Amarillo 5 % 1 oz - FO
Whirlfloc Tab
Servomyces
American Ale WYEAST 1056

US Chinook- 1 oz DH 14 Days
US Simcoe- 1 oz DH 14 days
US Amarillo- 1 oz DH 14 Days

US Simcoe- 1 oz DH 2 Days
US Amarillo- 1 oz DH 2 days

Ill post results

It looks quite a bit, at least at first glance, like my Lakefront IPA clone! Except your IBUs are higher and I have less flavor/aroma hops. Here's my recipe:

12 lbs 12.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 91.07 %
12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 5.36 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 3.57 %
1.25 oz Chinook [11.50 %] (60 min) Hops 43.5 IBU


1.00 oz Cascade (homegrown) [5.00 %] (5 min) Hops 2.7 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade (homegrown) [5.00 %] (0 min) Hops

1.00 oz Simcoe (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops
1.00 oz Chinook (homegrown) (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops
1.00 oz Cascade (homegrown) (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops

This beer is wonderful.

I bet your IPA will be really good! Although I sometimes find columbus sort of harsh, and I might be tempted to cut them from 1.70 to 1.0 ounce at 60 minutes. (You're a little low on an OG for an IIPA- if you want an IIPA you should get an OG of 1.075 at a minimum, and up from there. That can support more hops than an OG that is still in "regular" IPA territory).
 
Just a thought, if you wanted all that 60min boil goodness, you could throw in a little as FWH and that might mellow out that "scrape my tongue against a metal file" bite.
 
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