Imperial Tropical Hop Bomb

[bransona]

I'm throwing together a big ol' IPA for this afternoon's brew sesh. I have copious amounts of Azacca and Ekuanot, as well as ample Mosaic. I'm mostly trying to settle on a hop schedule, and have come up with the following:

2.75gal
OG 1.077 FG 1.017
8.3% abv
100+ IBU with FO (about 65 IBU from actual boil additions)

My water will look something like 50Cl and 200SO4, mash pH around 5.4 with the help of a squirt of phosphoric acid. I want plenty of hop punch, but I don't want to overshoot it and get a big bitter mess.

(These grains are based on an attempted amber ale that tasted more like a pale ale base)
7# Maris Otter
.5# C40
.5# C90 (the two together are a great caramel backbone for pale ales)
*Should I add some carapils/carafoam for head retention?*

Mash at 148 for 60min

Boil 60min
-.25oz NB 60 min (I like these for bittering so far)
-.5oz each Ekua/Mos/Aza 15 min
-1oz each Ekua/Mos/Aza FO ~30 min b/n 212-190F
-1oz each Ekua/Mos/Aza Whirlpool 30 min 170F
-.5oz each Ekua/Mos/Aza Dry Hop 4 days

I'm fermenting with WLP007, my new favorite for IPA's (especially tropical).

So that's just over 9oz in 2.75gal (over 18oz for you 5gal guys). I've found I get the best aroma and flavor with massive late kettle additions and about half as much in dry hopping---any more than this doesn't offer me much more in the way of aroma, despite costing a fair bit more.

Any changes you'd make at a glance? The idea is just a massive, tropical kick-in-the-teeth; the hop schedule is sort of 'a la NEIPA,' but I don't intend for it to be hazy or as sweet as many NEIPA's. I technically also have Centennial, NB, and Legacy, but I don't think those are what I'm after in this beer.

 

[bransona]

I'm about ready to mash this one. Any opinions or advice still welcome for the hops

 

[fourfarthing]

I would think about spreading the 30 mini addition across 5/10/15 min additions.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

Looks fine. I would probably dry-hop heavier, but I understand your thought process and decision making in the lower amount of dry hops, so good there.

I have an NEIPA on tap right now with five varieties of hop (Mosaic, Ekuanot, Eureka, Citra, and Jaryylo), and it finish hoppy but indistinct; in retrospect three is probably a good number for variety while preserving unique flavors.

Personally, I like head in beers, so a bit of carapils or wheat (I use both) would work, but is not necessary. That much SO4 in relation to chloride should give you a nice, West Coast style hop sharpness.

I have no changes or notes of significance. I think you're going to get a good amount of bitterness out of the flame-out addition and then the "soft" hoppyness from the whirlpool. Good luck, and be sure to post your tasting notes.

 

[bransona]

I would think about spreading the 30 mini addition across 5/10/15 min additions.

The only additions that are "30 minutes" is a 30-minute FO and a 30-minute WP---not a 30-minute boil.

If it were 30 in the boil, I would totally agree. Lol.

 

[bransona]

Looks fine. I would probably dry-hop heavier, but I understand your thought process and decision making in the lower amount of dry hops, so good there.

I have an NEIPA on tap right now with five varieties of hop (Mosaic, Ekuanot, Eureka, Citra, and Jaryylo), and it finish hoppy but indistinct; in retrospect three is probably a good number for variety while preserving unique flavors.

Personally, I like head in beers, so a bit of carapils or wheat (I use both) would work, but is not necessary. That much SO4 in relation to chloride should give you a nice, West Coast style hop sharpness.

I have no changes or notes of significance. I think you're going to get a good amount of bitterness out of the flame-out addition and then the "soft" hoppyness from the whirlpool. Good luck, and be sure to post your tasting notes.

Thanks for the feedback! Diminishing returns on dry hopping are still somewhat mysterious to me...but I'm learning. As for the carapils, I ended up throwing in a couple ounces at the LHBS! I'm having issues with head retention, and don't know if that small amount will help, but I'm hopeful. The chemistry is the same I use in my 'Fruitless Endeavor' Mosaic/Golden Promise SMaSH; that beer comes off as softly sweet, creamy, and intensely fruity. Of course, it uses half as many hops and in different ways, but nonetheless I love the hop-forward fruitiness.

Do you think the SO4/high IBU will make it too sharp to support tropical fruity characters?

 

[mirthfuldragon]

The chemistry is the same I use in my 'Fruitless Endeavor' Mosaic/Golden Promise SMaSH; that beer comes off as softly sweet, creamy, and intensely fruity. Of course, it uses half as many hops and in different ways, but nonetheless I love the hop-forward fruitiness. Do you think the SO4/high IBU will make it too sharp to support tropical fruity characters?

I don't think you have enough boil hops to make it overly bitter, so I think you will be fine. My knowledge of water chemistry is pretty basic though; I use mostly dechlorinated Chicago tap water, which has an S04 of ~122 and Cl ~25. Going to 200 is a fair mount higher, but I used that much Cl in my NEIPA and it did not taste "minerally". If you had good results with it, I wouldn't change it.

If you are really worried about bitterness, then move the 15min hop addition to 10 or 5 minutes to reduce hop utilization, and move some of the flameout hopstand hops to the whirlpool. However, at that point it is all a judgment call and ultimately I think you have a good plan either way. Cheers!

 

[bransona]

UPDATE:

I had a bit of a time and space crunch this weekend. I needed to move a stout onto some cherries but had no open fermenters; I also managed to polish of a keg of amber (delicious, btw). So, I decided to crash and keg this DIPA by day 12. With a couple days of pressure (and a brief burst carb), it's ready to serve.

This thing is UH. MAY. ZING. Just unbelievable. Tremendous papaya, tropical stone fruit and red berries with tropical, bright, heady hop overtones. Balanced sticky-sweet caramel against the high IBU means very soft bitterness and huge fruity hop character. I think I might name this guy 'Big Softy.' The azacca character is so fruity-sweet and inviting; it takes the pungent Ekuanot and makes it fruitier (see: papaya) instead of dank/green pepper. The mosaic hangs in the background as tropical/stone fruit, but mostly supports the other two hops. Despite ending up at 9.5%, this thing goes down like a warm, hoppy hug.

 

[Mer-man]

Great job! But also, post a pic!

 

[bransona]

Great job! But also, post a pic!

Good point! Just 14 days old, 2 in the keg, and it's clear as a bell. Carb level is perfect, but it needs a little time for head retention. I love the deep ruby color of this grain bill.