IPA Beer Body

[Lenny555]

Gday gang

Ive done an all grain Stone IPA clone and the one thing id like or cant acheive is the body characteristic as im after something very full bodied.

What can i add to acheived this recipe below, thanks in advance.

12.5 lbs. (5.67 kg) 2-row pale malt

1 lb. (0.45 kg) crystal malt (15 °L)

6 AAU Magnum hops (90 min.) (0.43 oz./12 g of 14% alpha acids)

4.5 AAU Perle hops (60 min.) (0.64 oz./18 g of 7% alpha acids)

2 oz. (57 g) Centennial hops (15 min.)

1 oz. (28 g) Centennial whole hops (dry hops)

0.5 oz. (14 g) Chinook whole hops (dry hops)

1 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)

White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast (1.5 qt./1.5 L yeast starter)

7⁄8 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Mash grains at 149 °F (65 °C) for 60 minutes. Collect wort and boil for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Cool, aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop for 3–5 days

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

The recipe looks very similar to the Stone IPA BYO clone recipe (Dec 2008 magazine or '8 Classic Stone Brewing Clone Recipes' PDF).

To me, this ...

Mash grains at 149 °F (65 °C) for

... seems to be in conflict with brewing "something very full bodied".

 

[Lenny555]

Noted and what temp would you suggest 157 ish?

 

[mac_1103]

Stone IPA really isn't a "very full bodied" beer. If you want to brew a fuller bodied IPA, try mashing higher, increasing the crystal malt or adding some dextrin malt, or throw in some flaked barley or oats.

 

[Lenny555]

Stone IPA really isn't a "very full bodied" beer. If you want to brew a fuller bodied IPA, try mashing higher, increasing the crystal malt or adding some dextrin malt, or throw in some flaked barley or oats.

Thanks Mac i will try these suggestions next time.

 

[DonT]

Noted and what temp would you suggest 157 ish?

I wouldn't go that high. Mashing at 157 will make the beer sweeter, slightly. Mash at 153

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Mash grains at 149 °F (65 °C) for 60 minutes. Collect wort and boil for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Cool, aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop for 3–5 days

I recall some info that Stone IPA was mashed at what seemed like a ridiculously high mash temp around 162F. That could be true, or it could be that the process they follow on their commercial system does not fully translate to a typical homebrew mash schedule. That info was probably from one of the "Can You Brew It" podcasts.

I am personally not convinced that mash temperature has a huge impact on the body of the final beer, but a high mash temperature leads to a less fermentable wort which means you can raise your OG and still get the same final ABV. I do believe that a higher OG will result in more body (with everything else being equal). What is the OG and FG of your batches?

Are you doing anything with your water? Do you know the minerals levels in your brewing water?

 

[mac_1103]

I recall some info that Stone IPA was mashed at what seemed like a ridiculously high mash temp around 162F.

Interesting. All of the clone recipes I've seen say to mash at 149F. I assume that's why the OP did it that way.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

All of the clone recipes I've seen say to mash at 149F

The BYO Stone IPA clone recipe (which mashes at 149F) was published in late 2008. My guess is that many/most of the "cloud" recipes are based on that recipe.

Over in the internet archives, at Stone's site, there is this article (link) from late 2008.

And, for those who have Mitch Steele's IPA book (2012), the book also has a Stone IPA clone recipe.

 

[Lenny555]

Hello and thanks for the info Cascades, the sierra nevada torpedo which i really like is mashed at 155 for 90 minutes based off their website so i will try that temp next.

Water chemestry is something i will try to look at next this will be my third all grain so early days for me do you have any regular additives you use in your water?

 

[Lenny555]

Thanks Brewn just purchased the book off Amazon.

 

[Nate R]

I read the subject ( IPA Beer Body ) and i had to laugh, as i indeed DO have a body scuplted/ formed by drinking (probably too much) IPA!
Ok- so that's off topic, my bad.

However- i see you mentioned water chemistry is your next foray... my guess is you will have more 'luck' and/or more control over your desired outcome from the water focua than a few degrees of mash temp adjustments.
Just my $0.02.

Now if you'll excuse me... i'm gonna go work on MY ipa Beer Body some more.

 

[Jag75]

Ive mash in at 149 and then bump to 152 . Try a little Munich in your grain bill.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Interesting. All of the clone recipes I've seen say to mash at 149F. I assume that's why the OP did it that way.

Now that I think of it...it was the Lagunitas IPA from "Can You Brew It" where they instructed to mash at 160F.

 

[hottpeper13]

I agree with the "add a little munich" and I have also been doing small beers with an OG of 1.038- 1.044, like bitters and such that need a malt profile. I've found that mashing at 154 for 45 min gives me what I'm looking for. I found this out when I do the big brew day and teach a buddy to brew day with my gypsy setup for a short a not so shoddy. 45 min mash and boil, couldn't be easier.

 

[tdf]

The Stone IPA of 2024 is quite a bit different than 2008. From the Stone website, the hops are now

Magnum
Chinook
Centennial
Azacca
Calypso
Ella & Vic Secret™

As far body, the Stone house yeast isn't quite wlp002 or wlp007. They seem to get high attenuation (80%+) with a really low mash temperature while still leaving what they call (and I agree) medium body. Sometime in the past 10 years they released an unfiltered Enjoy By and I brewed a couple of beers with yeast from the bottles. I only did a side-by-side comparison with 007 but I got a lot more yeast character and perceived body from the Stone yeast.

It looks like they periodically do an unfiltered Enjoy By, the most recent was released last November. Keep your eye out!
https://www.stonebrewing.com/beer/stone-enjoy-ipa-series/stone-enjoy-010124-unfiltered-ipa

 

[MaxStout]

Mash higher as others have mentioned, and/or add a pound of flaked barley.

 

[sibelman]

Increased body (or mouthfeel?)? Higher temp mash was my first thought. Crystal/oats/flaked barley/Munich additions seemed like the other obvious idea.

But I was intrigued by the suggestions (from @CascadesBrewer & @Nate R) that minerals (aka water chemistry) could be an important contributor to body/mouthfeel. John Palmer doesn't mention this in his "Increasing the Body" section (How to Brew, 4th edition, page 430-431.) But a bit of searching shows that others do. For example, Matt Giovanisci's web site brewcabin.com includes these statements (the author calls them "an oversimplification"):

"The more chloride, the more malt flavors shine. Enhances fullness and malt sweetness (thick mouthfeel). The more sulfate, the more hops bitterness shines. Produces a drier or crispier beer (thin mouthfeel)."

Also, Palmer makes similar statements about chloride and sulfate in a water chemistry chapter (op. cit., pp 337-338).

Do others agree with these claims?

 

[sibelman]

In addition to testing results, my water supplier offers this info for homebrewers.

 

[Nate R]

In addition to testing results, my water supplier offers this info for homebrewers.

Well THAT's awesome! What a great service!
Hmmmm.... i wonder- is this yet ANOTHER reason for me to move up North? To California your Washington, if you will????

 

[sibelman]

reason for me to move up North

Water was part of my decisions to move (and then move back) to the Pacific Northwest.

Also, there's been a lot of great beer here for many years. Including (back to the thread topic, sort of) an IPA (Bridgeport) that, back in the '90s, won the gold in a British competition, back before "West Coast IPA" was a category.

 

[Willy]

Gday gang

Ive done an all grain Stone IPA clone and the one thing id like or cant acheive is the body characteristic as im after something very full bodied.

What can i add to acheived this recipe below, thanks in advance.

12.5 lbs. (5.67 kg) 2-row pale malt

1 lb. (0.45 kg) crystal malt (15 °L)

6 AAU Magnum hops (90 min.) (0.43 oz./12 g of 14% alpha acids)

4.5 AAU Perle hops (60 min.) (0.64 oz./18 g of 7% alpha acids)

2 oz. (57 g) Centennial hops (15 min.)

1 oz. (28 g) Centennial whole hops (dry hops)

0.5 oz. (14 g) Chinook whole hops (dry hops)

1 tsp. Irish moss (15 min.)

White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast (1.5 qt./1.5 L yeast starter)

7⁄8 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Mash grains at 149 °F (65 °C) for 60 minutes. Collect wort and boil for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Cool, aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). Dry hop for 3–5 days

For more body, I might move the pale ale down to 10-11.5 lbs and use some Munich (or Vienna is you want more biscuit taste) and some carapils. (Or flaked barley/oats).

I also mash out for 10 min at 170°F and cold crash slowly, 3-5 ° F per day. Hope this helps