IPA Help

[VagabondBrew]

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Size: 8.38 gal
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (15 Gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (10 Gal)
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.00

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
13.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 89.70 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 06.90 %
8.00 oz Munich Malt - 10L (40.0 SRM) Grain 03.40 %
0.50 oz Summit [17.50 %] (60 min) Hops 23.7 IBU
0.50 oz Summit [17.50 %] (30 min) Hops 18.2 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo [8.50 %] (20 min) Hops 7.0 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo [8.50 %] (10 min) Hops 4.9 IBU
0.50 oz Crystal [3.50 %] (5 min) Hops 0.9 IBU

2.00 oz Crystal [3.50 %] (2 weeks) Dry Hops
1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.065 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.2 %
Bitterness: 60.0 IBU
Est Color: 9.6 SRM

Any suggestions? Mainly looking at the grain build. I really want a balanced grain build that doesn't impart sweet flavors or anything too strong. Just a hoppy bitter easy going IPA is the end result. Also plan at mashing @152 for 60min.

 

[frod1963]

Looks pretty good. I have had good luck with simple grain bill IpA's like yours. Maybe take one ounce of the crystal and move it from a dry addition to a flame out addition. All of my favorite IpA's have 60-70 percent of the ibu's coming from 20 minutes or less left in the boil.

 

[Calder]

Amount Item Type % or IBU
13.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 89.70 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 06.90 %
8.00 oz Munich Malt - 10L (40.0 SRM) Grain 03.40 %
0.50 oz Summit [17.50 %] (60 min) Hops 23.7 IBU
0.50 oz Summit [17.50 %] (30 min) Hops 18.2 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo [8.50 %] (20 min) Hops 7.0 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo [8.50 %] (10 min) Hops 4.9 IBU
0.50 oz Crystal [3.50 %] (5 min) Hops 0.9 IBU

2.00 oz Crystal [3.50 %] (2 weeks) Dry Hops
1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.065 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.2 %
Bitterness: 60.0 IBU
Est Color: 9.6 SRM

Any suggestions? Mainly looking at the grain build. I really want a balanced grain build that doesn't impart sweet flavors or anything too strong. Just a hoppy bitter easy going IPA is the end result. Also plan at mashing @152 for 60min.

Simple grain bill looks good.

I like my IPAs drier. I'd mash 148/150. I would also think of replacing 1.5 lbs of grain with simple table sugar to help dry it out more (wait for flames from purists). That's a low attenuating yeast, so might need some help.

I have never really understood what 20 and 30 minutes hop additions really do. I would push them earlier (if you are after bittering), or later to get their flavor. Maybe move both your 20 and 30 minute additions to FWH (I recommend adjusting your brew program to treat them as 20 minute additions for bittering, since it is not as bold).

I have never used Crystal. It may be a great hop, but I know Amarillo works great as a dry hop.

 

[brewtus_]

Curious on the use of 1968 yeast and what you're trying to achieve with it. Any reason not to use 1056 or 1028 since these will attenuate more and give you a drier, less sweet beer?

 

[VagabondBrew]

I'm looking at
Summit = Bitter
Amarillo = flavor
Crystal = aroma

Friend and I have been talking about the flavor and aroma hops a lot lately and have been considering FWH or after flame hops or even a hop rocket to help.

I've brewed this as a similar recipe and have been trying to adjust to get a better taste. Its always been so-so but trying to make it better. I'm not set on the yeast and its been awhile since I originally put this together so I don't remember why I chose that yeast and will look into some of the others. If I keep with the London I have been thinking of doing 2 125ml packs per 5 gallons to make sure I don't under pitch and actually get the gravity where it needs.

Just wanted others opinions on the recipe =]

 

[HOPCousin]

Maybe consider moving your crystal 60 back to 5% to dry it out a bit more. That's still a little sweet. Also what hop flavor are you looking for? more fruitiness or a dryer bitterness with less fruit? I second the idea of moving the crystal to flameout and maybe do your additions at 60, 45, 30, 15 to make it dryer and less fruity but still maintain flavor. Consider WLP 007 or WLP 001 for your Yeast which will make it dryer?

Maybe a grain bill of:

89% 2 row
4% white wheat Malt
3-4% Munich 10L
3% Crystal 60

Just some random thoughts and experience. I've been trying to dry out my IPA's a bit more as well and this approach seems to have worked for me

This is a nice dry IPA. The wheat helps with head retention and body without adding sweetness.

Hope its helpful

 

[Piratwolf]

I'd definitely agree on dropping the crystal to about 3% , especially on an IPA that's only about 6% ABV, and also on subbing the Munich to get a little complexity.

 

[VagabondBrew]

So what I'm getting is
Pale 85% + of grain bill
Crystal - tone down because it will impart sweet flavors. Probably 3%
Munich - Increase? Or Should I also keep around 3%?
lastly other than the white wheat is there any other grains I should consider?

I am wanting the beer to have 6.0 + ABVs 60 - 65 IBUS and very least 7 SRM, could go a little higher.

 

[HOPCousin]

It's up to you. But I would go somewhere between 3-6% Munich. Keep your crystal low and adjust in your calculator to have the profile you like. You could... if you like gypsum salt use that to enhance bitterness and dryness of the beer. Have you experimented with that at all? It' not my favorite thing but others get a more pronounced bitterness and dryness with this addition to the boil.

 

[HOPCousin]

as far as other grains you could use vienna, even a tiny bit of roasted barley like .5% can impart a dryer flavor. Check out other IPA recipes down in the recipe's section. You could also do a 60,50,40,30,20 minute hop schedule of equal amount to get a dryer/ more bitter hop profile.

 

[snowveil]

for my quick 2c....


From the few recipes in which I've used Summit, it seems to lend itself better to late additions than early additions. Personally I'd switch the crystal to bittering and summit to a late addition. Summit is a love-it-or-hate-it hop variety, and some have had better luck using it as a late addition (less oniony flavor, more tangerine).

Looks pretty good otherwise...as others have said, keep the crystal malt pretty low and you're looking spot on.

 

[VagabondBrew]

Here are the changes I've made so far to this. Looking at Brewing within the next couple weeks.
5 gallon batch in the end.

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
13 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 89.7 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3.4 %
8.0 oz Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 3.4 %
8.0 oz White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 3.4 %

0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 8.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Summit [11.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 31.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Summit [11.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 11.9 IBUs
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [10.40 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 8.5 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [10.40 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 5.6 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 0.0 IBUs

2.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 ml] Yeast

2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 0.0 IBUs

Est Original Gravity: 1.065 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.7 %
Bitterness: 65.2 IBUs
Est Color: 7.4 SRM
Mashing at 152F for 60min

 

[Calder]

Looks good. Not too much crystal, a nice clean attenuating yeast, and lots and lots and lots of hops!

 

[HOPCousin]

It will definately be a dry bite with your last flavor addition at 20 min. Looks good let us know how it turns out.

 

[rjschroed]

cascade as a dry hop I like, as a bittering hop (FWH) I don't like. I like your original hop schedule and your new malt bill. FWIW, I'm a big fan of 001 for my IPAs. I like mashing IPAs at 152 with a yeast with good attenuation properties. Also, I know a lot of people who say 1056 and 001 are the same yeast. . . except, and trust me, they are not. 001 seems to finish drier.

 

[VagabondBrew]

Finally was able to brew this.

Couldn't find Summit hops so I subbed with Zeus. I continue to have mashing problems and hitting my temp.
Problem - I boil the water to what brewsmith says then add the water and grain then it drops it 10 degrees below target temp.
Anyways, brought the temp up from 140F to 148F and let it set for 60min. Pre Boil Gravity and OG were low probably because of this. The color looks amazing already and looking forward to dry hopping. Depending how it turns out I may update.

 

[rjschroed]

whats your exact process like when you go to mash in? Are you preheating your mash tun or accounting for the heat loss due the temp of the mash tun and grain?

 

[VagabondBrew]

So I've figured out the mash problem and have been great temps and conversion now. I made this recipe and it was finally done carbonating and did not turn out well at all. I have a bitter taste on the front pallet but not much else. I do not have any aroma or flavor.

I seem to keep having issues with flavor.

I am brewing this again Sunday with the only changes being the yeast. Going to White Labs 001 and using 4oz for 5 days on the dry hopping. Any suggestions to this recipe before I brew it Sunday?

 

[jaynik]

Try different bittering hops. Fwh might smooth it out. Not sure I would brew this recipe again if you know you don't like it. Either change the hops or at least move the post 60 hops toward the end of the boil.

 

[ashplub]

Hops are good ....hops are great...hops will stave off the ingrates.

 

[RitsiGators]

I would change up the recipe if you did not like how it came out. What was the OG and FG for you last batch? It could have dried out too much. Also I would think about upping the flavor and aroma additions during the boil and maybe even cutting down on the bittering additions if you keep the same malt bill.