IPA hopping question

[Tilldeath]

So I'm gonna be brewing my first ipa, but I'm having some confusion on how to do my recipe. The ipa I'm doing a clone of doesn't have any info or recipe any where I've looked. I talked with the brewmaster at the brewery an he won't give me the recipe, but he did tell me the ingredients. So my question is, when I pulg in the hops used I get right about 4oz of hops in the boil to end with my desired 65ibu. However to my understanding the ibu calculators are a bit off and I should shoot higher on my ibu's than what I want for my actual because of utalization. What do you guys think??

 

[Yeastie]

I think you can't make a beer without a recipe. It doesn't sound like you have much to go on. Why don't you pick an IPA from the recipe database or from a source online, there are hundreds of recipes I'm sure there are some out there better than the one you are trying to clone.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

If you want to clone a beer, but don't have the exact recipe, you'll need to do a lot of trial and error brews. I tried cloning a beer without the recipe once, and was way off, even though I had the list of ingredients from the brewer. I'm still interested in perfecting it since I loved the beer, but it takes a lot of time - and a lot of batches - to get it close enough to be considered a clone.

 

[Tilldeath]

I have decided this is something I would like to get as close to perfect, since it is one of my favorite IPA's, it is Titan IPA by Great Divide Brewery, I was told this ingredient list. American 2-row and 5% crystal 75, Hops used are Simcoe and amarillo for bittering, Amarillo for flavor, and Columbus for aroma at the end of the boil and for dry hopping 5days. That is my guideline, I know from what is on the bottle it is 7.1% and 65 IBU's, If I do the recipe according to this I'll only use about 2.5 lb. hops in the boil, and I feel like for an IPA I need more, also like I said I've heard that even though the calculator says 100 IBU it may be more like 50IBU so upping the hops seems ok. Here's what I'm thinking about going with in my first attempt.

Sky of Green-IPA

Volume At Pitching: 5.28 US gals Volume Of Finished Beer: 5.02 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.003 SG Expected OG: 1.070 SG
Expected FG: 1.017 SG Apparent Attenuation: 75.0 %
Expected ABV: 7.1 % Expected ABW: 5.6 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 147.0 IBU Expected Color (using Mosher): 8.6 SRM
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 68 degF


US Caramel 60L Malt 0.75 lb 8.6 % 8.5 In Mash/Steeped
Extract - Light Dried Malt Extract 8.00 lb 91.4 % 4.5 End Of Boil


Hops
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
US Simcoe 12.2 % 1.00 oz 66.9 Loose Pellet Hops 60 Min From End
US Amarillo 9.9 % 1.00 oz 49.8 Loose Pellet Hops 45 Min From End
US Amarillo 9.9 % 1.00 oz 26.9 Loose Pellet Hops 15 Min From End
US Columbus(Tomahawk) 14.2 % 1.00 oz 3.4 Loose Pellet Hops 1 Min From End
US Columbus(Tomahawk) 14.2 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Bagged Pellet Hops Dry-Hopped

Yeast
DCL US-05 (formerly US-56) SafAle


give me some help on this one guys I could really use it, and for those that haven't had this beer before it is piney on the front, with a mild citrus note to it, light on malt, with a lasting lighter bitter finish.

 

[Yooper]

147 IBUs? Wow. That'll be a very bitter beer, from all those bittering hops.

I'd shoot for hopping more like this:

US Simcoe 12.2 % .75 ounces, 60 minutes
US Amarillo 9.9 % .50 Hops 15 Min From End
US Amarillo 9.9 % .50 oz 10 minutes
Amarillo .50 ounce 5 minutes
US Columbus(Tomahawk) .50 ounce 1 minute

US Columbus(Tomahawk) 14.2 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Bagged Pellet Hops Dry-Hopped

I've never had that beer, of course, but I wouldn't go over about 60 IBUs at the most with that malt bill. You can move some amarillo to bittering, too, if you want, of course. That is just a suggestion of the flavor/aroma hops. If you want big hops flavor and aroma, you will want more late additions, and not so many early hops.

 

[Tilldeath]

Anyone?? Could use some input from the more experienced IPAers out there.

 

[A4J]

However to my understanding the ibu calculators are a bit off and I should shoot higher on my ibu's than what I want for my actual because of utilization.

Why do you say that?

I agree with Yoop, your hop schedule is way off.

Are you doing full boils? partial boils? late extract addition? Beersmith will adjust the IBU calc based on density of the wort which is based on whether you do full boils, partial boils or late addition, which in turn affects hop utilization.

The hop schedule that weirdboy and I posted in your other thread is right on I think based on the descriptions you've given, but we've never tried the Titan IPA there's gonna have to be some trial and error on your part. The 60 minute hops are there for bitterness and the 30 minutes to knockout are there for flavor and aroma and since we don't know how it tastes or smells, that's where you'll have to come in and tinker with it.

 

[luvhopps]

See if this will work for you, it is similar to a beer that I brew. Mine starts off a little sweet and then a nice smooth bitterness comes in. This hits the ABV and the IBU's that you posted.




Batch Size: 5.50 gal Assistant Brewer:
Boil Volume: 6.30 gal Boil Time: 60 min
Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating (50 possible points): 35.0

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.50 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 47.37 % 3 min. left
4.25 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 44.74 %
0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 7.89 %
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [9.90 %] (20 min) Hops 17.0 IBU
1.00 oz Simcoe [12.20 %] (20 min) Hops 20.9 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [9.90 %] (10 min) Hops 10.1 IBU
1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.20 %] (1 min) Hops 1.7 IBU
1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [12.20 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops
1 Pkgs Nottingham Yeast (Lallemand #-) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.070 SG (1.044-1.048 SG)
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.017 SG (1.008-1.014 SG) Estimated Color: 12.0 SRM (12.7-33.0 SRM) Color [Color]
Bitterness: 65.0 IBU (25.0-40.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 22.1 AAU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 7.00 % (4.50-5.00 %) Actual Alcohol by Volume: 0.65 %
Actual Calories: 43 cal/pint

 

[Tilldeath]

Why do you say that?

I agree with Yoop, your hop schedule is way off.

Are you doing full boils? partial boils? late extract addition? Beersmith will adjust the IBU calc based on density of the wort which is based on whether you do full boils, partial boils or late addition, which in turn affects hop utilization.

The hop schedule that weirdboy and I posted in your other thread is right on I think based on the descriptions you've given, but we've never tried the Titan IPA there's gonna have to be some trial and error on your part. The 60 minute hops are there for bitterness and the 30 minutes to knockout are there for flavor and aroma and since we don't know how it tastes or smells, that's where you'll have to come in and tinker with it.

Only reason I worry bout hop utalization is that I posted this question in another forum with the original recipe you posted, and was told I needed way more hops like 3x that amount. So I thought I might try to split tge difference. Seeing as how this is a homebrew forum and I trust oppinions here more than the other board I figured before I commit an brew this Saturday I should run it by one more time. But if you all are confident in your oppinion about the calculators like beersmith, I use BA with tinseth conversion I'll go with the original recipe, cause my adjuste recipe was 140ish IBU way higher than target.

 

[Yooper]

Anyone?? Could use some input from the more experienced IPAers out there.

You're probably right to ask others. I only make IPAs every two weeks, only 120 gallons a year. There are probably more experienced IPAers that might tell you what you want to hear.

 

[niko]

You're probably right to ask others. I only make IPAs every two weeks, only 120 gallons a year. There are probably more experienced IPAers that might tell you what you want to hear.

I'm sure he didn't mean that Yoop. But if he didn't, not cool..

 

[Tilldeath]

Yeah no disrespect, just an un easy Newbie here lol. Will be toning it down to tge original recipe and adjust as nessesary for future batches, just anxious to make this and want it to be as good as it could possibly be.

 

[phasedweasel]

You're probably right to ask others. I only make IPAs every two weeks, only 120 gallons a year. There are probably more experienced IPAers that might tell you what you want to hear.

He's looking for folks who brewed for the REAL India Pale Ale: That's right, brewers who's product sailed the high seas, comforting English sailors after typhoons and being served at 90° in Bombay.

 

[l1ranger]

Will be toning it down to tge original recipe and adjust as nessesary for future batches, just anxious to make this and want it to be as good as it could possibly be.

I'm a newbie too, but this is the right track, IMO.

I just got around to brewing my own - but I've done a million (slight exaggeration ) DIY type stuffs - and its all a trial and error process.

i once heard, "keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouth shut - you'll learn a lot more that way"

so, go with the original and see how it turns out. chances are, it won't be quite right, but it'll be good, b/c its beer, and you made it.
and you'll find somethign is off, or missing, and you'll make adjustments and you'll learn stuff.
learning is worth more than making the perfect clone. you can always go buy the original, but you won't learn anything from that.