IPA Recipe advice needed

[Jel91]

Newb here. This will be my 5th batch ever, my first time using my own recipe and and also first time using flaked oats, Columbus and Mosaic. What I'm aiming for is bitter, dank, fruitbomb with medium body but I'm not sure about my amount of oats and also proportions of columbus/mosaic.

Could someone tell me if this combination makes sense?
And do you steep oats with the rest of the grains or add them later? I've seen some recipes where they're added later on.

 

[knollybru]

Nope you mash everything together. Oats and all. My advice would be to dial back the Munich malt to maybe 5-8% of the grain bill. I’ve tried Munich many times in hop forward beers and it just gets in the way at high percentages.

As for hops, Mosaic and CTZ are good. Most people on this forum will tell you to drop the 25 minute additions and add them to the existing flameout charge that you have. Which is good advice I’d say. Alternatively, you could keep the 25 min hops and drop the 60 min CTZ charge. As it stands, your recipe will be pretty bitter with such large additions at 60 and 25 minutes.

On my last several hoppy beers, I’ve waited till 30 mins left in the boil and add around 30-35 IBU of Magnum or CTZ and like the results. I think your on the right track though.

 

[kh54s10]

I would do as suggested - move the 25 minute additions to flame out. I don't know what software that is, but it shows 0 IBU from the 0 minute additions. That is wrong, they will give you some. If you move the 25 minute to 0 you should still be about the same as what that program says.

 

[Jel91]

Nope you mash everything together. Oats and all. My advice would be to dial back the Munich malt to maybe 5-8% of the grain bill. I’ve tried Munich many times in hop forward beers and it just gets in the way at high percentages.

As for hops, Mosaic and CTZ are good. Most people on this forum will tell you to drop the 25 minute additions and add them to the existing flameout charge that you have. Which is good advice I’d say. Alternatively, you could keep the 25 min hops and drop the 60 min CTZ charge. As it stands, your recipe will be pretty bitter with such large additions at 60 and 25 minutes.

On my last several hoppy beers, I’ve waited till 30 mins left in the boil and add around 30-35 IBU of Magnum or CTZ and like the results. I think your on the right track though.

I used 25 min additions in previous batches because some hop utilization charts say it's the best time for hops to impart flavor, but I often see people on here saying to drop it, so I will this time.

My last batch was at 68 IBU's and it wasn't bitter enough for my taste. However, I used centennial then, and the same app to calculate, so maybe the calculations were off.

Since it's my first batch with Columbus, it might be wiser to try for the same charge, so I dialed it back to 70.

Thank you for the suggestions!

 

[Jel91]

I would do as suggested - move the 25 minute additions to flame out. I don't know what software that is, but it shows 0 IBU from the 0 minute additions. That is wrong, they will give you some. If you move the 25 minute to 0 you should still be about the same as what that program says.

The app is called 'Wort' and I've heard good things about it, so I installed it. I also thought it was weird, so I'll have to switch to a better one.

 

[ProblemChild]

+1 to above.

I would reduce Munich to the range mentioned above.
Your hop combination is good. Although I would move to, or add Citra to the flameout addition
Agree with moving hops to later in the boil. I find the better hop flavor comes as late boil additions. You currently have a firmly bitter beer that is potentially a little off balance with regard to hop flavor and bitterness.

Additionally: The flame out will continue to add bitterness as long as the wort is above 170°F. Your other hops will also continue to add bitterness for the same reason. If you can chill quickly, the IBU's are minimal. If it takes 20 min to get there on its own, then you have added a lot of bitterness.

 

[Gravity]

+1 to above.

I would reduce Munich to the range mentioned above.
Your hop combination is good. Although I would move to, or add Citra to the flameout addition
Agree with moving hops to later in the boil. I find the better hop flavor comes as late boil additions. You currently have a firmly bitter beer that is potentially a little off balance with regard to hop flavor and bitterness.

Additionally: The flame out will continue to add bitterness as long as the wort is above 170°F. Your other hops will also continue to add bitterness for the same reason. If you can chill quickly, the IBU's are minimal. If it takes 20 min to get there on its own, then you have added a lot of bitterness.

+1

way to much munich -try the range of 5-10 %

 

[CascadesBrewer]

The app is called 'Wort' and I've heard good things about it, so I installed it. I also thought it was weird, so I'll have to switch to a better one.

BeerSmith does the exact same thing...I guess it thinks you add the hops and drop the temp to pitching temps immediately.

 

[ProblemChild]

For beersmith 3.0, I enter flame out additions as Whirlpool additions. That way, it accounts for time at temperature. Maybe not as accurately as wanted, but better than having it think there is zero IBU addition.

 

[kh54s10]

Timing of hop additions tell determine whether the hops give bitterness or aroma and flavor. The earlier in the boil the more they add to bitterness and less to aroma and flavor. They still add to bitterness until the temperature is below 170 degrees. But a lot more to aroma and flavor.

In Beersmith 3.0 I believe there is a place where you can adjust the way it calculates whirlpool IBU contribution, I have to go back and look.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

For beersmith 3.0, I enter flame out additions as Whirlpool additions. That way, it accounts for time at temperature. Maybe not as accurately as wanted, but better than having it think there is zero IBU addition.

Sometimes I think about the best way to model the IBUs in BeerSmith for flameout hops. You could probably mark them as 5 min additions, or mark them with a steep time. You are probably closer either way, and it messes with the brew day timer (I use the mobile version).

But since IBU calculations are unreliable for whirlpool, steep and even 60 min additions and lots of studies point that IBUs don't reliably measure perceived bitterness, it makes me think that it is not even worth it. I have not brewed many beers with large late hop additions, but I just never feel that IBUs from late hop additions ever add much perceived bitterness vs say a 2 oz addition of CTZ at 60 min does.

The Master Brewers Podcast has had some interesting episodes about hopping, dry hopping, and IBUs.

 

[govner1]

With a kilo+ of oats I'd definitely add some rice hulls or you'll have a helluva stuck sparge. Match the volume of hulls to the volume of oats and you'll have the correct amount .

 

[Jel91]

Thank you everyone for your great advice. This is what I ended up doing. It tastes great!