IPA with Idaho 7 and Amarillo

[Alf34]

Good morning brewers

I plan on brewing an American IPA with Idaho 7 and Amarillo. So far I have used Idaho 7 a couples of times, always in single hop IPAs, and I have been extremely pleased with the results. Very strong and intense aroma and flavour. Blood orange and tangerine, papaya, very resiny. Some peach and mango also in the background. Overall intense and complexe.

I figured that the orangey notes of Amarillo would pair really well here.

By the way I am a big fan of those more old school West Coast IPA, piny, resiny, citrusy, some caramel in the background. In this case Idaho 7 definetly brings some tropical notes as well that I find very nice.

How would to build a recipe with all that in mind?

First I am not sure about that the ratio of those two hops. I was thinking about doing 2:1 of Idaho and Amarillo, allowing Idaho to be the main actor and Amarillo lifting it up. Would you maybe do 50/50 instead?

Also im not sure about the grain bill. I like to use up to 5% crystal 40 in my westies, I think it pairs really well with that citrusy/resiny profile. In this case I am not so sure because of the tropical notes that Idaho is bringing. Tropical and caramel would clash I think.

Thanks for your insights!

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I would go for 2:1 Idaho to Amarillo, bitter with Idaho, Whirlpool with both and Dry Hop with both. Grain would be 95% Pale Malt, 5% Medium Crystal Malt. Yeast US-05 if dry.

 

[Jag75]

Agreed with the 2:1 Idaho to Amarillo. Personally I like bittering with Magnum , but Idaho 7 definitely can be used as a bittering hop. Have you ever used Munich in your IPAs? The grain bill is use is 2 row, Munich, and crystal 10/15.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I assume you mean Pale Malt when you say 2 row, all British Malts are 2 row. No I haven’t used Munich in an IPA but I think it would work well at around 10%.

 

[HM-2]

I would personally lean 1:1 or 3:2 Idaho/Amarillo and also agree with Magnum for main bittering.

With my West Coast beers I tend to do small (10-20g) 15m and 5m additions of my aroma hops as I think this adds to depth of flavour.

My current grain bill of choice is 87% base malt (I prefer MO or GP), 10% Munich I, and 3% Crystal. I've had really good recent success with Simpsons Red Rye Crystal (about 100°L) at 3% in my westies. Nice orange hue, slightly dry biscuit/nutty note and less perceived crystal sweetness than a higher proportion of lighter crystal barley.

 

[BrewerofBeers]

You're on the right track pairing Idaho 7 and Amarillo. A 2:1 ratio keeps Idaho 7 dominant with its intense resinous, citrus, and tropical profile, while Amarillo adds bright orange and floral notes without overpowering. For the grain bill, stick with mostly pale malt, 5–8% Munich or Vienna for depth, and just 3–5% Crystal 20–40 for a subtle caramel touch — enough to nod to West Coast roots without clashing with the tropical character. Aim for 60–70 IBUs using a clean bittering hop like Magnum, and focus your Idaho 7 and Amarillo additions in the whirlpool and dry hop. Use a clean Chico-type yeast and a sulfate-forward water profile (e.g., SO₄ ~200 ppm, Cl ~50 ppm) to enhance dryness, bitterness, and hop punch. This approach should give you a bold, resinous IPA that blends classic West Coast character with modern fruit-forward intensity.