American IPA Michigan IPA

[Jimbodaman]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

US-05

Yeast Starter

No

Batch Size (Gallons)

5.5

Original Gravity

1.063

Final Gravity

1.010

Boiling Time (Minutes)

62

IBU

59.5

Color

Amber/Orange

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

10 at 65F

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

Dry hopped for 6 days at 70F

Tasting Notes

Light on palate, smooth bitterness, grapefruit smell, grainy malt character

Malt Bill
12lbs. Am. 2 row (Rahr)
0.5lbs Special B
0.2lbs Saurmalz (acid malt for pH adjustment)

Mash at 146F for 90 min (yes 146F to dry it out w/out sugar)

Hop schedule
1 oz Galena pellets 13.8AA (60 min)
2 oz Cascade whole leaf 8.1AA (5 min)
1 oz Cascade whole leaf 8.1AA (0min)
2 oz Cascade Pellets 5.6AA dry hop 6 days

Note: I squeeze the hop bags with the whole cones in them to decrease hop absorption. (sanitized rubber gloves of course)


Water
Ca 56 ppm
Mg 9 ppm
Na 6 ppm
Cl 43 ppm
SO4 26 ppm
Mash pH 5.50
Most importantly in order of importance:make sure water is dechlorinated (add campden tablet), mash pH is 5.2-5.6, and SO4/Cl ratio is around 0.5.

Comments: Don't let the simplicity of the recipe fool you this is a complex beer! The cascades are the star of show with intense grapefruit aroma and citrusy flavor that melds well with the solid malt backbone. Malt character is pilsner-esque, grainy and a tad sweet but not cloying whatsoever. Dangerously easy to drink with the light body and more rounded mouthfeel (possibly due to the water).

Bottle conditioned to 2.8 Volumes of CO2.

Entering this into a local homebrew competition (BJCP sanctioned) I will post the official results.

Sorry for rotated picture not sure how to fix that

 

[Jimbodaman]

I should add that the special B was intentionally added for a dark fruit/plum/fig character. I'm not sure if this came through but the special B character was a low risk option that seemed to add just a touch of sweetness that works well for my palate. Cheers