Need some help creating a recipe

[boochuckles]

I started brewing a little while ago and have made a few kits. I have made 1 extract recipe and I am waiting for it the finish in the secondary. It's a Northern Brewers (60min) /Cascade (5min). I am a fan of the IPA and most of the kits I tired have been such. They are coming out with just a bit too much bitter and not enough aroma hops. I'd like to try something that has some bitter to it but still has a hint of malt and has that nice hoppy finish. I'd like to do something mainly DME based but I know I'll have to steep a little bit to get that malt I'm looking for. Last night I opened my first bottle of a Columbus/Centennial IPA. I boiled the Columbus for 30 mins and the Centennial @ 5 mins. The Columbus came through strong with only a hint of Centennial. The last 2 crafts I bought had Magnum and Warrior as the bittering hop and those were not what I was looking for.

I brew in 2.5 gallon batches, and was thinking something like:

2.5-3# Light DME
1# crystal (maybe? IDK) @ 154 for an hour
1oz bittering hop? 60min
1/2oz cascade/centennial/amarillo 5min
1 package US-05

Would I want to dry hop? Is that going to bring more of the flavor I am looking for out?

 

[Yooper]

A pound of crystal is a LOT in a half sized batch. Heck, that's a lot for an IPA in a 5 gallon batch. If you like malt backbone, I'd suggest using Munich malt (you can do it just as crystal malt, as it can self convert) for the malt flavor without cloying sweetness.

An IPA is hoppy, but it's usually firmly bitter as well. Can you name a commercial IPA you like, so that we can think of what you're shooting for in the malt and IBUs?

 

[boochuckles]

hopsecutioner, anything from lagunitas, 60min 90min 120min. It has been quite some time since I was drinking IPA regularly. Lately we have been going with my old fall back beer.... Miller High Life Light! :rockin: Love that stuff sadly enough. My favorite everyday beer.

Hopsecutioner is hands down my favorite. I don't want to try something that complex yet. I figured learn a little each batch and improve from there.

so more like maybe a 1/4-1/2 pound malt?

 

[Yooper]

hopsecutioner, anything from lagunitas, 60min 90min 120min. It has been quite some time since I was drinking IPA regularly. Lately we have been going with my old fall back beer.... Miller High Life Light! :rockin: Love that stuff sadly enough. My favorite everyday beer.

Hopsecutioner is hands down my favorite. I don't want to try something that complex yet. I figured learn a little each batch and improve from there.

so more like maybe a 1/4-1/2 pound malt?

I don't know "hopsecutioner", but I have a recipe posted for a simple DFH 60 minute clone (on the left, under my avatar, in the recipe pull-down).