Not Your Fathers IPA: Brewing IPAs Reminiscent of Todays Greats

[sintral]

Was really hoping this information culminated in a few recipes highlighting the various combinations mentioned.

 

[MtnHiBrewin]

@ mOOps-great article, I totally agree with keg hop additions. I've left them in until the keg empties and have never had grassy or vegetal flavors, either.
I'd love a great session IPA recipe. It seems like most of my best beers are higher alcohol for some reason. Thanks.

 

[greghershner]

Great article! +1 on keg additions left inside. Thanks

 

[CBelli]

Great article.... you hit the nail on the head for me... I adopted a "no 60 minute addition and huge hop stands at 170 degrees" after attending a Hop seminar at the Philadelphia AHA a couple years ago and have not looked back since!!

 

[m00ps]

@EMH5
I usually mix stuff up but emphasize different areas. In what I guess I'd call my "house" IPA for instance, I use a lot of Belma and Pacific Gem for the flavor additions, but focus more on citra and an experimental hop for aroma. I kind of spread out each hop over the flameout, later hopstand, dry hops, and keg additions based on what I'd like to emphasize

 

[EMH5]

@m00ps - Thanks!

 

[CUrchin]

Nice article. I am in the skip the crystal camp!

 

[vihila]

Awesome article! Great tips. Now I want to try out some different yeast strains. Water chemistry and whirlpool/hopstand were the two biggest things that helped my IPA's. I did a batch with only whirlpool hops (180 degree) and it was my best IPA yet. For IBU calculation, I use 8% for flameout and 3% for 180 degree.

 

[itsratso]

I followed every "rule" for making ipa's and all of mine were terrible. it wasn't until out of desperation I tried to do something I didn't think could make a big difference - I figured out a system to do O2 free transfers. finally can make an ipa that I can be happy about.

 

[Bamsdealer]

Very well written and years of brewing ipas brought me to many of the same tactics you employ. Number one in my mind is what kegging has done for my ipas. I like wheat in my ipas, but I'm settling on oats more and more. I love the silky mouthful and it seems to keep that hop resin character hanging around my mouth longer.

 

[Wahoo]

@odorf I think that's just his tower-- in other words, the beer isn't actually touching the black steel.

 

[m00ps]

yeah thats just my tower. I have 3/16 bevflex ultra (or whatever its called)lines running loose through it. I found the idea and parts list on a blog. I made a topic about it
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=542066

 

[ltito8080]

Could I see your recipes also?

 

[MaineLotus]

Could I also see he OJ IPA recipe?

 

[m00ps]

I ended up posting it in the recipe section due to the number of requests. Just a warning, do not look at it if you're even the slightest bit hop squeamish
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=7315158#post7315158

 

[radwizard]

@mOOps Have you tried using Dark Candy Sugar in your Black IPAs? I am working on a CDA right now and think some of these IPA techniques would really kick ass for a darker IPA. I read your tips on a black IPA, but you didn't mention the use of sugars? are you using the same volumes in there as you IPA's?
Good stuff in the article. My IPAs have improved a great deal using some of this stuff.

 

[masonsjax]

Great tips!
I also spent a lot of time chasing the huge hop flavor and aroma found in my favorite commercial examples. Two factors were key in getting me there:
1) Water chemistry
Get a test done and use software like brunwater or brewers friend to calculate your flavor ions and then balance the mash pH for each grain bill you make. This took my beers from very good to outstanding.
2) Warm dry hopping
I started warming my beer up to the mid 70s Fahrenheit when dry hopping and can now get amazing aroma from as little as a half ounce of pellets, depending on variety.
I also do hop stands and favor late additions over early. I only do a 60 min bittering while all other hops go in at 10 mins or later. With the above routine, I can be very stingy with my hops and still get astounding hop character. I rarely use more than 4 oz in 5 gallons these days.

 

[cjteteak]

With 12oz of pellets in a hopstand doesn't that create a ridiculous amount of trub? I already lose enough wort with 1/3 that amount of hops. How much do you lose doing this? or do you have a method for dealing with that amount of hop particulate? Thanks!