Quest for Very Balanced IPA - What Say You?

[Jiffster]

I typically prefer IPA's, and beer in general, that is balanced and not leaning extremely to the hoppy side.

Two of my favorite IPA's that, for me, meet this description are:

Lagunitas IPA
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Some IPA's, although delicious, lean very far to the hop side, such as Bells Two Hearted Ale.

So what IPA have you found to be very balanced?

 

[Psylocide]

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style14.php#1b

 

[m00ps]

Check this out:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=554902

I dont like super hoppy IPAs. But I dont like them balanced either. I like them gushing over with hop aroma and character, but dont leave bitterness on your palate

 

[Queequeg]

Big hop flavor and aroma, few specialty malts, lasting pleasant bitterness. Just enough malt to make the bitterness palatable. I am thinking specialty malts are generally not that pleasing to me in an IPA, if you want sweetness imo you are better off using a premium base malt and mashing higher.

 

[DromJohn]

O'Dempsey's Inukshuk IPA
so named because of the balance.

 

[skw]

21st Amendment's Brew Free or Die is well balanced IMHO.

 

[p_p]

I recently tried Founder's All Day IPA and found it deliciously we'll balanced. I appreciate this a low gravity beer, but non the less it has become the IPA I'd like to replicate.

 

[meatcleaver]

Two of my favorite IPA's that, for me, meet this description are:

Lagunitas IPA
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

if you like these, you should try Stone IPA

 

[bschot]

For IPAs I like something about 1.060 with about 60-70 IBUs. A pound of Crystal 40 or 60, usually 60. Mash at about 152 for an hour. About .5 ounce of a high alpha hop up front, I've liked Warrior lately, and then everything else starting at 20-15 min left. Don't forget about dry hop I usually use an ounce at least. I've been wanting to try a hop stand but haven't yet. My pale ale game is about the same 1.040-1.050, 30-40 IBUs and I use a lighter Crystal, 30 or 40. I like 152 mash temp because I think it leaves enough residual sweetness to not have an overpowering bitterness.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

this is a nice smooth pale ale

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/294622/ozarks-pale-ale

 

[Jiffster]

this is a nice smooth pale ale

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/294622/ozarks-pale-ale

Sure looks tasty! How would I go about scaling the recipe down to 5 or 5.5 gal into fermentor?

 

[dstockwell]

Sure looks tasty! How would I go about scaling the recipe down to 5 or 5.5 gal into fermentor?

Simply enter the existing recipe in Brewers Friend, then select recipe tools and scale too desired size.. If your efficiency is 80% then this will work. If not you will need to change the efficiency number in Brewers Friend, and add or subtract ingredients as needed to meet the goal.

 

[joshesmusica]

Sure looks tasty! How would I go about scaling the recipe down to 5 or 5.5 gal into fermentor?

I was thinking that you meant more along the lines of a pale ale, as IPAs really are not meant to be balanced, as sad as that sounds. But the way I get away with having a really hop-forward beer that has some balance to it, but it isn't trapped into the pale ale "style guidelines" is by calling mine Imperial Pale Ale. I think this should be added to the next rendition of the bjcp style guidelines, personally.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Tools, copy, edit, recipe tools, scale, at the top just put 5.5 then save then view, adjust for your brew house % and brew

 

[aprichman]

Another easy way to scale without BrewSmith is to scale everything by the proportional difference between the two. For instance, if you found a recipe for a 12.5 gallon batch and wanted to scale it down to 5.5 gallons.

#1) Look at the proportion of the two recipes: 5.5/12.5 = 0.44

#2) Use this to scale all the ingredients: 18 lbs 2row * 0.44 = 7.92 lbs 2row, 2 oz Columbus hops @ 60 * 0.44 = 0.88 ounces of Columbus @ 60.

You should be able to scale almost any recipe this way, just be careful to note the brewhouse efficiency and to adjust for your system's efficiency.

 

[Jiffster]

I was thinking that you meant more along the lines of a pale ale, as IPAs really are not meant to be balanced, as sad as that sounds. But the way I get away with having a really hop-forward beer that has some balance to it, but it isn't trapped into the pale ale "style guidelines" is by calling mine Imperial Pale Ale. I think this should be added to the next rendition of the bjcp style guidelines, personally.

I guess what I meant by "balanced" is not over the top hop character. In other words, some beers have a hop character that is very high in citrus and pine character and sometimes those characteristics linger as a very bitter taste.

I love a very hoppy beer but typically I don't reach for those with the overpowering characteristics.

Tools, copy, edit, recipe tools, scale, at the top just put 5.5 then save then view, adjust for your brew house % and brew

Thanks!

Simply enter the existing recipe in Brewers Friend, then select recipe tools and scale too desired size.. If your efficiency is 80% then this will work. If not you will need to change the efficiency number in Brewers Friend, and add or subtract ingredients as needed to meet the goal.

This next brew will be my 3rd ever and my first AG batch. I don't even know yet my efficiency is! LOL!!

Thanks for the post!

Another easy way to scale without BrewSmith is to scale everything by the proportional difference between the two. For instance, if you found a recipe for a 12.5 gallon batch and wanted to scale it down to 5.5 gallons.

#1) Look at the proportion of the two recipes: 5.5/12.5 = 0.44

#2) Use this to scale all the ingredients: 18 lbs 2row * 0.44 = 7.92 lbs 2row, 2 oz Columbus hops @ 60 * 0.44 = 0.88 ounces of Columbus @ 60.

You should be able to scale almost any recipe this way, just be careful to note the brewhouse efficiency and to adjust for your system's efficiency.

I do have BrewSmith! I don't yet know my BH efficiency though. (See post above)

Thanks!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I would change it to 70% and add or subtract 2-row until the abv is around 5%

 

[Jiffster]

I would change it to 70% and add 2-row until the abv is around 5%

Ok, thanks!

 

[aprichman]

I guess what I meant by "balanced" is not over the top hop character. In other words, some beers have a hop character that is very high in citrus and pine character and sometimes those characteristics linger as a very bitter taste.

I love a very hoppy beer but typically I don't reach for those with the overpowering characteristics.



Thanks!



This next brew will be my 3rd ever and my first AG batch. I don't even know yet my efficiency is! LOL!!

Thanks for the post!



I do have BrewSmith! I don't yet know my BH efficiency though. (See post above)

Thanks!

You can back calculate your efficiency if you know your grain amounts, wort volume, and original gravity.

 

[m00ps]

I guess what I meant by "balanced" is not over the top hop character. In other words, some beers have a hop character that is very high in citrus and pine character and sometimes those characteristics linger as a very bitter taste.

I love a very hoppy beer but typically I don't reach for those with the overpowering characteristics.

It sounds like you are looking to make something very similar to what that thread I linked to is discussing. Lots of hop flavor and aroma, no bitterness on the palate. Check it out if you really are trying to accomplish this

 

[Jiffster]

It sounds like you are looking to make something very similar to what that thread I linked to is discussing. Lots of hop flavor and aroma, no bitterness on the palate. Check it out if you really are trying to accomplish this

I will, thank you!

 

[Jiffster]

if you like these, you should try Stone IPA

I tried a Stone IPA yesterday. It was very delicious but had much more hop bitterness than I expected.

Again, it was delicious but going in a different direction from what I'm referring to as "balanced".

Instead of balanced I should be saying "less bitter".

 

[m00ps]

yeah I agree. Ive grown to be able to tolerate the bitterness of west coast IPAs. But its these new ones, seemlingly centered on the east coast, that really blow me away.

Ive found that a lot of people that "dont like IPAs" just havent experienced what they can be because all they associate them with is the overwhelming hop bitterness. If you minimize (or even eliminate) bittering additions and emphasize a hopstand / dry hopping, youd be surprised what you can end up with. Some people dont even think what I hand them is an IPA

 

[douglasbarbin]

"Balanced" is not really the correct word to describe an American IPA. If you want "balanced", brew a different style.

 

[m00ps]

"Balanced" is not really the correct word to describe an American IPA. If you want "balanced", brew a different style.

yeah. IMO the entire point of IPAs is an unbalance of hops vs malt vs yeast. You arent brewing an Irish red or a german pilsner, its an IPA

 

[Jiffster]

Well, it doesn't necessarily need to be an "American" IPA to be considered an "IPA", right?

I should have phrased my question differently to emphasize searching for a hop forward, but not bitter, IPA.

 

[TheHopfather]

Where are you located? Knowing that might help narrow down what is available in your location. If you can find it I'd give Deschutes - Fresh Squeezed IPA a try. Not overly bitter and hopped with a ton of late mosaic and citra, its amazing.

 

[douglasbarbin]

Well, it doesn't necessarily need to be an "American" IPA to be considered an "IPA", right?

I should have phrased my question differently to emphasize searching for a hop forward, but not bitter, IPA.

Yeah, probably should have phrased it differently. You are looking for an American IPA with a low perceived bitterness. Technically, the IBUs are still there, but the perceived bitterness is low. There are British IPAs as well, but their bitterness is usually high relative to the amount of hops used.

Presumably, you are looking for something along the lines of Sip of Sunshine, Heady Topper, etc., correct?

 

[slym2none]

I typically prefer IPA's, and beer in general, that is balanced and not leaning extremely to the hoppy side.

Two of my favorite IPA's that, for me, meet this description are:

Lagunitas IPA
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Some IPA's, although delicious, lean very far to the hop side, such as Bells Two Hearted Ale.

So what IPA have you found to be very balanced?

Interesting you would use that beer as an example. I use that as a "starter" IPA for people who don't like IPAs. Very fruity, and to my taste, not that bitter. Try (actually, don't) a Uinta Hop-Nosh. That tastes like biting into the pith of a grapefruit to me. It seems way more bitter than its claimed 82 IBUs.

I would suggest Terrapin's Hi-5 IPA as one of the newer IPAs out there for people who aren't into the bitterness. Very fruity, it's a west-coast style IPA brewed on the east coast.

 

[chisena]

Laguinitas IPA and DF60 both seem more hoppy to me than Two Hearted. Strange how palates differ. For me, a perfect IPA is the original Sculpin.

 

[Jiffster]

Where are you located? Knowing that might help narrow down what is available in your location. If you can find it I'd give Deschutes - Fresh Squeezed IPA a try. Not overly bitter and hopped with a ton of late mosaic and citra, its amazing.

I'm in Michigan near Ann Arbor. I'll look for Deschutes, thanks!

......,,Presumably, you are looking for something along the lines of Sip of Sunshine, Heady Topper, etc., correct?

Not sure, I've never tried those. Hmmm?

Interesting you would use that beer as an example. I use that as a "starter" IPA for people who don't like IPAs. Very fruity, and to my taste, not that bitter. Try (actually, don't) a Uinta Hop-Nosh. That tastes like biting into the pith of a grapefruit to me. It seems way more bitter than its claimed 82 IBUs.

I would suggest Terrapin's Hi-5 IPA as one of the newer IPAs out there for people who aren't into the bitterness. Very fruity, it's a west-coast style IPA brewed on the east coast.

I'll look for Terrapin and give it a try, thanks!

Laguinitas IPA and DF60 both seem more hoppy to me than Two Hearted. Strange how palates differ. For me, a perfect IPA is the original Sculpin.

That is odd, huh? I'll look for Sculpin, thanks!