Question for building an IPA Recipe with Fruit

[Burndog]

I'm an IPA guy but had one at Bear Roots in Vista yesterday that had Raspberries in it. It was also an Imperial @8%. Awesome beer.

So I'm thinking I'll need to brew my own. So as to not have too much conflict on taste but yet be a proper IPA, what are the opinions on the base for such a fruity IPA?

Should I research hops that have a more citrus based flavor profile or reduce the hops and just focus on a reasonable bittering hop?


Reference: (http://bearrootsbrewing.com/beer-list/)
Latham Red – Raspberry IPA | 8.0% ABV | 78 IBU
A medium-bodied ale, deep orange in color, slightly hazy, with a cheery white head. Citrus notes of grapefruit and orange brighten the aromatic layers of melon, raspberries, and spice. Its flavor follows aroma and lingers long before ending with a crisp, clean, and tart finish.

 

[JohnSand]

I would not hesitate to use citrus hops. Raspberries are sweet, but tart too. The sugar will ferment out. I've had mango ipa and grapefruit ipa. Both used fruit and hop flavors to compliment the other.
Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[thehaze]

If you are going to use fruit in your IPA, there are some minor considerations to think about.

Fruit deliver gentle aromas and flavours, and will also add tartness to the beer, by lowering the pH of the finished beer. That's something to remember when adjusting mash and kettle pH, so you don't end up with a final pH under 4.

A light malt base ( all pilsner/Pale malt - will also aid the final colour as raspberries will add colour ) will help hop aromas/flavours to shine, along with the fruit flavours. A lighter water treatment can also be beneficial to help fruit flavours pop more. Maybe dial back the sulfate and add a bit more chloride, but overall avoid high mineraility.

As for hops, definitely citrus forward, but there some hops that are supposed to give off some red fruit/berry flavours.

 

[Sbe2]

Try using some Enigma hops in some way. They give off a raspberry red currant aroma when used later in the boil.