Recipe check - modern-ish WC IPA

[FranklinsBeerTower]

Esteemed HBT community, I come to you as a humble brewer seeking input on a WC IPA recipe that I've been building. WC IPA is one of my favorite styles and yet I've never really brewed one because I generally prefer to brew beers in the 4-5% ABV range. But, a lot of friends and family are IPA drinkers and I'd like to have something on tap around Thanksgiving.

I want this to be dry (hoping it will finish at or below 1.010 with the help of amylase enzyme in the mash and dextrose in the boil). I want assertive bitterness but not an IBU-bomb like the early 2010's. Want classic citrusy, piney/spicy hop flavor with a bit of a tropical, rounded backdrop from a "new world" hop like Strata.

I think I'm struggling with the hop schedule the most. Note, I know it looks funny but I always list my flameout hops as 1 minute additions so that I can pick the (immaterial) IBU contribution in my final calc. Thank you!

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: American IPA
Boil Time and Temp: 75 min at 149F
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 7.25 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.048
Efficiency: 72% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.064
Final Gravity: 1.010
ABV (standard): 7.1%
IBU (tinseth): 66.67
SRM (morey): 4.66

FERMENTABLES:
11.25 lb - Superior Pilsen (1.6 °L) (83.7%)
1.25 lb - American Munich (9.3%)
12 oz - Corn Sugar - Dextrose - (late boil kettle addition) (5.6%)
3 oz - Acidulated Malt (1.4%)

HOPS:
0.55 oz - CTZ, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.1, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 25.27

1 oz - Simcoe, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.9, Use: Boil for 20 min, IBU: 27.4

0.5 oz - CTZ, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.1, Use: Boil for 1 min, IBU: 0.99 (flameout)
0.5 oz - Strata , Type: Pellet, AA: 12, Use: Boil for 1 min, IBU: 0.91 (flameout)

1 oz - CTZ, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.1, Use: Hop Stand for 15 min, IBU: 3.57
1.5 oz - Simcoe, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.9, Use: Hop Stand for 15 min, IBU: 5.27
1 oz - Strata , Type: Pellet, AA: 12, Use: Hop Stand for 15 min, IBU: 3.27

2 oz - Strata , Type: Pellet, AA: 12, Use: Dry Hop for 0 days
2 oz - Simcoe, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.9, Use: Dry Hop for 0 days
2 oz - CTZ, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.1, Use: Dry Hop for 0 days

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
1.25 ts - Amylase enzyme in mash
0.25 tsp - ALDC , Type: Other, Use: Primary

YEAST:
Fermentis / Safale - American Ale Yeast US-05

TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: Light colored and hoppy
Ca2: 50
Mg2: 5
Na: 10
Cl: 50
SO4: 100
HCO3: 0

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1556319/modern-west-coast-ipa

 

[Yooper]

I'd skip the amylase- you don't want it too dry. And I don't use ALDC but it wouldn't hurt.

I do not know much about Stata hops, but the hopping looks good. I like a target mash pH of 5.25-5.3 for my IPAs. I would increase the sulfate in your water, using gypsum, up to 200 ppm or so.

 

[FranklinsBeerTower]

I'd skip the amylase- you don't want it too dry. And I don't use ALDC but it wouldn't hurt.

I do not know much about Stata hops, but the hopping looks good. I like a target mash pH of 5.25-5.3 for my IPAs. I would increase the sulfate in your water, using gypsum, up to 200 ppm or so.

Thanks Yooper, I've always found your input to be helpful on others' threads, appreciate you chiming in on mine!

Maybe I'll brew this first IPA without the amylase and decide if it's dry enough for my taste. Can always add to the next batch.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks Yooper, I've always found your input to be helpful on others' threads, appreciate you chiming in on mine!

Maybe I'll brew this first IPA without the amylase and decide if it's dry enough for my taste. Can always add to the next batch.

I do like my IPAs fairly dry, but for a nice firm bitterness and a lot of hops you also need a strong malt backbone. If it's too dry, you lose that balance. I didn't look up the IBU:OG ratio you have there, but it does look like a nice balance of hops to OG.

 

[bestcoast]

I've been using this type of hop schedule in my IPAs lately (a little bit during the boil, with big doses at whirlpool and dry hop), and I really like the results. It's a mix of traditional west coast and NEIPA, with the parts I like best about both. Your IBU level looks similar to my go-to recipe, too.

Definitely agree about the amylase, especially using US-05, which should have no trouble getting down to 1.015 or so. You really risk throwing off the balance with your hops.

 

[worlddivides]

When I want a dryer finish in a double or triple IPA, I add dextrose at the end of the boil, but I've never done that on a single IPA. Typically mashing low gets the right amount of dryness without doing anything more (usually around 65.5C for me in my West Coast IPAs, though I've gone as low as 64C before).

CTZ and Simcoe are amazing hops that go great in West Coasts. Strata is one of my favorite newer hop varieties, though it is definitely more associated with New England IPAs. I don't see why they wouldn't go well together, though.