Recipe Opinions

[Newbie]

Hi,

I started a brew last night, and I am wondering about the recipe, and if people might have some suggestions.

I am aiming for an 8.5% IPA.

The recipe includes:

3kg of hopped Malt Extract
0.5kg of hopped DME
1.5kg of DME (the supplier ran out of hopped DME)
1.1kg of "powdered" sugar
40 grams of US West Coast Yeast m44
25 litres of spring water

I have 60 grams of Citra pellets for dry hopping. And 100 grams of Summit cones, and an amount of hop oil essence labeled as "Tropical Floral & Earthy" (smells like licuorice), I would say that it is about 100ml.

650 grams of sugar, along with 15 grams of the yeast would amount to a nice 5.7% beer, with dry hopped Citra pellets (60 grams).

What I am wondering is, will this type of yeast be ok when the alcohol level gets high? Should I add more yeast towards the end? Should I add a different type of yeast? Should i add yeast nutrients?

If I add all of the hops (pellets, cones & oil), will there be any negative affects?

How long might it take to reach 8.5%?

I started last night. Thanks for taking the time to read.

 

[Newbie]

One view?

Maybe I chose a bad thread title?

 

[SanPancho]

plug this all into a recipe program. will it give you 8.5%? not sure you want to use powdered sugar- there's stuff in there to keep it fluffy and powdery. better off being safe and using normal crystals.

as for the alcohol tolerance, look up the specs on the yeast strain at the manufacturers website. more than likely this is going to be at least 7-10 days of primary fermenation for that level of alcohol i'd guess, maybe even two weeks. warmer temps mean faster ferment, but possibly off flavors. slower temps mean cleaner flavor, but longer time to ferment.

as a compromise i'd say to stay on the low-middle range of the yeast's temp preferences, then once its been bubbling away for 5 days or so, and the bubbling slows down then you can start to raise the temp up slowly about 5 degrees and get it to finish off more quickly if you really are impatient.

id also advise yeast nutrient in last 10-15 minutes of boil, and i'd say it would be a good idea to make a yeast starter. or you can just use 150 to 200% of the normal amount of yeast for a beer this size, instead of the starter. definitely hydrate the yeast before you dump it in.

good luck.

no idea what hop essence is, does it need to go into kettle? in any case, dont worry about the hops, wont affect your yeast at all.

 

[Subdivisions]

There's hopped DME???? Do they just crumble hop pellets into it?

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Did you boil this or is it just a couple of kits + sugar/extract?

 

[lumpher]

I've never heard of hopped dme either. Overall, I don't wanna sound negative, but this sounds like hooch with a beer yeast.

 

[andy6026]

Ive never heard of any of these 'hopped' produces either - not to say they don't exist or aren't good though.

For yeast with a beer that big, most yeasts can handle it so long as you're not under-pitching. I'm not used to measuring yeast in grams, but I think if US-05 usually comes in 11 gram packets, then your 40 grams should do the job.

Generally speaking, for a big IPA like this, you're going to need A LOT of hops. I have no idea what the alpha and volume equivalent of these 'hopped' products are, but going on the actual hops you've listed - I'd say you aint got enough. Pliny the Elder (an 8.2% IPA), for example, uses 12.5 ounces of hops at various stages of the boil and for dry hopping.

 

[Gerry_P]

I had never heard of hopped DME either. I Googled it and, sure enough, it's a thing. Personally, I would ditch the powdered sugar and add more extract. I haven't heard of powdered sugar being used for brewing, and I was wondering if you meant granulated (cane) sugar. A little cane sugar won't hurt anything, but 1.1 kg (over 2 pounds) sounds like too much, especially for an IPA. It won't ruin your beer if used judiciously, but I think you went a little overboard. To give you an idea, I just used 8 oz. (about 227 grams) of cane sugar in a 2.5 gallon batch of saison. You might end up with a beer that's drier than you'd like and has some off flavors.

Since I was a noob, I've avoided hopped extract because adding your own hops is easy and gives you more control over your beer. Adding hop pellets and cones together won't hurt anything, but I've never used hop oil so I can't say how much should be used.

I'm not familiar with M44 yeast or any other Mangrove Jack's products, but supposedly it's very similar to Pacman yeast which has a tolerance of 12%. Most people don't use starters with dry yeast, but I would use 2 packages for an 8.5% beer.

If, as your name implies, you're new to homebrewing, you might want to consider using a recipe from a reputable source for the style of beer you're brewing, or maybe a clone recipe for a beer you like. Once you get a little experience you can start experimenting with your own recipes. I think it's great that you're taking the initiative to formulate your own, and please don't take this as an insult, but I think your recipe is a bit unconventional and perhaps a little more complicated than it needs to be. At any rate, it should at least be drinkable and all those hops should help cover up any off-flavors you might get from the sugar. Good luck! :rockin:

EDIT: I just realized you said you're using 40 grams of dried yeast, which would be 4 packages of the M44. That's more than adequate.