Red Double IPA Recipe Critique

[brent1395]

I'm looking to brew something similar to Surly Furious. Not a clone, but more like a cousin.

After researching a bunch and looking at Northern Brewer's Surly clone recipe, this is what I've come up with:

REDRUM DIPA

4 lbs Muntons Plain Light DME
3.3 lb Briess Munich LME
1 lb Briess Bavarian Wheat DME
1 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose)
12 oz Weyermann CaraRed steeped
8 oz Castle aromatic malt steeped
4 oz Briess Caramel 60L steeped
2 oz Castle Special B steeped
2 oz Briess Roasted Barley steeped

first wort 60 min ½oz Amarillo pellet
first wort 60 min ½oz Simcoe pellet
first wort 60 min ½oz Willamette pellet
boil 60 min 1oz Warrior ~ pellet
boil 5 min 1oz Amarillo ~ pellet
boil 5 min 1oz Simcoe ~ pellet
boil 5 min 1oz Willamette ~ pellet
boil 0 min ½oz Amarillo ~ pellet
boil 0 min ½oz Simcoe ~ pellet
boil 0 min ½oz Willamette ~ pellet
dry hop 7 days 1oz Ahtanum pellet
dry hop 7 days 1oz Amarillo pellet
dry hop 7 days 1oz Simcoe pellet
dry hop 7 days 10z Willamette pellet

White Labs Dry English Ale WLP007

Hopville is saying 132.5 theoretical tinseth IBUs, OG of 1.076 and FG of 1.019, SRM of 14 and 7.6% ABV.

The pound of Wheat DME is mostly to help with head retention; I did that with my last brew and it seemed to help. I am going for a malty taste with a strong bitterness and a huge aroma, which is how I would describe Furious.

Any suggestions?

 

[Dynachrome]

Sounds like a nice warmer for a long snowy night up at a mountain ski resort.

What is your steeping temperature? When I make my red I up the mash temp to in the 160's.

...and that's a lot of hops.

 

[brent1395]

Haha, well I live in Minnesota so a winter warmer is always good.

I haven't thought about steeping temp. A lower temp will give me more fermentables and less flavor, and a higher temp vice versa, correct? You suggest a high temp for this recipe then? My main concern is around the grains...I don't know how to know if I have too much or too little or what temp to steep them at etc...

I've never had a beer that I thought was too bitter or too hoppy and I've had hundreds that I thought were not bitter or hoppy enough, so I try to error on the side of lots of hops.

 

[Dynachrome]

Well, I am not an expert by any means.

It is my understanding that higher temps bring out the tanins from the husks.

This gives a tinny flavor like Killians red - if that is what you are after.

I happen to like that.

Look up first wort hops. I tried that on my bitter. It ads a whole 'nother level of complexity to the experience.