SMaSH IPA using Crystal hops...malt/yeast?

[skoodog]

Looking for a little guidance as i build out my hypothetical recipe - I recently purchased several rhizomes of Crystal on a lark (based on it's higher level of myrcene oils and the attractive floral characteristics I hope it has) and thought hey, I should probably brew with this if I want to grow it

Therefore I'm planning a SMASH as it's summer, my serving kegs are floated and it's the nicest time of year in Austin! I definitely want to use Crystal hops and since it is heading into summer, am leaning towards a lighter malt to enhance drinkability and not overshadow the hop characteristics. Malt-wise I'm leaning towards German Pilsner (Lone Pint Yellow Rose is a fave of mine) but only having experience with this grain in mixed recipes I'm wondering which yeast strain makes the most sense.

I plan to do a 90 min boil re: DMS but am leaning towards an IPA strain like WLP001 or WLP090 (might be overkill) since I have experience with those...any thoughts?

Here's the recipe so far:

Method: All Grain
Style: American IPA
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 7.5 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.044 (recipe based estimate)
Efficiency: 75% (brew house)
Original Gravity: 1.060 Final Gravity: 1.013 ABV (standard): 6.16% IBU (tinseth): 60.51 SRM (daniels): 9.07
Fermentables
Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
11.5 lb German - Pilsner 38 1.6 100%
11.5 lb Total
Hops
Amount Variety Type AA Use Time IBU
1 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Boil 30 min 12.08
2 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Boil 15 min 15.6
3 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Boil 5 min 9.4
4 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Whirlpool at 170 °F 0 min 23.42
2 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Dry Hop 7 days
2 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Dry Hop 14 days
Hops Summary
Amount Variety Type AA
14 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3
Mash Guidelines
Amount Description Type Temp Time
16.25 qt Infusion 150 F 60 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.25 qt/lb
Yeast
White Labs - California Ale Yeast WLP001

 

[BigMack]

Personally I think the quality that makes Crystal such an awesome hop is its ability to make another hop really shine. Using it with something like Amarillo or Cascade is perfect. It is hard to describe, but it really just makes other hops shine. So with that in mind I may try to brew a SMaDH with a hop you're very familiar with. Just my $0.02.

As for the yeast, I love 090 and don't think you can go wrong there.

 

[NatureOfTheYeast]

Those are both solid yeasts, but when I do a SMaSH, I tend to pick out a more flavorful variant of yeast strain. So for example, instead of California Ale (001), I would pick California Ale V (051). Only when the recipe is featuring a really aggressive and bold hop or malt would I go with a more neutral yeast like 001 or 090. But!! Yellow Rose (one of my favorites too), having bold and pungent Mosaic hops, features a house yeast that is out of this world! There is a wealth of esters and even very subtle phenolics that I was able to eke out when I was able to get my hands on a pitch of it. Made me totally reconsider the importance of flavor contribution from our tiny little buddies in a SMaSH.

051 California Ale V, 007 Dry English Ale, 029 Kolsch, or 036 Dusseldorf Alt (or wyeast 1007 Alt) are all great yeasts that finish fairly dry and will accentuate the floral and soft berry-like fruit characters of Crystal. Each of these yeasts have unique esters and fermentation characteristics that should fit well with both Pils and Crystal, but will still be clean enough to not be overwhelming to the drinker on a hot day outside.

The only thing I would maybe warn you on, is the 029 and 036 yeast. You *might* have to lower the mash temp a few degrees to get the yeast to attenuate fully, and use a rising temperature profile during fermentation. Ex: Start at 60f for 2-3 days, then raise to 70f, a degree per day. I've been able to consistently get 80% attenuation and up to 8.9% in a Baltic Porter using Dusseldorf Alt yeast with this fermentation profile.

And yes, Altbier yeast makes a fantastic IPA, too

 

[skoodog]

Awesome feedback everyone! I decided to use all of your advice and do a SMaTH IPA using Summer (not summit) and Crystal and the California Ale V yeast.

I always build from distilled cutting my recipe with about 20% tap (I live in Austin and water here is fine, but not great IMO) and add 1 tsp of gypsum per gallon. I have however noticed that gypsum darkens the color of my beer significantly, which, given I'm doing all pilsner, should turn out alright. I read somewhere that people seem to gravitated towards yellower beer in the summer, and I'm no exception, so hopefully I get a nice orangey hue. I'm also using something my LHBS sold me on to hold the hops and cut down on vegetal mass at the bottom of my kettle, which somehow, always ends up in my fermenter too! I'll also strain off any protein grains as I put it in the keg (i ferment in keg - fits in my ferm chamber better

Thanks again for all the help!

EDIT: For those of you interested in the final recipe:

Method: All Grain
Style: American IPA
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 7.5 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.049 (recipe based estimate)
Efficiency: 75% (brew house)
Original Gravity: 1.067 Final Gravity: 1.017 ABV (standard): 6.6% IBU (tinseth): 68.24 SRM (daniels): 9.16
Fermentables
Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
13 lb German - Pilsner 38 1.6 100%
13 lb Total
Hops
Amount Variety Type AA Use Time IBU
0.5 oz AU Summer Pellet 5.9 Boil 30 min 7.88
0.5 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Boil 30 min 5.74
1 oz AU Summer Pellet 5.9 Boil 20 min 12.41
1 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Boil 20 min 9.05
1.5 oz AU Summer Pellet 5.9 Boil 10 min 11.15
1.5 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Boil 10 min 8.12
1 oz AU Summer Pellet 5.9 Whirlpool at 170 °F 0 min 8.03
1 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Whirlpool at 170 °F 0 min 5.86
2 oz AU Summer Pellet 5.9 Dry Hop 14 days
2 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Dry Hop 14 days
2 oz AU Summer Pellet 5.9 Dry Hop 7 days
2 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3 Dry Hop 7 days
Hops Summary
Amount Variety Type AA
8 oz AU Summer Pellet 5.9
8 oz Crystal Pellet 4.3
Mash Guidelines
Amount Description Type Temp Time
16.25 qt Infusion 145 F 60 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.25 qt/lb
Yeast
White Labs - California Ale V Yeast WLP051
Attenuation (avg):
72.5%
Flocculation:
Med-High
Optimum Temp:
66 - 70 °F
Starter:
No

Brewing Notes: Just finished brewing this sucker and cracking a cold one while I wait for it to cool OG ran a little low and couldn't get a good reading (Damn, I need to invest in a refractometer) but the taste test of this guy is something else...i LOVE the way Pilsner malt sets off these hops. First time hop bursting too...I might not go back on IPAs.