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American IPA Stone Ruination Clone

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Ok so I'm planning on doing using this recipe for my extract version of Ruination and this is my first attempt of trying to build a recipe in BeerSmith:

6 lbs Extra Light DME
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt 20L
2 lbs Light DME at Flame Out

2.25 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (60 min) Hops 74.0 IBU
1.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (15 min) Hops 15.7 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (10 min) Hops 7.7 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (5 min) Hops 4.4 IBU
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops

1 Pkgs WLP007

This is the values BeerSmith gives me based on doing a using a 3 gallon pot with 2.82 gal of water and then topping off:

Batch Size (Gallons): 5.00
Original Gravity: 1.071
Final Gravity: 1.017
IBU: 102
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 7

Any comments on this recipe would be appreciated.

I also have a few questions:

1) This is my first time using liquid yeast, under the yeast starter section of BeerSmith is says the recommended starter would be 12 pkgs without a stir plate (5 pkgs with). Is this correct?

2) This will be my third brew, my first two using kits with specialty grains, and the instructions for those kits was to just throw the bag of grains in the water as it comes to a boil and remove just before it boils. Should I handle the Crystal malt the same or should I bring the water up to 150-160 degrees and hold it there to steep? How long should I steep if I do it this way?

I'm really excited for this brew as Ruination is one of my favorite beers and would love to be able to make something close it. Thanks in advanced.
 
Any comments on this recipe would be appreciated.

I also have a few questions:

1) This is my first time using liquid yeast, under the yeast starter section of BeerSmith is says the recommended starter would be 12 pkgs without a stir plate (5 pkgs with). Is this correct?

2) This will be my third brew, my first two using kits with specialty grains, and the instructions for those kits was to just throw the bag of grains in the water as it comes to a boil and remove just before it boils. Should I handle the Crystal malt the same or should I bring the water up to 150-160 degrees and hold it there to steep? How long should I steep if I do it this way?

I'm really excited for this brew as Ruination is one of my favorite beers and would love to be able to make something close it. Thanks in advanced.

1. You can make a starter, starting with one package. Mrmalty.com has a nice "yeast pitching calculator" to help you get the right size. Since it's a high OG beer, start the starter really early in the week so you can put the finished starter in the fridge and decant the spent wort.

2. Add the crystal malt in a bag to 160 degree wort, and hold it between 145-160 for the entire time. Remove the grains, and then bring it up to a boil.

Your IBUs will NOT be 107 with a partial boil so don't worry about it being too bitter. The reason is with a 3 gallon boil, you'll probably end up with 2.5 gallons of wort and 2.5 gallons of water top top up. So your IBUs will be cut in half by adding 1/2 water. It won't be too bitter, so don't worry about that IBU calculation.
 
1. You can make a starter, starting with one package. Mrmalty.com has a nice "yeast pitching calculator" to help you get the right size. Since it's a high OG beer, start the starter really early in the week so you can put the finished starter in the fridge and decant the spent wort.

2. Add the crystal malt in a bag to 160 degree wort, and hold it between 145-160 for the entire time. Remove the grains, and then bring it up to a boil.

Your IBUs will NOT be 107 with a partial boil so don't worry about it being too bitter. The reason is with a 3 gallon boil, you'll probably end up with 2.5 gallons of wort and 2.5 gallons of water top top up. So your IBUs will be cut in half by adding 1/2 water. It won't be too bitter, so don't worry about that IBU calculation.

Thanks for the quick reply Yooper!

I'll use the yeast calculator at Mrmalty.com.

Ok so I'm pretty new to all this but what if I want it that bitter as Ruination (according in the stone website) is 100+ IBUs do I double my hops so that the final is over 100 IBUs? Is there a way to make BeerSmith take into account that I'm topping off so that I can calculate my hops and IBUs correctly?

Also when you say a 160 degree wort do I add the 6 lbs Extra Light DME first then steep or do I steep the Crystal first and then add the DME after it comes to a boil?
 
Steep without DME, then boil and add it. To balance the IBU issue, I'd split the DME into two 3-pound additions. Add 3lbs at the start of the boil and proceed as normal (add hops at the scheduled intervals, etc.). Then add the last 3lbs somewhere around 5 minutes left. You'll get better hop extraction due to the diminished sugar level in the wort at that point. It still won't be identical, but you'll be in better shape.
 
Steep without DME, then boil and add it. To balance the IBU issue, I'd split the DME into two 3-pound additions. Add 3lbs at the start of the boil and proceed as normal (add hops at the scheduled intervals, etc.). Then add the last 3lbs somewhere around 5 minutes left. You'll get better hop extraction due to the diminished sugar level in the wort at that point. It still won't be identical, but you'll be in better shape.

So split the Extra light DME (3 lbs @ 60min and 3 lbs @ 5 min) and then also add the last 2 lbs of Light DME after flame out for 8 lbs of DME total, correct?
 
Ah, sorry, I'd forgotten about the flameout addition. To be honest, I'd actually just to 4lbs at 60, 4lbs at flameout, mostly because I'm lazy. But yes, splitting it into 3-3-2 will work as well, and will also technically improve your extraction slightly more than the 4-4 method would.
 
Thanks for the help everyone, after taking into account your suggestions this is where the recipe stands:

(I upped the about of DME to get to an Est ABV of 7.7)
1.5 lbs Crystal 20L
4 lbs Extra Light DME @60
2.5 lbs Extra Light DME @5
2 lbs Extra Light DME @ Flame Out

2.00 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (60 min) Hops 84.5 IBU
1.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (15 min) Hops 19.7 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (10 min) Hops 9.6 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (5 min) Hops 5.3 IBU
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops

WLP007 with starter (MrMalty is telling me I need ~2.3 liters of starter)

I realized my brewpot is 4 gal so I'm upping my boil volume in order to lessen my top off and retain more IBUs. Here are the estimated values BeerSmith is giving me:

Est OG: 1.076
Est FG: 1.018
IBUs: 152.5
Color: 7.3 SRM
Est ABV: 7.7

So with topping off with about 2 gal of water I should lose about 1/3 of the IBUs bring me down to my target of ~100 IBUs. Does this beer math sound correct?

Also question about the yeast starter volume: do I need 2.3 liters of yeast slurry? I'm not sure what I need 2.3 liters of exactly.

EDIT: I'm assuming topping off with water will also affect color, so if this recipe is giving me my target color of ~7 SRM should I go Crystal 40L so that the color will drop when I top off?

Again thanks for the help with this everyone!
 
After having some fermentation temp stabilization issues (mostly not warm enough) for the first day or so, this thing really took off. I used rehydrated Safale US-05 and had major blowoff. I think I'm in love with dry yeast now.

Anyhoo, I just took a hydrometer reading after 12 days in primary and I'm sitting right around 1.013 maybe 1.012. Oh, and it tastes AMAZING! I haven't had a Ruination in a while but iirc, this is darn close to it, even with substituting Horizon for the Magnum. I'm going to give it another couple days in primary and then rack to secondary & dry hop. I'm super excited about this one. Thanks Yooper!
 
the7yearplan said:
Thanks for the help everyone, after taking into account your suggestions this is where the recipe stands:

(I upped the about of DME to get to an Est ABV of 7.7)
1.5 lbs Crystal 20L
4 lbs Extra Light DME @60
2.5 lbs Extra Light DME @5
2 lbs Extra Light DME @ Flame Out

2.00 oz Magnum [14.00 %] (60 min) Hops 84.5 IBU
1.50 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (15 min) Hops 19.7 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (10 min) Hops 9.6 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (5 min) Hops 5.3 IBU
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops

WLP007 with starter (MrMalty is telling me I need ~2.3 liters of starter)

I realized my brewpot is 4 gal so I'm upping my boil volume in order to lessen my top off and retain more IBUs. Here are the estimated values BeerSmith is giving me:

Est OG: 1.076
Est FG: 1.018
IBUs: 152.5
Color: 7.3 SRM
Est ABV: 7.7

So with topping off with about 2 gal of water I should lose about 1/3 of the IBUs bring me down to my target of ~100 IBUs. Does this beer math sound correct?

Also question about the yeast starter volume: do I need 2.3 liters of yeast slurry? I'm not sure what I need 2.3 liters of exactly.

EDIT: I'm assuming topping off with water will also affect color, so if this recipe is giving me my target color of ~7 SRM should I go Crystal 40L so that the color will drop when I top off?

Again thanks for the help with this everyone!

If your kettle is only 4 gal, you will probably start with a 3 gal boil, correct? With boil off, you'll probably have to add closer to 3 gal of top off water.

FWIW, I made an ipa partial boil in the past that had a hop equivalent to this recipe. With such reduced utilization due to topping off, i was pretty disappointed in the hoppyness outcome. I know you've probably heard it before, but i think this kind of recipe would be a prime candidate for moving to a full boil.
 
Indeed. This is why I got a second pot when I used to brew on the stove. That's how I made this recipe and I finally get to try it carbed next weekend!
 
My lhbs did not have crystal-20 and substituted with carahell, which is about 10 lovibonds. What kind of effect will this have besides color? Thanks
 
Thanks for responses. I think what I'll do for now is brew a smaller batch so I don't have to top off. I don't think my stove can put out enough heat to do a full boil justice and until I get a propane burner to brew outside I'll modify this recipe to do a 3 gal batch rather than 5. My girlfriend isn't a fan of super hoppy beers so this one is just for me anyways and 3 gallons of ruination is plenty.
 
Ok so I brewed a 2.5 gallon batch of Ruination Clone yesterday, here is the recipe I used:

.75# Crystal 20 steeped @ 160F for 30 minutes
1.5# Golden Light DME @ 60
1oz German Magnum pellets 11%AA @ 60
.5oz Centennial Whole Left 10.3%AA @ 15
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
1.5# Golden Light DME @ 5
1.25# Godlen Light DME @ Flameout
.5oz Centennial Whole Left 10.3%AA Aroma Steep for 5 minutes

1 11g pkg Safale S-04 (My LHBS was out of WLP007, WLP002, and Safale S-05 so I went with the 04)

I missed my target OG of 1.076 and hit 1.070. It's currently fermenting @ 65F where it will stay for 2 weeks until I rack to secondary and dry hop with 1oz Whole Leaf Centennial

The hop profile, although a little bit too bitter which I hope will mellow, is pretty close so I'm excited to see what this tastes like when it's all done.

Thanks for all the input.
 
I don't think you're really going to get much hop flavor at all from those additions, and certainly not that bold aroma/flavor that Ruination has. Especially since you used leaf hops and not pellet.
If it were me, I'd toss is a nice big hop addition for the last two. At least an ounce for each if youre using pellet, and the equivalent amount if you're using whole leaf.
 
I followed this extract recipe exactly with the addition of 1/2 # of 2 row and lowered the Magnum to 1 ounce in hopes of lowering the IBUs a little. I cooled to 75 and aerated the wort before putting into the primary. I am waiting to pitch until it gets to at least 70 but I went a head and took a sample to get the gravity. I took from the bottom and had lots of sediment in my thief, I let it back into the wort and sampled from the top at 1.072 (adjusted for temp).

I never used DME and never added LME at flame out, is the sediment I am seeing normal?

Sample tasted great, can't wait!
 
Making my Ruination clone in a couple of weeks. This is what I got so far:


Type: All Grain
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: CASTLE BLACK EQUIPMENT
Efficiency: 70.00 %

MAKE A 1 USG STARTER USING 1.5 2-ROW AND CASCADE OR CENTENNIAL. THEN SPLIT THIS CAKE INTO TWO BATCHES AND USE THAT TO START OFF RUINATION AND SUBLIMELY SELF RIGHTEOUS.

Ingredients

Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 82.8 %
Caramel Malt - 20L (Briess) (20.0 SRM) Grain 2 10.2 %
Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 7.0 %
Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 43.2 IBUs
Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 5 26.2 IBUs
Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 15.3 IBUs
Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 11.2 IBUs
Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 6.2 IBUs
Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min Hop 1.3 IBUs
Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) -


Est Original Gravity: 1.070 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.6 %
Bitterness: 103.4 IBUs Calories: 235.5 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 7.3 SRM

Happy brewing everybody!
 
I'm coming up on 2 weeks.... However my OG was 1.061. Should I not dry hop with 2oz? Maybe 1oz?

1.061 might just be a bit too low for this brew. You never know though, it might turn out just great. I would still dry hop it accordingly. If you are short on hops save the dry hop for a V.2 of Ruination.

In any case, happy brewing.
 
I just bottled this yesterday and it was delicious. It was all I could do to not drink a full glass. Can't wait to see how it is in a month or so.
 
I just bottled this yesterday and it was delicious. It was all I could do to not drink a full glass. Can't wait to see how it is in a month or so.

ready to brew this one very soon, at first chance actually. got grains crushed and hops weighed out. brewing soon. i ll post updates.
 
Thanks for the great extract version of this recipe. I made a batch of this a couple months ago, and it came out wonderfully. I used WLP001 (1L starter), and believe I added about 1lb too much DME during the boil (I blame the beer I was drinking at the time...), but it came out really nicely. I bought some Ruination to compare it to, mine was darker color and a bit smoother than Ruination. My only problem is that I'm almost out! I'll be giving it another shot using Pacman yeast later this week.
 
Thanks for the great extract version of this recipe. I made a batch of this a couple months ago, and it came out wonderfully. I used WLP001 (1L starter), and believe I added about 1lb too much DME during the boil (I blame the beer I was drinking at the time...), but it came out really nicely. I bought some Ruination to compare it to, mine was darker color and a bit smoother than Ruination. My only problem is that I'm almost out! I'll be giving it another shot using Pacman yeast later this week.

I hear pacman has high attenuation and flocculation. I am really interested to see how it would take down ruination. The beer is relatively big. It should be very clean, relatively free of esters even when fermenting high.

Happy brewing.
 
Pacman's an excellent yeast for this brew; I use it for my spring and summer brews, since it is still fairly clean even at higher temperatures. Of course, it's best if you can keep it low, but it won't punish you as much as some if you can't.
 
petrostar said:
I brewed this again yesterday and am excited. I ended up with 12 gallons of Wort @ 1.071OG. I used wlp002 English ale yeast last time and wasn't able to control my fermentation temps. I am fermenting in a 65 degree environment this time and using wlp001 California ale yeast. Also did a 45 minute flame out hop addition instead of immediately chilling. I am very excited to see how this turns out and will let you all know also. Btw, in case it wasn't said before, this recipe is really really good even with the previous mistakes I made.

I'll quote myself cause I'm awesome! Wlp001 was good, but to be honest I think the wlp002 turned out better for me.
 
Made the Ruination-beast today, 1.068 OG. Was aiming for 1.070 but got a bit lower since I overshot my efficiency. Other than that, I can tell right now this is going to be a good one. Nice "proper" color for an IPA and amazing smell. I hope it dries out though, tried to mash low. We ll see. My next step, Dry Hop: Centennial.

Thanks for all the info guys and as always, Happy Brewing!
 
Hi,
I did the extract version of the recipe but the fermentation seems to be stuck.
OG:1072 FG:1018 after 11 days in the fermenter at 22°Celsius
I used 2 packets of safale us-05 rehydrated.
My mistake ,I think, is I didn't strain the hops pellets before transferring the wort to my fermenter.
Is that why my FG is too high?
What can I do now to go few points under?
 
For an extract batch, I'd call 1.018 pretty decent. I often struggled to break 1.020 with extract brews. I'd leave well-enough alone and bottle when ready; a few points isn't worth doing something that might damage things.
 
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