Thoughts on an English IPA

[malt_shovel]

Hi there,

Just getting into AG and looking to get some feedback on an English IPA reciepe I am formulating. Looking for something more traditional than the low ABV commercial examples out there. Inspiration for this came from a book which described one man's journey to recover the steps the original IPA took from Burton to India. Am prepared to let this one condition for a number of months to make the most of it.

Thirst-Up IPA
14A. English IPA

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 20.0
Total Grain (kg): 6.107
Total Hops (g): 122.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.072
Colour (SRM): 8.7
Bitterness (IBU): 66.9
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 75
Boil Time (Minutes): 90

Grain Bill
----------------
5.191 kg Maris Otter Malt (85%)
0.153 kg Biscuit (2.5%)
0.305 kg Crystal 20 (5%)
0.305 kg Wheat Malt (5%)
0.153 kg Carapils (Dextrine) (2.5%)

Hop Bill
----------------
48.8 g Northern Brewer (9.6% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (2.4 g/l)
24.4 g Fuggles (5.7% Alpha) @ 20 Minutes (1.2 g/l)
24.4 g Fuggles (5.7% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (1.2 g/l)
24.4 g Fuggles (5.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (1.2 g/l)

Single step Infusion at 65*C for 90 Minutes.
Fermented at 20*c with Danstar Nottingham


0-minutes will be a dry-hop after a bit of fermenting has taken place.

Also considering throwing in some salts to increase sulfate levels to replicate Burton style brews.

Apologies for the metric units....

Thanks in advance

 

[david_42]

Looks like you're on the right track. These ales were brewed dry to minimize the chances of spoilage. They often used cane sugar to dry them out further.

 

[Poobah58]

Metric makes my head hurt.

 

[commonlaw]

looks good, though it's too much trouble to figure out the temps. Mash fairly low to get a dry beer. i question the need for the carapils. I'd probably bump up either the crystal or more likely the biscuit.

You may want to try for even more different hops than just fuggles for aroma, but it will be good with just fuggles too. EKG, Styrian Golding, etc. could be good.

I will probably be brewing an EIPA this weekend as well.

 

[malt_shovel]

looks good, though it's too much trouble to figure out the temps. Mash fairly low to get a dry beer. i question the need for the carapils. I'd probably bump up either the crystal or more likely the biscuit.

Thanks for the pointers, will drop the carapils and bump the biscuit. What mash temp would you be aiming for?

Cheers again.

 

[BigEd]

Hi there,

Just getting into AG and looking to get some feedback on an English IPA reciepe I am formulating. Looking for something more traditional than the low ABV commercial examples out there.

I've made a few attempts at this style and here's my two cents: Simplify the grain bill. The original brews were pale malt and maybe some sugar. I see no need at all for biscuit malt as the UK pale malt will give you plenty of flavor & aroma. If you use about 10% sugar, I like light brown, it can help with the attenuation but not have any detrimental effect on the flavor. If you have not had it sample some Meantime IPA. It's perhaps the closest approximation in a modern commercial beer to an historical IPA.

Thanks for the pointers, will drop the carapils and bump the biscuit. What mash temp would you be aiming for?

Cheers again.

The mash temp looks OK to me. For my Celsius-challenged American friends 65C is 149F. I would also not be afraid to increase the hops perhaps adding in some additional Fuggles with the NB in the bittering.

 

[commonlaw]

I would just say I'm a big fan of biscuit. Think of it as a lightly toasted base grain (you could toast your MO for similar results). I wouldn't say biscuit is unoriginal (if you are even going for a historical style). The crystal is likely more out of place historically than biscuit. Not to say that an EIPA with just MO wouldn't be excellent--I'm sure it would.

Sugar seems like a good idea, maybe dememera.

you could add some fuggles or another hop as a first wort hop to add even more aroma. Consider a dry hop as well.

 

[Gremlyn]

I would also drop the wheat. English IPAs are light to medium-light body, and you'll get with your mash temp and the rest of the grain. I would also do more biscuit than crystal, but that's just me...

As for aging, IPAs generally don't want to be aged too long, you'll lose the hoppiness if you wait too long.

 

[malt_shovel]

Right,

I have nailed my final recipe, hoping to get it on in the next couple of days.

I have converted to imperial units

Maris Otter - 11.5lbs
Wheat Malt - 2/3 lb
Biscuit Mlat - 2/3lb
Caramalt - 2/3lb
Demerera - 1.1/3lb

1tsp gypsum for CaSO4 increase

Mash at 149oF for 90mins

Hops Schedule - 90min boil
Northdown - 2oz @ 60
Fuggles - 1oz @ 60
Fuggles - 1oz @ 20
Fuggles - 1oz @ 5
Fuggles - 1oz dry hop at 72 hours

2 x Safale US-05 hydrated

Estimated O.G - 1.082 (75% efficiency)
Estimage F.G - 1.016 (80% attenuation)

ABV ~ 8.6%
IBU ~ 78
Colour - 9.6 SRM


Thanks for all the suggestions and input. Wish me luck!

 

[blackwaterbrewer]

good call on the gypsum. you may get a lower FG than 1.016 with nottingham and a 149F mash temp. i like the safale 04 for IPA's. it doesnt dry out quite as much as the notty.

edit: nevermind, i just saw that you changed the yeast to 05. looks really nice. send me a bottle or 7!!