Thoughts on my Thanksgiving IIPA

[Strngcheez]

Hi all. I know an imperial IPA isn't really a "Thanksgiving" beer, but I need to use up some hops in the freezer so I can buy some of the 2009 crop. So I was thinking about the recipe below and was wondering if anyone has any thoughts/suggestions on it. I will be pitching on a large US-05 cake from a previous pale ale. My hops are chinook, amarillo, and cascade pellets. I also have some saaz, which i'll be using for a bohemian pilsner later this month after our child is born. Cheers!

7 gallons (~72-75% eff)

15.5# 2-Row
1# Victory
1# Vienna
.5# Crystal 60
2# table sugar

3oz Chinook (11.5%) First Wort Hop
.5oz Amarillo (7.4%) 60
1.5oz Cascade (6.5) 20
1.5oz Amarillo (7.4%) 20
1oz Cascade (5.4%) 10
1oz Chinook (11.5%) Dry Hop
1oz Amarillo (7.4%) Dry Hop
1oz Cascade (5.4%) Dry Hop

 

[Ketchepillar]

Personally, I would cut back on the Victory back to a .5 and replace with base malt. Hop schedule looks good to me. I really the rough bitterness chinook gives as a bittering hop, I wonder how that aspect is affected when used as FWH.

 

[DavidSteel]

I was going to say the same about the Victory.

 

[Strngcheez]

Thanks for the advice. I've never brewed w/ victory so I wasn't sure. I'm brewing it right now and adjusted the recipe to the following:

6.5 gallons (~72-75% eff)

16# 2-Row
.5# Victory
1# Vienna
.5# Crystal 60
.4# table sugar (all the sugar we had in the house and I didn't find out until I started the boil..oops)

3oz Chinook (11.5%) First Wort Hop
.5oz Chinook (11.5%) 60
1.5oz Cascade (6.5) 20
1.5oz Amarillo (7.4%) 20
1oz Cascade (5.4%) 10
1oz Chinook (11.5%) Dry Hop
1oz Amarillo (7.4%) Dry Hop
1oz Cascade (5.4%) Dry Hop