So, I just got back the results from my version of this at a local competition. I followed the recipe, except I upped the total calculated IBUs to 79 by upping the FWH to 44.5 IBUs (calculated in beersmith). I also used WLP005 since it's what I had on hand.
I got a 34 and 37. I think they are decent scores, but I actually don't love the beer that much. Didn't stop me from drinking it though. It just doesn't have a very strong bitterness despite upping the IBUs. I know ZD is an APA, but the few times I've had it, I felt the bitterness was closer to an IPA. I'm not sure what it is. I targeted a mash pH of 5.4, but only got 5.57, so I corrected it 5.47, but that was after ~20 minutes, so it might have been too late. I added MgSO4 and gypsum to get to 300 ppm SO4, 106 ppm Ca, and 25 ppm Mg. The bitterness does seem smoother and not as harsh, which everyone says that's what FWH hopping does, but I wasn't expecting it to mute the hoppiness that much. Maybe I just like the harsh hoppiness more than smooth hoppiness.
Anyone have any ideas on what I did wrong, if anything? The few times I've had the original I've enjoyed it. Could it be the yeast? I see the 1968 is the same as WLP002, which is very similar to WLP005, so I rationalized that it would be close enough?
Could it be the FWH that I don't like? Any other ideas?