Wedding IPA Recipe Critique

[fluxxsimon]

Hi!

This is my first post here. I'm getting married in May and are planning to brew an IPA for the guests and I want all kind of input on the recipe I have designed. I'm shooting for a IPA around 5.5-6.5% ABV, not too high in IBU (I think that more guests will appreciate that). Here is my recipe for 20 Liters (5.5 gallons):

Target OG: 1.055
Target IBU: 45

The malts:
5700 g Pale Ale Malt (95%)
300 g Caramunich (5%)

The hops:
5g (0.2oz) Simcoe (12% AA) @60 min -> 7.7 IBU

20g (0.7oz) Amarillo (8% AA) @10 min -> 7.5 IBU
10g (0.35oz) Simcoe (12% AA) @10 min -> 5.6 IBU
10g (0.35oz) Citra (12% AA) @10 min -> 5.6 IBU

20g (0.7oz) Amarillo (8% AA) @5 min -> 4.1 IBU
20g (0.7oz) Simcoe (12% AA) @5 min -> 6.2 IBU
30g (1.1oz) Citra (12% AA) @5 min -> 9.3 IBU

60g (2.1oz) Amarillo @Dryhop -> 0 IBU
65g (2.3oz) Simcoe @Dryhop -> 0 IBU
60g (2.1oz) Citra @Dryhop -> 0 IBU

I really appreciate any input I can get on this. Probably will use Safale US-05 and control temperature at around 65F (18C) for 4 days and then in room temp for a week then dryhop the last 4-5 days before going in to bottles.

/Simon

 

[Amadeo38]

Since you didn’t list these things, I’ll just recommend them without knowing your plan:

Mash low between 148F-150F
Add in 8oz-16oz of sugar to the end of the boil. IPAs should be dry and both the low mash and sugar will help attain that goal.

Consider acidifying the mash a bit to improve the crispness of the beer. You can do this by adding some acidulated malt or lactic acid to the mash. Exact amounts depend on your water profile.

Otherwise looks good - Congrats on the wedding!

 

[fluxxsimon]

Mash low between 148F-150F
Add in 8oz-16oz of sugar to the end of the boil. IPAs should be dry and both the low mash and sugar will help attain that goal.

Consider acidifying the mash a bit to improve the crispness of the beer. You can do this by adding some acidulated malt or lactic acid to the mash. Exact amounts depend on your water profile.

Great tips! Should I replace some of the malt to remain the same ABV?

I am going to use lactic acid in the mash. Is it recommended to adjust the pH of the sparge water as well?

 

[jalc6927]

I am brewing one for my sons wedding and I went with a recipe based on Sierra Nevada celebration IPA,

 

[Amadeo38]

Great tips! Should I replace some of the malt to remain the same ABV?

I am going to use lactic acid in the mash. Is it recommended to adjust the pH of the sparge water as well?

If you would like to keep the ABV relatively low for better enjoyment across the crowd, I would replace the correct portion of base malt with the 16oz sugar.

I’ve never acidified my sparge water, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. I always do gypsum, CaCl, and NaCl in my mash and sparge waters, but only lactic in the mash. I bet there’s a thread on here discussing the topic. Now I’m curious...

 

[fluxxsimon]

If you would like to keep the ABV relatively low for better enjoyment across the crowd, I would replace the correct portion of base malt with the 16oz sugar.

I’ve never acidified my sparge water, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. I always do gypsum, CaCl, and NaCl in my mash and sparge waters, but only lactic in the mash. I bet there’s a thread on here discussing the topic. Now I’m curious...

I will definitely use Gypsum, CaCl and MgCl in the mash + sparge water. In the mash I will use some Lactic Acid. Last time I brewed without it, the mash had a pH of around 5.8 which is not optimal. I will also try to keep the same pH on the sparge water, around 5.4.

Any input on the hops used? Or the schedule?

 

[brew703]

If you are brewing for your wedding, why not brew something that you brewed before and liked? What if you brew this and it doesn't turn out as planned?

If you go with the recipe you posted, why not use Magnum, Warrior or Columbus for bittering (30 ibu), eliminate the 5 min addition and add a FO addition?

IMO, the last time I used Citra in a fairly large quantity (NEIPA), I find it gave off an oniony aroma/taste. It lasted about 3-4 weeks then finally went away. Not saying this will happen with your recipe just wanted to throw it out there. The Citra hops I used were from 2016, vac sealed and stored in the freezer.

Simcoe is one of my favorite hops. I wouldn't use it for bittering.

Just my .02.

 

[fluxxsimon]

If you go with the recipe you posted, why not use Magnum, Warrior or Columbus for bittering (30 ibu), eliminate the 5 min addition and add a FO addition?

Yeah, I've had that in mind. The thing is, I have had some inconsistent result with FO addition, especially with high AA hops. I guess the amount of utilization is quite hard to estimate. Last time I added 4 oz of Mosaic and 2 oz of Cascade in FO and it turned out very bitter. So my thought was that with the 5 min addition I get more control over the IBU and then I can increase dry hop amount instead to really boost aroma. The last alternative is to chill the wort down to around 160F and do a 20-30 min hopstand, but I have Zero experience at that.

IMO, the last time I used Citra in a fairly large quantity (NEIPA), I find it gave off an oniony aroma/taste. It lasted about 3-4 weeks then finally went away. Not saying this will happen with your recipe just wanted to throw it out there. The Citra hops I used were from 2016, vac sealed and stored in the freezer.

Simcoe is one of my favorite hops. I wouldn't use it for bittering.

Just my .02.

I have heard that about the Citra hop as well. Did you use it in the boil or as dry hop? And what do you consider to be "fairly large quantity"? I can absolutely decrease the amount of Citra and replace with another hop.

 

[brew703]

Yeah, I've had that in mind. The thing is, I have had some inconsistent result with FO addition, especially with high AA hops. I guess the amount of utilization is quite hard to estimate. Last time I added 4 oz of Mosaic and 2 oz of Cascade in FO and it turned out very bitter. So my thought was that with the 5 min addition I get more control over the IBU and then I can increase dry hop amount instead to really boost aroma. The last alternative is to chill the wort down to around 160F and do a 20-30 min hopstand, but I have Zero experience at that.


I have heard that about the Citra hop as well. Did you use it in the boil or as dry hop? And what do you consider to be "fairly large quantity"? I can absolutely decrease the amount of Citra and replace with another hop.

I don't usually get much IBU's from FO or whirlpool additions. I usually aim for 30 IBU's either at 60 or FWH and the rest 10 min and under. I mainly do a 10 min and FO plus DH.

I have done hopstands/whirlpools in the past (160 degrees and under). I usually leave those hops in until my wort cools to 75-80 then remove and rack to my carboy.

As for the Citra hops, the NEIPA I brewed had 5 oz of Citra: 3 oz as a dry hop, 1 oz at 20 min and 1 oz at FO. There were a total of 12 oz of different hops used in this batch, mostly late additions and DH.

6 oz at FO is fairly large for a 5 gal batch, if that's what you brewed. For a FO addition I usually go with 3 oz max depending on the hop.

Find some IPA recipes in the recipe section and see how those brewers add the hops. That may help you determine how much and at what times to add your hops.
For me, I rarely go over 45 IBU's and prefer to add my hops at 10 min and under.

 

[RedIvan16]

Hi Simon, just a few tips from a guy who helps brewing a lot of IPAs commercially.

At the brewery where I work, we never add hops before 30 minutes. According to my boss the bitterness can be a little overwhelming. I would add your bittering addition at 30. If you insist on doing a 60 minute addition, I would use Warrior (my personal fav), Nugget or Magnum in a very small quantity (0.25 oz is my go to usually).

I agree with @Amadeo38. Definitely add a little sugar into the boil for that added crispness, and make sure your mash temp is between 148-152. I think we usually add dextrose at like 10 minutes.

Again, if you want that traditional West Coast IPA character (which from your hopping schedule seems like it) but with a little extra oomph, I would suggest pushing the addition times from 30 mins on. You'll have all the flavor of those traditional hops without the bitterness, which will probably go over well with your guests. Best of luck!

 

[fluxxsimon]

Hi Simon, just a few tips from a guy who helps brewing a lot of IPAs commercially.

At the brewery where I work, we never add hops before 30 minutes. According to my boss the bitterness can be a little overwhelming. I would add your bittering addition at 30. If you insist on doing a 60 minute addition, I would use Warrior (my personal fav), Nugget or Magnum in a very small quantity (0.25 oz is my go to usually).

I agree with @Amadeo38. Definitely add a little sugar into the boil for that added crispness, and make sure your mash temp is between 148-152. I think we usually add dextrose at like 10 minutes.

Again, if you want that traditional West Coast IPA character (which from your hopping schedule seems like it) but with a little extra oomph, I would suggest pushing the addition times from 30 mins on. You'll have all the flavor of those traditional hops without the bitterness, which will probably go over well with your guests. Best of luck!

Hi!

Great tip! I will skip the 60 min addition and add it later in the boil instead.

What do you mean with "pushing the addition times from 30 min on"? Should I increase the amounts even more?

The biggest "problem" I have had with my earlier IPAs is lack of hop aroma. So in this recipe I have doubled the amount of dry hops that I usually use, and the hop addition in the boil are more late than before. Is there any chance that there is to much hops? Should I consider adding even more hops as dry hops?

 

[applescrap]

Since its for a wedding and guests, I recommend using a tried and true recipe. Not to be a bummer just my 2c. At least use a similar hop schedule for a beer you like.

 

[fluxxsimon]

Since its for a wedding and guests, I recommend using a tried and true recipe. Not to be a bummer just my 2c. At least use a similar hop schedule for a beer you like.

Hi!

That is a good point. However, I have yet to brew an IPA that I really enjoy. I have brewed like 6 batches before, where maybe the 2 first was not so good, and the rest of them are "drinkable". Some of the problems that I want to eliminate are: too high IBU, too high ABV, too little hop aroma. I also have not controlled the fermentation temperature, which I will do in this batch. I have a feeling that that is going to improve the beer a lot. Last time I brewed I had logged the temperature in the beer and at one point the temperature was reaching almost 81F. So I guess a lot of issues will be improved by controlling the fermentation. I will upload the temperature graph to show you.

 

[fluxxsimon]

So this is the latest temperature log and this was when I realized I really need to control my fermentation temperature. So next week, when I will brew the test batch, I will control the temperature and hold it at least between 18-20C. Sorry for the Celsius scale.

 

[RedIvan16]

Hi!

Great tip! I will skip the 60 min addition and add it later in the boil instead.

What do you mean with "pushing the addition times from 30 min on"? Should I increase the amounts even more?

The biggest "problem" I have had with my earlier IPAs is lack of hop aroma. So in this recipe I have doubled the amount of dry hops that I usually use, and the hop addition in the boil are more late than before. Is there any chance that there is to much hops? Should I consider adding even more hops as dry hops?

I just meant adding all your hops from 30 minutes on. If this helps, this is the typical hopping schedule for IPAs at the brewery where I intern:

15 mins - Addition 1
10 Mins into whirlpool - Addition 2
20 mins into whirlpool - Addition 3

We do that with mostly with the NEIPAs, but we have done it with some more West Coasty ones and got great results. Personally I do like my West Coast IPAs to have some bitterness, so I use a 30 minute addition when I'm homebrewing.


Your dry hopping sounds fine actually. For homebrewers, I would cut off the dry hopping amount at like 3 ounces (85g roughly) because if you put too much hops in you risk giving it a vegetably taste. As for aroma, are you purging the tank of oxygen? Oxygen is the killer of hop aroma, and flavor to some extent. An easy way to prevent this is to pump some CO2 into your fermenter any time after primary fermentation that the wort is exposed to oxygen.

You should absolutely control your fermentation temperature, it makes a world of difference. For NEIPAs, holding it at about 64 F (18C i think) is ideal for the first few days of fermentation. After a few days let it rise to around 68-70 until fermentation is complete. I would also suggest cold crashing it for a few days before bottling, so you can lose any stray proteins or yeast hanging around in there.

 

[jtp137]

Great tips! Should I replace some of the malt to remain the same ABV?

I am going to use lactic acid in the mash. Is it recommended to adjust the pH of the sparge water as well?

Just be careful adjusting the water if you do not know whats in the water you are using or build up from RO using water calculator

 

[fluxxsimon]

Just be careful adjusting the water if you do not know whats in the water you are using or build up from RO using water calculator

Of course. I have the local water report and using EZ Water calculator to adjust correctly.

 

[applescrap]

Consider dry hopping with a bag or rack with a bag over cane. Heavy hop beers can be a little tricky to deal with. Plan for it. I think your malt game could be stepped up a bit, check out the neipa julius clone recipe on this site.

Biermuncher made this very very well received simple recipe called biermuncher blond. It would make a great side brew. Wish you the best of luck and we are here for you to bounce ideas off.

 

[WestMichBrewer]

Your IPA recipe seems fairly standard, safe. Go for it!
If the hops don't come through strong enough, just tell everyone it is an APA!
Is 5 gallons enough though for a wedding party though?

 

[fluxxsimon]

Your IPA recipe seems fairly standard, safe. Go for it!
If the hops don't come through strong enough, just tell everyone it is an APA!

Alright! I have even considered just remove the crystal malt and use only Pale Ale malt for the simplicity. Can that be a good idea?

Is 5 gallons enough though for a wedding party though?

Haha in the R.S.V.P only 35 wanted to drink beer and I'm planning to make this batch twice so that's around 10 gallons (40 Liters is what I plan). This gives everyone at least 1 litre of beer and there is also going to be wine and spirits.

 

[WestMichBrewer]

Alright! I have even considered just remove the crystal malt and use only Pale Ale malt for the simplicity. Can that be a good idea?

Haha in the R.S.V.P only 35 wanted to drink beer and I'm planning to make this batch twice so that's around 10 gallons (40 Liters is what I plan). This gives everyone at least 1 litre of beer and there is also going to be wine and spirits.

I'd keep the CaraMunich in the recipe unless you want it really dry.
At 5%, it won't make a sweet beer but will add a bit of character.

 

[fluxxsimon]

I'd keep the CaraMunich in the recipe unless you want it really dry.
At 5%, it won't make a sweet beer but will add a bit of character.

Will do!

 

[Jwood]

I know S-05 is a very popular yeast, but have you used it much? I gave up on it after a few batches, couldnt stand the flavor it seemed to give off. I always ferment on the cooler side too (64-66). Just a heads up, maybe you have great results with it, but i had to go back to wlp001 (with a proper starter).

 

[fluxxsimon]

I know S-05 is a very popular yeast, but have you used it much? I gave up on it after a few batches, couldnt stand the flavor it seemed to give off. I always ferment on the cooler side too (64-66). Just a heads up, maybe you have great results with it, but i had to go back to wlp001 (with a proper starter).

No. I have actually only used it once, for a Imperial Stout, which turned out well. But never for a IPA. What kind of flavors did you get from it? I will definitely keep this in mind when I taste the trial-batch that I will brew on thursday. The main reason I choose US-05 was somewhat due to its popularity but also its wide temperature range, which I felt is a "forgiveness" if you get what I mean? I have a BrewCooler, which is a isolated bag in which you put frozen water bottles and change them once a day. This is pretty good, but there is always a risk with human error. If I had a fridge over, where I have more control, then I would have felt more comfortable with a yeast with tighter temperature interval.

 

[RipC1ty]

No. I have actually only used it once, for a Imperial Stout, which turned out well. But never for a IPA. What kind of flavors did you get from it? I will definitely keep this in mind when I taste the trial-batch that I will brew on thursday. The main reason I choose US-05 was somewhat due to its popularity but also its wide temperature range, which I felt is a "forgiveness" if you get what I mean? I have a BrewCooler, which is a isolated bag in which you put frozen water bottles and change them once a day. This is pretty good, but there is always a risk with human error. If I had a fridge over, where I have more control, then I would have felt more comfortable with a yeast with tighter temperature interval.

No. I have actually only used it once, for a Imperial Stout, which turned out well. But never for a IPA. What kind of flavors did you get from it? I will definitely keep this in mind when I taste the trial-batch that I will brew on thursday. The main reason I choose US-05 was somewhat due to its popularity but also its wide temperature range, which I felt is a "forgiveness" if you get what I mean? I have a BrewCooler, which is a isolated bag in which you put frozen water bottles and change them once a day. This is pretty good, but there is always a risk with human error. If I had a fridge over, where I have more control, then I would have felt more comfortable with a yeast with tighter temperature interval.

I have brewed around a dozen IPAs and love using the US-05 and the “forgiving” temperature range is great as well. If looking to add hop aroma I would recommend whirlpooling your last addition of hops (the 3 added with 5-min left). I just recently did my first whirlpool and I did 4oz for 30 mins at 170 degrees and the aroma came out just as I was hoping it would (which is more aroma than 5min additions at the end of boil).

What you’re going to find is a ton of recommendations and it’s always best to go with what you feel most comfortable and confident doing because at the end of the day everyone has a different palate and beer preference. Good luck brewing and have a great wedding!

 

[fluxxsimon]

I have brewed around a dozen IPAs and love using the US-05 and the “forgiving” temperature range is great as well. If looking to add hop aroma I would recommend whirlpooling your last addition of hops (the 3 added with 5-min left). I just recently did my first whirlpool and I did 4oz for 30 mins at 170 degrees and the aroma came out just as I was hoping it would (which is more aroma than 5min additions at the end of boil).

What you’re going to find is a ton of recommendations and it’s always best to go with what you feel most comfortable and confident doing because at the end of the day everyone has a different palate and beer preference. Good luck brewing and have a great wedding!

So would you say that whirlpooling hops is better to get hop aroma than dry hopping with the same amount? I will definitely consider WP, but I have no experience in it. So you recommendation is to take all the 5min additions and add them to a whirlpool instead and then adjust the boil additions to get the correct IBU?

 

[RipC1ty]

So would you say that whirlpooling hops is better to get hop aroma than dry hopping with the same amount? I will definitely consider WP, but I have no experience in it. So you recommendation is to take all the 5min additions and add them to a whirlpool instead and then adjust the boil additions to get the correct IBU?

IBUs can be a very misleading number. High number of IBUs doesn’t always translate to actual bitterness. The late hop additions (5-10 minutes left in a boil are going to have more aromatic effects with little bittering) I would whirlpool your 5-minute hop additions instead of adding them to your boil and still add your dry hops. For my first whirlpool I turned my burner off after the 60-minute boil and waited for the temperature to drop to 170 (took about 20-minutes) and then dumped in my hops. Using a sanitized spoon I then stirred my wort for 25-30 minutes. It didn’t look nearly as good of a whirlpool as i watch in online videos but I can tell you it was very productive in creating hop aroma without creating bittering qualities.

 

[fluxxsimon]

Hi guys!

Just a little uppdate on the brew. The "test batch" was brewed 3 days ago. I actually got better efficiency than expected. Usually I get around 60% of brewhouse efficiency and now I got 65%. So I ended up with 6.1 gallons of 1.054 wort.
Now the yeast has worked for three days and the SG is down to 1.024 and the taste is really clean, so I think this is going to be an awesome beer. Quite a lot of hop aroma even now before dry hopping.

 

[fluxxsimon]

Here is the templog, it has been kept between 66.2 - 66.9F

 

[RipC1ty]

Hi guys!

Just a little uppdate on the brew. The "test batch" was brewed 3 days ago. I actually got better efficiency than expected. Usually I get around 60% of brewhouse efficiency and now I got 65%. So I ended up with 6.1 gallons of 1.054 wort.
Now the yeast has worked for three days and the SG is down to 1.024 and the taste is really clean, so I think this is going to be an awesome beer. Quite a lot of hop aroma even now before dry hopping.

What was the final recipe you went with?

 

[applescrap]

[emoji106]

 

[fluxxsimon]

What was the final recipe you went with?

This is what I ended up with:

The malts:
5700 g Pale Ale Malt (95%)
300 g Caramunich (5%)

The hops:
25g (0.7oz) Amarillo (7.1% AA) @10 min -> 7.5 IBU
20g (0.35oz) Simcoe (13.7% AA) @10 min -> 11.5 IBU
15g (0.35oz) Citra (12% AA) @10 min -> 7.6 IBU

25g (0.7oz) Amarillo (7.1% AA) @5 min -> 4.1 IBU
25g (0.7oz) Simcoe (13.7% AA) @5 min -> 7.9 IBU
35g (1.1oz) Citra (12% AA) @5 min -> 9.7 IBU

50g (2.1oz) Amarillo @Dryhop -> 0 IBU
55g (2.3oz) Simcoe @Dryhop -> 0 IBU
50g (2.1oz) Citra @Dryhop -> 0 IBU

So basically the original recipe with no 60 min addition and adjusted the amounts to account for the larger batch.

 

[RipC1ty]

Right on. You’ll get some nice aroma with all the dry hop addition.

 

[applescrap]

That looks nice, i like that hop schedule very much. Sanatize a hop bag and wrap the racking cane to save some headaches down the road when you transfer.

 

[fluxxsimon]

That looks nice, i like that hop schedule very much. Sanatize a hop bag and wrap the racking cane to save some headaches down the road when you transfer.

It tasted a lot better than all the earlier Pale Ales I have brewed. I think controlling the temperature did a world of difference. I hope it really attenuates enough, SG was 1.024 yesterday evening and the activity is almost stopped. I'm thinking to slowly raise the temperature to 70f to let the yeast really eat those sugars.

Btw, what do you mean by "wrap the racking cane"?

 

[RipC1ty]

It tasted a lot better than all the earlier Pale Ales I have brewed. I think controlling the temperature did a world of difference. I hope it really attenuates enough, SG was 1.024 yesterday evening and the activity is almost stopped. I'm thinking to slowly raise the temperature to 70f to let the yeast really eat those sugars.

Btw, what do you mean by "wrap the racking cane"?

How didn’t you go about controlling the temperature? Wrapping the racking cane means to buy a hop bag around the bottom of your siphon so you don’t have to worry about hops clogging it. If you dry hop in bags and not freely on the beer you’ll be fine but if you drop them in freely definitely wrap the bottom of te siphon.

 

[applescrap]

Yep, above. We are trying to save you from the headaches of heavy hopped beers and racking. If you wrap the hop bag tight around the bottom of the siphon it will be much better. Also I used to claim that throwing the Hops in freely made better taste, but it's been pretty well shown that it's okay to dry hop in a bag. Whether you keg or bottle, any amount of hops will be a pain in the rear if they get in there.

 

[WestMichBrewer]

Btw, what do you mean by "wrap the racking cane"?

That's brewer slang for putting on a condom...sorry couldn't resist...I'll see myself out now.

 

[fluxxsimon]

Yep, above. We are trying to save you from the headaches of heavy hopped beers and racking. If you wrap the hop bag tight around the bottom of the siphon it will be much better. Also I used to claim that throwing the Hops in freely made better taste, but it's been pretty well shown that it's okay to dry hop in a bag. Whether you keg or bottle, any amount of hops will be a pain in the rear if they get in there.

Clearly there is something I am missing here So you guys recommend to actually tie the hop bag to the siphon? My plan was to dry hop in bags, absolutely. I was planning to put the bags in the bottom of a secondary fermernter (with a lot of weights), and then flush the whole fermenter with CO2. After that, just siphon the beer into the secondary fermenter.

 

[fluxxsimon]

That's brewer slang for putting on a condom...sorry couldn't resist.

Okay! You learn something new every day. So I actually put the hop bag at the end of the siphon and let the beer run through it? So, should I just remove the hop bag after that or leave it in the fermenter?