Wedding IPA Recipe Critique

[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?

 

[Jwood]

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.

Some people put a hop bag over the end of the siphon to act as a filter. I, personally, have never messed with it. I always hop outside of a bag and never have an issue with excess hop bits. However, i do cold crash at a minimum after dry hopping. Usually, i cold crash and gelatin. Crystal clear beer that way, even with 6+ ounces of dry hops.

 

[WestMichBrewer]

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?

If you bagged your hops, no need for the bag over the siphon - do one or the other.

 

[fluxxsimon]

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.

I did controll it, that is why I think this was one of the most clean tasting ales I have brewed

 

[fluxxsimon]

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.

Ah I got it now! I am planning on dry hop in bags

 

[RipC1ty]

How do you go about controlling your temperature for fermentation? I just always put mine in my cabinet under the counter and let it do it’s thing.

 

[fluxxsimon]

How do you go about controlling your temperature for fermentation? I just always put mine in my cabinet under the counter and let it do it’s thing.

Ah, I bought a Brew Cooler Bag, which is an insulated bag in which you put frozen bottles of water. The amount of frozen water determines how many degrees C it will lower the temperature in the bag in relation to the surrounding air. Here is a link (sorry for Swedish): https://www.hembryggeriet.se/brew-cooler-30l-jaeskylvaeska

I track the temperature with my Raspberry Pi.

It worked quite well, I have managed to hold the temperature between 18.5 C and 19.5 C (65.3F - 67.1F) in a room where the ambient temperature is 23C (73.4F). I have tried before to just let it sit in room temperature, but as I showed earlier in this thread, the yeast activity pushed the temperature up to nearly 81F which is quite high.

 

[fluxxsimon]

The beer has now been in bottle carbonation for about 10 days and I tried one yesterday. Overall the hop aroma is there, but not as much "in the face" as I might want it. That is quite easy to fix I guess, just add more late hops (or whirpool) and dryhop. But, another thing I noticed is that the body is very thin, it is very "watery". I really think that more body will carry the hop taste better. Do you guys have any suggestions? Some things I have read is

• Increase mash temperature to increase dextrins
• Mash thicker, and shorter
• Add dextrin malt

I can tell you that the beer fermented out nicely to FG 1.011 which is about 80%. I mashed it at 67 degrees C (152.6 F), which I guess is in the upper range for the mash?

 

[RipC1ty]

The beer has now been in bottle carbonation for about 10 days and I tried one yesterday. Overall the hop aroma is there, but not as much "in the face" as I might want it. That is quite easy to fix I guess, just add more late hops (or whirpool) and dryhop. But, another thing I noticed is that the body is very thin, it is very "watery". I really think that more body will carry the hop taste better. Do you guys have any suggestions? Some things I have read is

• Increase mash temperature to increase dextrins
• Mash thicker, and shorter
• Add dextrin malt

I can tell you that the beer fermented out nicely to FG 1.011 which is about 80%. I mashed it at 67 degrees C (152.6 F), which I guess is in the upper range for the mash?

What was your Original Grabity?

 

[fluxxsimon]

What was your Original Grabity?

OG was 1.054 which is almost spot on from the recipe, however, I needed to dilute the wort a little to get this gravity. Is that the reason it got watery? It wasn't a lot, maybe, 3-4 liters.

EDIT: Note that I diluted it BEFORE any hop addition, and hop additions was re-calculated for the new volume

 

[troglodytes]

I'd guess it may be a little watery because its a little green. I have found that with everything from pale ales to stouts a little aging makes everything come into its own. Its the problem I've had everytime I've attempted to brew for an event. The beer has always technically been complete and carbonated, but far from its peak at the time of the event.

For an NEIPA find a way to drink fast
For a West Coast IPA 3 weeks bottle conditioned
Brown Ales 5-6 weeks bottle conditioned
Porters/Stouts 8 weeks bottle conditioned

With all of the above (except the NEIPA) chill for 1 week in the fridge.

It seems like a long time to wait, but in my experience the flavor just switches on after a certain amount of conditioning time, especially with browns/porters/stouts. With an IPA, I know the conventional wisdom is to drink fresh and young, but with bottling, you're fighting against loss of hop flavor/aroma vs the actual beer being conditioned. I have found that a well conditioned IPA, even if it has lost a little of this initial aromatics, is vastly superior to the watery/yeasty results I get when its super young.

 

[fluxxsimon]

I'd guess it may be a little watery because its a little green. I have found that with everything from pale ales to stouts a little aging makes everything come into its own. Its the problem I've had everytime I've attempted to brew for an event. The beer has always technically been complete and carbonated, but far from its peak at the time of the event.

For an NEIPA find a way to drink fast
For a West Coast IPA 3 weeks bottle conditioned
Brown Ales 5-6 weeks bottle conditioned
Porters/Stouts 8 weeks bottle conditioned

With all of the above (except the NEIPA) chill for 1 week in the fridge.

It seems like a long time to wait, but in my experience the flavor just switches on after a certain amount of conditioning time, especially with browns/porters/stouts. With an IPA, I know the conventional wisdom is to drink fresh and young, but with bottling, you're fighting against loss of hop flavor/aroma vs the actual beer being conditioned. I have found that a well conditioned IPA, even if it has lost a little of this initial aromatics, is vastly superior to the watery/yeasty results I get when its super young.

Thank you for your answer! I will definitely try the beer again in the end of this week to give it another shot. Interesting that the body can develop more during conditioning. Yes, the loss of aroma is really the biggest issue I have had earlier and I hope that they are preserved in this brew, even after conditioning. Maybe it is better to "overshoot" with the dry hops so that the aroma are preserved longer?