Bissell Brothers "Here's To Feeling Good All The Time" DIPA Clone

[emr25]

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This is an attempt to clone Bissell Brothers "Here's To Feeling Good All The Time" NE Style DIPA. Their website lists Pilsner and Spelt for the malts. Galaxy, Mosaic, and Simcoe for the hops. OG of 1.073 and ABV of 7.8%.

Target OG - 1.073
Target FG - 1.014
Target ABV - 7.8%

Mash Temperature - 150* for 60 Min

Grain (80% Mash Efficiency)
12 lbs - German Pilsner (76%)
3 lbs - German Spelt (19%)
12 oz - Dextrose / Corn Sugar (5%)

Hops
30 Min - 5mL Hop Extract (Warrior)
10 Minutes - 0.5 oz Galaxy
Flameout - 1 oz Galaxy / 1 oz Mosaic / 1 oz Simcoe
165* Whirlpool - 1 oz Galaxy / 2 oz Mosaic / 2 oz Simcoe
Dry Hop 1 (~48 Hours Post Pitch) - 1 oz Galaxy / 2 oz Mosaic / 2 oz Simcoe
Dry Hop 2 (~9 Days Post Pitch) - 1 oz Galaxy / 1 oz Mosaic / 1 oz Simcoe

Water Profile
5 gallons for mash, approximately 4 gallons batch sparge (BIAB) to achieve 7.75 gallons pre-boil volume. Target of 5.5 to 6 gallons into fermenter and 5 gallons packaged into keg. Brewhouse efficiency is typically around 65% for my process.

Starting with RO water, I add approximately the following (similar to Brau NE IPA thread).

CaCl - 0.7 g/gal
Gypsum - 0.6 g/gal
Epsom - 0.3 g/gal
Canning - 0.1 g/gal
Lactic Acid - 0.1 mL/gal

Fermentation
Chill to 64*, aerate with pure O2 for 60 seconds, pitch 1000mL of active (~18-24 hours) WY1318 yeast starter.

Ramp to 66* after 24 hours, 68* after 72 hours, and 70* after 7 days. Cold crash after 12 days to drop hops / yeast and transfer under CO2 pressure to purged serving keg after 14 days. Force carbonate to ~2.5 volumes.

Thoughts / Suggestions
For those of you who have had Here's To Feeling Good All The Time, any suggestions on grain bill and/or hop ratios? The mouthfeel on Bissell's version is outstanding, which may be partly attributed to the use of Spelt. I have not done a NE Style IPA with Pilsner or Spelt yet, which was the inspiration for trying to clone this beer.

I had to start somewhere in terms of grain % to achieve the correct OG for my system, and added in the dextrose (corn sugar) to boost the ABV based on my average attenuation with WY1318 yeast.

For hops I went with less Galaxy overall since it can overpower the others in my experience.

 

[grassfeeder]

I have not had it, but that recipe sounds amazing!

 

[emr25]

Here’s a picture for reference of what I’m aiming for.

 

[Upthewazzu]

Bissell doesn't use 1318, they use 1272 (well, actually a variation of that strain from another yeast manufacturer). And they whirlpool at 190°. Another tip is to keep the mash pH low. He didn't specify how low, just "low in the range". Also, these things tend to be mashed a little higher, at 154°-156°. I don't know about this one specifically, but I do know of other NEIPA's that are mashed higher for sure.

 

[emr25]

Bissell doesn't use 1318, they use 1272 (well, actually a variation of that strain from another yeast manufacturer). And they whirlpool at 190°. Another tip is to keep the mash pH low. He didn't specify how low, just "low in the range". Also, these things tend to be mashed a little higher, at 154°-156°. I don't know about this one specifically, but I do know of other NEIPA's that are mashed higher for sure.

All good information, thanks!

For yeast, 1318 is the house strain I keep on hand for NE IPAs. It should be in the same ballpark, obviously not identical.

For whirlpool at 190*, I could combine the flameout and whirlpool additions listed in the OP into one at 190*. I’ll give that some thought.

I use lactic acid and typically target about 5.3 pH, is that considered “low”?

For the mash temperature, I played around with the recipe projections and the only way I could get a 1.073 OG beer to project finishing at 1.014 (to hit the target 7.8% ABV) was to use the 12 oz dextrose and to mash on the lower end (150*). I’ll check on some other options. I have mashed for NE IPAs anywhere from 148-160* with good results, I usually base it on the target FG.

Probably won’t get to this recipe for another 3-4 weeks, but I’m looking forward to it!

 

[emr25]

Brewing this tomorrow, made a few tweaks to the hop bill but otherwise as described in the OP.

Hops
30 Min - 5mL Hop Extract (Warrior)

10 Minutes - 1 oz Columbus

Flameout - 1 oz Galaxy / 1 oz Mosaic / 1 oz Simcoe

165* Whirlpool - 1 oz Galaxy / 2 oz Mosaic / 2 oz Simcoe

Dry Hop 1 (~48 Hours Post Pitch) - 2 oz Galaxy / 2 oz Mosaic / 2 oz Simcoe

Dry Hop 2 (~9 Days Post Pitch) - 2 oz Galaxy / 2 oz Mosaic / 1 oz Simcoe

 

[n3lson1]

Definitely let me know how this is!

 

[Pratty]

I heard BB on Brewing Network recently and they said the yeast was not 1318 or 1272.

East Coast Ale 008.

Perfect for the style.

 

[Upthewazzu]

I heard BB on Brewing Network recently and they said the yeast was not 1318 or 1272.

East Coast Ale 008.

Perfect for the style.

They use BSI A-72. Same as Wyeast 1272.

 

[emr25]

I’ll have some initial tasting notes tonight. It’s been in the keg at 12 psi for a week, returning home from a trip today.

For yeast, I also heard them talk about their house ale yeast on The Session. 1318 is what I keep on hand for all NE IPAs, obviously not identical but it’ll be in the ballpark. Hops and grain bill should also be in the ballpark of the original.

 

[emr25]

I don’t put too much stock in tasting after only 6 days in the keg. Most of my NE IPAs have peaked around 14 days in terms of flavor mellowing and aroma still being strong.

With that said, this is the best homebrew I’ve made by far. Finally dialed in the balance between just enough bitterness and pure hop saturation from massive dry hopping.

Probably needs a bit more carbonation, but I’m thrilled with the appearance compared to the real Bissell Brothers Here’s To Feeling Good All The Time.

Real thing on the left, homebrew on the right. Planning to do a side by side tasting this weekend.

 

[emr25]

Also forgot to add some data points (actuals vs. the theoreticals in the OP).

OG - 1.072
FG - 1.012
ABV - 7.9%

Day 0 - Brew Day (3/17/18)
Day 2 - Dry Hop 1 Added
Day 7 - Dry Hop 2 Added
Day 9 - Cold Crash to 40*
Day 11 - Closed Transfer to Keg
Day 17 - Sample (Increased CO2 from 12 to 14 psi)

 

[Upthewazzu]

Wow, you nailed the color! Great work, let us know how it tastes compared to the original once its all carbed up.

 

[rpm2nite]

Yes can you post any thoughts on the taste, anything you would change? I was able to try HTFGATT a few weeks ago when
visiting Maine and it was simply incredible! Would love to get a close recipe!

 

[emr25]

Yes can you post any thoughts on the taste, anything you would change? I was able to try HTFGATT a few weeks ago when
visiting Maine and it was simply incredible! Would love to get a close recipe!

I wouldn’t change much, maybe a bit more Galaxy and a bit less Mosaic/Simcoe. The biggest complaint I had tasting side by side with the real thing was mouthfeel, but that is typical for me when comparing my NE IPA homebrews against top commercial examples.