First AG (IPA) - Critiques welcome!!

[BrewinBromanite]

Finally getting around to using new equipment to brew a couple AG & full-boil brews (a first time AG'er, after several PM's). Doing one batch of Yooper's House Pale Ale, and also this one side-by-side - which is probably somewhere between a pale ale and an IPA.

On this one, I'm shooting for a nice piney + citrusy flavor & aroma (more leaning toward the piney, with the citrus to balance it out). I like a nice complex malty grainbill, and not too much with the crystals - but am not too sure about the Chinook for the flavor and aroma. (Also have not tried Columbus - but have read it should be good for a fairly clean bittering addition).

Primarily - how does the hop-schedule sound for the late hops/hop-bursting & dry-hops? (Although any other areas of critique are welcome!)

Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.057 SG
Estimated Color: 7.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 66.0 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 76.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 82.9 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name # %/IBU
7 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) 1 65.2 %
2 lbs 8.0 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) 2 21.7 %
1 lbs Munich Malt - 20L (6.0 SRM) 3 8.7 %
8.0 oz Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) 4 4.3 %

1.00 oz Columbus [14.00 %] - Boil 60. 5 45.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min 6 13.9 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [6.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min 7 2.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min 8 4.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [6.00 %] - Aroma Steep 90.0 min 9 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Aroma Steep 90.0 min 10 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007) [35 Yeast 11
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days 12 0.0 IBUs

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[billl]

I think you are complicating the malt a bit too much. American IPA is really a straight forward style. Pale and a 1-2 lbs of munich would be plenty.

I think the IPA hopping "sweet spot" is 1oz high AA bittering hops, 2-4oz in the 15-0 range, and 2-3oz dry hop. I'd toss some extra columbus in to fill in the later additions and dry hop.

 

[motorneuron]

Yeah, I agree that you may want to add a little on the flameout/hopstand/dry hop end to get a bit more hop aroma.

That malt bill is a little more complicated than many recipes, but I don't think it's a problem--they should all play well together. Some people like their IPAs maltier.

 

[BrewinBromanite]

Thanks for the feedback!! I have had several batches under my belt doing PM (up to 7 lbs of grain max, the rest light DME or LME). I realize the base malts are a little more complex than your standard IPA, and this is probably more of a hoppy (and malty) pale ale. I love the Vienna and a little Munich with the 2-row combo (and for my tastes - 6-8oz of any crystal is high enough). I prefer to add complexity with base grains, a little bit of crystal, and mash 153-54ish if I really want more body than adding tons of crystal. Even when mashing relatively high, the 007 is a beast and finishes clean and dry.

What I really was unsure of was the combination of the hops I've selected - whether chinook + cascade would mesh well? I'm pretty familiar with cascade. It adds a nice citrus/grapefruit but always mellows out pretty quickly and I've never had it be overpowering.

I'm totally new to using Chinook. I'd like the pine flavor/aroma to really shine, hoping the cascade will just kind of complement in the background. Also - this is my first time hop-bursting and dry hopping. For the whirlpool, I'm planning on letting wort cool to 175ish, then let that addition steep for an hour and a half, then chill to pitching temps.

I'll take the above advice and perhaps double the 5 min, whirlpool and dry hop additions, since I am definitely going for a bigger aroma & flavor punch than I've been getting.

Would doubling the chinook for dry hopping be best, or would an oz each chinook + cascade work ok?

 

[billl]

Yes, chinook and cascade work great together. Some people find chinook a little overwhelming, so I'd lean towards mixing in some cascade and columbus in the the late additions and dry hop vs just doubling up on the chinook.

The hop stand sounds fine. Definitely make sure to get the temp down to 180 or below or your IBU's will definitely drift up.

For dry hopping, if you want a big punch, 3oz is appropriate. Remember though, not everything can "shine" in a beer. A malty beer with lots of complexity and heavy handed hopping often ends up with muddied flavors.