First IPA recipe - did it end too high?

[scottvin]

Here is my recipe for my first crafted IPA and the centennials were home grown hops.

FERMENTABLES:
11 lb - American - Pale 2-Row (81.5%)
1 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 20L (7.4%)
1 lb - American - Munich - Light 10L (7.4%)
0.5 lb - American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt) (3.7%)

1 oz - Cascade, Type: Pellet, AA: 5.66, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 20.3
1 oz - Centennial, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 10, Use: Boil for 30 min, IBU: 25.05
1 oz - Centennial, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 10, Use: Boil for 15 min, IBU: 16.18
1 oz - Centennial, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 10, Use: Boil for 5 min, IBU: 6.5
1 oz - Centennial, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 10, Use: Dry Hop for 7 days

US-05

It went from 1.073 to 1.018.
My mash temps were as follows:
7.72 gallons before mash
7 gallons after mash

154.4 at mash in
150 @ 15 mins - brought up to 153.3
148 @ 45 mins - brought up to 153.7
151 @ 60 mins

Fermented @ 62

Could my FG gone lower with these stats? Thanks!

 

[chickypad]

Looks like you mashed mostly around 153-154 and with 11% total crystal I think that sounds within range.

 

[RonPopeil]

Looks like you mashed mostly around 153-154 and with 11% total crystal I think that sounds within range.

agreed.

S-05, 10% crystal and high mash temps? anything below 1.020 would be a success.

 

[Calder]

To answer your question: Yes.

Why did it end too high?

- You mashed too high for an IPA
- You used too much specialty grain

75% attenuation is pretty good, but an IPA (in my opinion) should be a drier beer, ending 1.010 or lower. To get there you need to mash at lower temperatures, use less specialty grain, and, dare I say it, maybe use some simple sugar.

 

[opiate82]

I think it is a personal preference thing. One of my favorite IPA's from a local brewery near me has their normal IPA finishing at around 1.021. This is an award winning IPA which has received "Northwest Best IPA" 6 of the last 8 years (among other notable awards). That is a territory spanning from BC to Northern Cali so some pretty stiff competition.

With that said, I agree with Calder in that I personally like my IPA's to finish lower around the 1.010 range. I like pretty much everything to get out of the way and let the hops really shine. So I personally mash lower and longer to get better attenuation and a drier finish. That isn't the end-all-be-all in how IPA's should be though. Find some commercial examples of IPA's you love and figure out what percentage of specialty grains they use and/or where their FG ends up and adjust your processes accordingly. Nothing wrong at all with an IPA finishing in the 1.020 range at all.

Also, another way to get some better attenuation is to increase your mash time. I mash most of my IPA's for at least 75 minutes. Check out this thread: Controlling Attenuation Through Mash Times.