IPA recipe with crystal malt

[Yooper]

I'm hankering for an IPA. I have been making most of my IPAs lately without crystal malt, and using a few character malts, to get them crisp and dry and hoppy.

But now I want an IPA that is "different". I'm not sure what I want exactly, but I have two beers on tap right now that are cascade/centennial heavy, so I was thinking amarillo/simcoe, and using some crystal malt in the grainbill this time.

I was also thinking of hopbursting this beer, getting all the hops bitterness as well as flavor and aroma from late additions. I want something pretty low ABV, so I can have a few. I'd like a reddish color, and some malt flavor, with some depth.

Too over-the-top?

Here's where I was starting:
10.5 gallons
15 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
2 lbs Borlander Munich Malt (Briess)
2 lbs Wheat - White Malt (2.3 SRM)
1 lbs 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)
2.0 oz Chocolate Malt (pale) (225.0 SRM) (for color)

3.00 oz Simcoe [11.90 %] - Boil 15.0 min
2.00 oz Amarillo [9.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min
1.00 oz Simcoe [11.90 %] - Boil 5.0 min
2.00 oz Amarillo [9.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min

OG 1.056
IBUs 45
Color 11.7
5.75-6% ABV

What do you think?

 

[BigRedHopHead]

I've done an IPA with crystal 60 and biscuit that turned out very good. I had 1# C60 and 0.5# biscuit. Added some dextrose at the end to boost %alc and dry out the beer.

 

[Xpertskir]

Overall it looks pretty good. The changes I would consider would be the following

Drop the choco, with the munich and c120 your color will be fine.

Swapping wheat for vienna, this will also help your color and Ive made hop forward beers with a similar bill and amounts 2 row, vienna, munich, crystal that have turned out very well.


Use a small bittering charge or FWH, so you can move some of the 15 minute addition to flame out or whirlpool.


I'd be curious about your expect FG. Depending on where you plan on mashing and what yeast.. Im guessing 1012-1014. In that neighborhood Id shoot for more like 50-60 IBUs for what I consider an IPA bitterness level, but that's highly a personal preference item.

 

[kh54s10]

From what I have seen, I think I would be happy with any of your recipes.

You have a lot more experience than I do but it doesn't look bad to me. I have made a couple of black IPA's that have a malty along with hoppy flavor. They were good and did not last long.

The first one was:
11.5# Weyermann Pale malt
.75# Crystal 60L
.4# Black patent malt
.38# Chocolate malt
Summit, Nugget, Chinook, Columbus, Centennial and Cascade.

The 2nd:
12.25# Crisp Pale Ale
.75# black patent malt
.5# Roasted barley
Centennial and Columbus

 

[Yooper]

Overall it looks pretty good. The changes I would consider would be the following

Drop the choco, with the munich and c120 your color will be fine.

Swapping wheat for vienna, this will also help your color and Ive made hop forward beers with a similar bill and amounts 2 row, vienna, munich, crystal that have turned out very well.


Use a small bittering charge or FWH, so you can move some of the 15 minute addition to flame out or whirlpool.


I'd be curious about your expect FG. Depending on where you plan on mashing and what yeast.. Im guessing 1012-1014. In that neighborhood Id shoot for more like 50-60 IBUs for what I consider an IPA bitterness level, but that's highly a personal preference item.

Thanks for the advice! I don't have any Vienna malt right now- that's why the wheat and Munich in there. Sort of a Vienna-less girl's substitute I guess. I will leave out the pale chocolate.

I can dryhop/whirlpool with more hops, but will consider FWH. The reason for the lower IBUs (45) is because of the low OG and I wanted "in your face" hops flavor and aroma without strong bitterness. I will use a pretty high sulfate for this, to firm up the bitterness that is there, I think.

FG should be around 1.010. I'm going to use WLP001 for 1/2, and haven't decided yet on the second 1/2. I happen to have several strains that would work for this, so I'm not sure yet.

 

[Yooper]

From what I have seen, I think I would be happy with any of your recipes.

You have a lot more experience than I do but it doesn't look bad to me. I have made a couple of black IPA's that have a malty along with hoppy flavor. They were good and did not last long.

The first one was:
11.5# Weyermann Pale malt
.75# Crystal 60L
.4# Black patent malt
.38# Chocolate malt
Summit, Nugget, Chinook, Columbus, Centennial and Cascade.

The 2nd:
12.25# Crisp Pale Ale
.75# black patent malt
.5# Roasted barley
Centennial and Columbus

Hmmm- a black IPA. That might be perfect for fall (early September) drinking! I didn't even think of that- I was fixated on "red".

Now I've got to think about some options here. That does sound good.

 

[Xpertskir]

if you are shooting for 1010...then 45ish IBU's should be very appropriate.

 

[NervousDad]

I enjoy an IPA/Pale Ale with a bit of sweetness, so to me that looks pretty good to me I've been swapping out my crystal malts for Munich and I miss the color and sweetness of the crystal. I always add tiny bit of chocolate to my beer, because I like to have a nice amber/red color.

I love IPAs that have late addition bittering so that's a bonus and you can't beat those hops.

 

[Xpertskir]

BTW, I didn't really think about it but I'm brewing this tonight. I'm really trying to dial in session IPAs...only drinking 300 plus calorie pints isn't doing anyone any favors.


I'm going with Moshers pale ale water profile or something close to it.

5.5 gallon batch OG 1045 FG 1012-1014 ~60Ibus counting on a 20% utilization from my whirlpool.
Mashing at 156 or 157

4.2-4.4% ABV

Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
6 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (Thomas Fawcett) (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 70.3 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 2 16.2 %
12.0 oz Carafoam (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 8.1 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 4 5.4 %
0.50 oz Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 5 9.7 IBUs
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 10.5 IBUs
0.75 oz Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 7 10.6 IBUs
0.75 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 8 11.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 9 7.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 8.4 IBUs
1.50 oz Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Aroma Steep 60.0 min Hop 11 0.0 IBUs
1.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Aroma Steep 60.0 min Hop 12 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) [35.49 ml] Yeast 13 -
1.50 oz Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
1.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 15 0.0 IBUs

 

[Homercidal]

Didn't think you liked wheat in your beers. I thought maybe the wheat was for head retention, and the crystal should help with that so the wheat seemed redundant. If you are actually looking to get a bit of flavor, then great. I usually use carapils for head retention, but have also used wheat malt to get the same effect and it's worked fine.

Otherwise, I'd drop the choc as suggested and just go with the 40L and 120L. Or if you want to do the black IPA, that would make a nice change of pace. The good ones I've had were black but tasted very close to an IPA with must a subtle hint of roastiness. If they aren't too dry I've enjoyed them.

 

[Brewsncrabs]

Maybe try 007 in the 1/2. I split an IPA batch once and everyone liked the 007 better. Haven't used 001 since.

 

[FATC1TY]

Hmmm- a black IPA. That might be perfect for fall (early September) drinking! I didn't even think of that- I was fixated on "red".

Now I've got to think about some options here. That does sound good.

Yooper-

I was thinking the same thing the other week.. I did a Black IPA, best of both worlds.

I used for a 5 G batch

75.5% Pale Malt
11.3% Rye Malt
7.5% C-40
3.8% Midnight Wheat
1.9% Chocolate Malt

1.060 OG, 1.010 FG. 77 IBU 25 SRM

I hopped it pretty heavy with Chinook, Simcoe, Cascade and Amarillo.

Used US05 for it to keep it simple, but I think WY1968 would work nicely.


The rye and midnight wheat really aid in the dryness of the beer, but it's not actually dry tasting. You get the sweetness from the wheat and the crystal malt in there. I'm not fond of wheat in large amounts in my IPA's, but the midnight wheat is really good in there for enough color and a slight roast finish.

I hop bursted it as well, starting from 20, 15, 5, and then made 2 additions at flame out, and 2 more in a 170* hopstand/whirlpool.

 

[Yooper]

Didn't think you liked wheat in your beers. I thought maybe the wheat was for head retention, and the crystal should help with that so the wheat seemed redundant. If you are actually looking to get a bit of flavor, then great. I usually use carapils for head retention, but have also used wheat malt to get the same effect and it's worked fine.

Otherwise, I'd drop the choc as suggested and just go with the 40L and 120L. Or if you want to do the black IPA, that would make a nice change of pace. The good ones I've had were black but tasted very close to an IPA with must a subtle hint of roastiness. If they aren't too dry I've enjoyed them.

AnOldUR has been working on me for years to accept that wheat malt in an IPA is a needed touch- and he has me (mostly) convinced!

 

[Beer-lord]

I make a ton of IPA's and like the addition of Munich in some to give it some maltiness and I use c75 and c120 often as well. I've got some white wheat around and was thinking of using it in one of my future brews.
But my IPA's are always 60 IBU's or more