Need help with next batch

[h22lude]

I'm doing an extract recipe from Clone Brews. I have had this book for a while and haven't done one from it. I've been doing a lot of AG and want to do an easy extract again for fun. I put the recipe in BeerSmith and it isn't coming out the same. It is a Stone IPA clone.

6oz Crystal 20L in 1/2 gallon at 150* for 30 minutes
Strain and sparge with another 1/2 gallon at 150*
Top off to 1.5 gallons, bring to a boil and then add
5lb extra light DME
4lb Pale LME
.5 oz Magnum
1oz Chinook

Then top off to 3.5 gallons boil for 45 minutes and add
1oz Columbus
1 tsp irish moss

Boil for 14 minutes and add
1oz Centennial

Boil for another minutes and pitch yeast.

Dry hop with 1oz Centennial

OG 1.071-1.072
IBU 77
SRM 6-7

First, why do I add the extract to 1.5 gallons then top off to 3.5 gallons? It won't really change anything. The 1.5 gallons will be higher gravity so hop utilization won't be as good but then you add water to that so really it wouldn't effect that. Am I missing something?

Also, when I put this into BeerSmith I get OG 1.073 which is good, SRM of 7.7 which is fine but IBUs are 58. I picked 4 gallon pot with 3.5 gallons of water so it is the same. Why would this be so different? If I make the LME a late addition the IBUs go up to 78.1 which is right where the book says but the book isn't doing a late addition. Is the book that far off?

 

[Pommy]

I would trust BeerSmith if you know any changes you may have made are reasonably accurate. It wouldn't be the first time a different process was used than given in a book. When I started brewing I found following these recipes much more difficult than when I had the understanding of AG and why I did what I did. As you say, some things we get told in these books doesn't seem to make sense. RDWHAHB and use BeerSmith to get the numbers where you want them and trust your own knowledge.

 

[kh54s10]

I guess there are different ways to skin a cat. I have never seen a recipe where you start a boil then top up and boil more. All the ones I have seen are partial boil, cool, then top up.

The glaring thing I see, and assume you would not do is to: "Boil for another minutes and pitch yeast". You will cool the wort before pitching the yeast won't you?

If I was trying this (it appears you have AG and Beersmith experience) I would put the ingredients into Beersmith and adjust the procedure to something I was familiar with while getting the numbers close to what the recipe calls for.

 

[h22lude]

I guess there are different ways to skin a cat. I have never seen a recipe where you start a boil then top up and boil more. All the ones I have seen are partial boil, cool, then top up.

The glaring thing I see, and assume you would not do is to: "Boil for another minutes and pitch yeast". You will cool the wort before pitching the yeast won't you?

If I was trying this (it appears you have AG and Beersmith experience) I would put the ingredients into Beersmith and adjust the procedure to something I was familiar with while getting the numbers close to what the recipe calls for.

Yeah there are different ways to brew, this one just seems odd to me lol Boil, add more water, boil then top off in fermenter. Just weird

Yes I just didn't write the cooling part in.

That is what I'm going to do. BeerSmith is more reputable than this book so I'll go with BeerSmith