Is this All-Citra Pale Ale recipe a good plan?

[StonesBally]

I have 8 oz. of Citra that I have decided to make an single hop beer with. I have brewed the same basic recipe a number of times, once as a single hop with Mt. Hood, which was very good. It is derived from the APA recipe in Brewing Classic Styles. I'm wondering what anyone thinks of the recipe using Citra hops, and also any suggestions for rearranging the hop schedule to showcase the hops without it being a very bitter IPA. Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Here's the recipe:

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Citra Pale Ale
Brewer: Brian
Asst Brewer:
Style: American Pale Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
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Boil Size: 14.02 gal
Post Boil Volume: 12.12 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 11.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 10.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.056 SG
Estimated Color: 6.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 40.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.4 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
12.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent 1 -
18 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 2 81.8 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 3 6.8 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 4 6.8 %
1 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 5 4.5 %
0.60 oz Citra [13.40 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 6 14.8 IBUs
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 60.0 mins) Other 7 -
1.00 oz Citra [13.40 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 11.1 IBUs
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 9 -
1.00 oz Citra [13.40 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 10 8.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [13.40 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 4.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [13.40 %] - Boil 2.0 min Hop 12 1.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [13.40 %] - Aroma Steep 10.0 min Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
2.40 oz Citra [13.40 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 22 lbs
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Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 28.50 qt of water at 163.4 F 151.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun, , 9.78gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
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Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
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[Yooper]

12 grams of gypsum? Is that something you normally do for a pale ale? That's fine, of course, if your water needs it but I just brewed a 10.5 gallon batch the other day of a hoppy beer and used 10 grams of gypsum with RO water and I was sort of worried! I normally go under 100 ppm of sulfate for pale ales.

Anyway.............the IBUs look good. I'd cut the victory malt a tad, though, as too much is very "dry" tasting and I'd like to see no more than a pound in an 11 gallon batch. I'm not a citra fan, but if you are, I think it looks really good!

 

[TheHairyHop]

I wouldn't bother with that 2 min addition, maybe even the 5. They should go in for the steep. The only thing you're doing in those 5 minutes is boiling off oils. Also, 10 minutes isn't long enough for a steep. More like 30. But that's just me!

 

[badlee]

Hops: i did something very similar with citra and it was out of this bloody world amazing!
Good luck