West Coast IPA recipe help

[benflath]

Plan to brew this in a week or so. I'm not trying to make a "melt-your-face-off-with-hops" kind of IPA, just a classic, drinkable summer beer. My main question is: are there any real advantages to adding hops at 15, 10, 5 and 0 or could I just pack them into 10 and 0 with the same basic outcome? All feedback welcome, the recipe is far from solid!

6.5 gal boil
5.5 gal in fermenter
IBU: 56.7
Color: 7 SRM
OG: 1.062
FG: 1.016
Mash at 152 F for 60 min
Sparge with 170 F

Grains/Fermentables
9 lbs (4.08 kg) 2-Row Malt (2 °L)
1 lbs (0.45 kg) Crystal 30 (30 °L)
0.5 lbs (0.23 kg) White Wheat (2 °L)

Hops
1 oz (28.35 g) Nugget Pellet 13.9% AA (Boil - 60 mins)
0.25 oz (7.09 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 15 mins)
0.25 oz (7.09 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 10 mins)
0.25 oz (7.09 g) Citra Pellet 11% AA (Boil - 10 mins)
0.25 oz (7.09 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 5 mins)
0.25 oz (7.09 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 0 mins)
0.25 oz (7.09 g) Citra Pellet 11% AA (Boil - 0 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Citra Pellet 11% AA (Dry Hop, 7 days)
1 oz (28.35 g) Amarillo Pellet 8% AA (Dry Hop, 7 days)

Yeast
American Ale Yeast II (Wyeast 1272) (Liquid)

 

[Schumed]

looks good to me cascade, citra, and amarillo should be a good combo

 

[Xpertskir]

you need way way more hops.

In a 1060's IPA I average from 5-10 oz in the kettle and another 3-5 for dry hop.

Id go for an 1 oz at 15, 10, 5, 0 and 3 oz dry hop, for simplicity, but more is fine, depending what you are going for.

 

[jbaysurfer]

you need way way more hops.

In a 1060's IPA I average from 5-10 oz in the kettle and another 3-5 for dry hop.

Id go for an 1 oz at 15, 10, 5, 0 and 3 oz dry hop, for simplicity, but more is fine, depending what you are going for.

Agreed. I just finished a pale ale that had 9oz of hops per 5G. Most of them went into the late boil. Yes, a pale ale. It only has about 55 IBUs (which for the nerds out there I'll admit is on the edge of the style, but lets face it..that's the trend for west coast pale ales) so that gives you an idea how many I throw into the kettle very late in the boil.

You could "probably" get by with the 10 and 0 minute only schedule, but I really like the 5 minute addition as I feel that's the point at which you truly get flavor AND aroma from a hop addition (JMHO, but I think the science probably supports my opinion tbh).

 

[daksin]

Looks like a good beer, but I sort of agree that you probably need some more hops- 2oz of late additions (doubling) will get you closer to what you want, I think. You've only got an ounce and a quarter of late hops. A sierra nevada pale ale clone has 1.75oz. A two-hearted clone (a lower-hopped IPA) has about 3.

Sorry, but if your pale ale has 55 IBU and a half pound of late hops, it's an IPA. The OP specifically mentioned he's not trying to make a face-puncher of an IPA.

 

[benflath]

Thanks for the input, all!

My last IPA came out bitter but without the hop aroma I wanted. I blamed the grain bill, but perhaps I just wasn't adding enough late hops. I updated my recipe below by doubling all the late additions. Of note is that I had not put the correct values in for pre- and post-boil volumes, so to hit my target ABV I added another pound of 2-row.

6.5 gal boil
5.5 gal in fermenter
Alcohol by Volume: 5.9%
IBU: 60.5
Color: 6.9 SRM
OG: 1.060
FG: 1.016
Mash at 152 F for 60 min
Sparge with 170 F

Grains/Fermentables
10 lbs (4.54 kg) 2-Row Malt (2 °L)
1 lbs (0.45 kg) Crystal 30 (30 °L)
0.5 lbs (0.23 kg) White Wheat (2 °L)

Hops
1 oz (28.35 g) Nugget Pellet 13.9% AA (Boil - 60 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 15 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 10 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Citra Pellet 11% AA (Boil - 10 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 5 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 0 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Citra Pellet 11% AA (Boil - 0 mins)
1 oz (28.35 g) Citra Pellet 11% AA (Dry Hop)
2 oz (56.7 g) Amarillo Pellet 8% AA (Dry Hop)

Yeast
American Ale Yeast II (Wyeast 1272) (Liquid)

 

[jbaysurfer]

Sorry, but if your pale ale has 55 IBU and a half pound of late hops, it's an IPA. The OP specifically mentioned he's not trying to make a face-puncher of an IPA.

I kinda thought I covered the idea that it's a west coast trend to go hoppier on pale ales. Gravity is the difference. Some beers don't fit style guidelines to perfection. My pale ale is 5.3%. So if I called it an IPA, some other knowitall would tell me it's a pale ale.

I know my system my software and my process. It tastes more like a 40-45 IBU beer, but my software always calculates it high. I also said it had 9oz of hops. Not that they all went in the late boil. 3 of them are dryhops. I would've typed all that out in my first post but I didn't think it really necessary tbh.

Also, I read the OP, and responded to it, before you did. You then basically restated my advice. SMH..nice first interaction with you. Gotta love the interwebz.

All that aside, best of luck with that brewery. What comes next is the big boy stuff.

 

[jbaysurfer]

My last IPA came out bitter but without the hop aroma I wanted. I blamed the grain bill, but perhaps I just wasn't adding enough late hops.

Water can lead to an astringency that accentuates bitterness and makes it more puckering too. I had that problem a bunch when I started brewing. When I changed my water it really helped. Also, mash PH can be part of that equation as well.

Everything I say is my own personal experience talking. I try to avoid the dickwaving, so just consider it opinion. I'd go a bit bigger on the grain if I were you. I know what the style guidelines say, but you just don't see very many IPAs below 6% nowadays. Again, JMHO.

 

[gregkeller]

If you up the OG then you've got to add some more hops, maybe up the 5 minute addition to an ounce or ounce and a half? Also, if you are looking for a nice summer drink, personally i'd lower the mash temp to help dry it out a little bit. you've got a decent amount of crystal in there to keep some residual sugar around, so i'd probably mash at 149-150 to help bring the FG down to 1.010-1.012 or so, that will dry things out, make the hops that are there sing a little more and also make it a little more drinkable in the heat of the summer.

Again, just personal opinions, i really like a dry finish in my ipa's and double ipa's. A little corn sugar would also be a way to bump the gravity but dry the beer out also.

 

[gbarron]

Yes, intended to reply earlier and say lower your mash temp to get a lower FG. In my experience, what separates west coast and east coast IPA's is more hops and lower FG in the west coast versions. I would mash at 148-150°F personally if I'm making a west coast style IPA.

 

[ColeR]

I got this from BYO sept 2011 page 21

now the amounts have changed as this is a 10 gal batch and my eff is about 85%, take from it what you can. yummm.


Recipe: West Coast Style IPA
Style: American IPA
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size (fermenter): 10.00 gal
OG: 1.062 SG
Color: 8.2 SRM
IBU: 58.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 85.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Mash AT 150.0 F 60 min
Sparge @ 168.0 F

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name
17 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
2 lbs 4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM)
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)

1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 90.0 min
0.25 oz Columbus [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min
0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min
0.25 oz Columbus [14.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min
0.25 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min
0.50 oz Columbus [14.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins)
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min
0.50 oz Columbus [14.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min

2.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05)

1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Day
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days

cr-

 

[benflath]

ColeR brings up something I had forgotten about asking. My previous IPAs had some Carapils, which I understand is for head retention. Will the wheat fill that purpose or should I put some Carapils in there, too?

 

[benflath]

Brewing this weekend, so I thought I'd bump this up for last-minute advice. Using the recipe below. Upped the 2-row for a higher ABV and lowered the mash temp to 150 since my last post. I also plan to make a starter with the smack pack, just to make sure it can handle all the sugars.


6.5 gal boil
5.5 gal in fermenter
Alcohol by Volume: 5.9%
IBU: 58.1
Color: 7.1 SRM
OG: 1.065
FG: 1.017
Mash at 150 F for 60 min
Sparge with 170 F

Grains/Fermentables
11 lbs (4.54 kg) 2-Row Malt (2 °L)
1 lbs (0.45 kg) Crystal 30 (30 °L)
0.5 lbs (0.23 kg) White Wheat (2 °L)

Hops
1 oz (28.35 g) Nugget Pellet 13.9% AA (Boil - 60 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 15 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 10 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Citra Pellet 11% AA (Boil - 10 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 5 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Cascade Pellet 6.6% AA (Boil - 0 mins)
0.5 oz (14.17 g) Citra Pellet 11% AA (Boil - 0 mins)
1 oz (28.35 g) Citra Pellet 11% AA (Dry Hop)
2 oz (56.7 g) Amarillo Pellet 8% AA (Dry Hop)

Yeast
American Ale Yeast II (Wyeast 1272) (Liquid)

 

[daksin]

Looking good. Let us know how it comes out!

 

[benflath]

Sad news. For some reason I cannot figure out, I was nowhere close to my OG. Seriously. I even boiled off a half gallon more than I thought I would and ended up at 1.049.

I didn't do anything differently than on my other batches, hit the mash temp nicely, sparged maybe a bit more slowly than I had previously...

I added a half pound of honey after I took the reading, otherwise there would be barely any alcohol and the hops would be overpowering.

Any thoughts out there as to what may have happened?

 

[Schumed]

I always have honey around when I miss my numbers...it works well I think you will be fine

 

[benflath]

Bottled this week. The flat, warm sample was actually really good. I expected it to be overly bitter because of the low efficiency, but it wasn't. The amarillo and citra both came across well in the aroma, with a distinct earthy bitterness from the nugget. May have accidentally stumbled on to a great session IPA (3.4% ABV). Definitely looking forward to the finished product. It debuts at a work party on the 4th of July.

 

[benflath]

Two bottle bombs this weekend. One was this growler. Nothing like getting home from work at 10pm to find a half gallon of beer and glass all over the living room...

On the plus side, it's ready to drink! Waiting in the fridge for me tonight!

 

[jbaysurfer]

Bummer dude. Don't bottle in growlers, they're not rated for pressure. But if the other bottle was a regular one, the beer isn't done.

I've never been through this, but maybe somebody can reply to this bump and tell you whether you should reopen the bottles or not....

 

[daksin]

I'd at least toss one in the fridge overnight and see if it's overcarbed. Otherwise it could just be a chipped/flawed bottle that blew. But yes, growlers are NOT ok for bottling. Maybe the big heavy glass ones with the pewter handles, but even then stay away. They're not designed to hold pressure.

 

[benflath]

Ok, lesson learned about the growler! It was my only one.

Just opened the first bottle. Not overcarbed at all. Checked the second broken bottle (originally used by Widmer, first homebrew in it), turns out it was from an earlier batch that I've been drinking for about a month. Also not overcarbed.

In other news, the beer that started this thread is really good! Despite the low efficiency. There's a great sweet, peachy smell of the citra and amarillo, a nice dark, but not overwhelming bitterness from the nugget (could go for a bit less) and of course the ubiquitous cascade citrus. A keeper for sure!