Help with an IPA recipe please

[NewkyBrown]

I would like to develop my own IPA recipe and have a couple of questions.

I am thinking around 7-7.5% ABV.
Mainly 2-row but not sure whether to use crystal malt or try some victory instead. I use crystal in everything I make and thought of trying something different with this one. Would this work out well? Would it be missing the crystal malt in there or would victory (or biscuit malt) work well too?

Also I was thinking of early bittering with Magnum then late hop additions including Mosaic, Simcoe and Galaxy. I also have some Amarillo and Columbus. I would like to use the mosaic, as I have just bought a lb of them, but which of the others would work well with these?

I appreciate any feedback.
Thanks.

 

[bobbrews]

You have several options, depending on your goals.

• American, Canadian, British base malts such as Rye, Pearl, Optic, 2-row, Vienna
• 0-5% Crystal malt or Honey malt
• American or English yeast
• A mixture of American, Australian, New Zealand hops
• 0-5% corn or table sugar to aid drying

I would advise against Victory for an West Coast IPA, as it is very potent, rich, and nutty. You can experiment with some Munich malt, but you don't really need to be that creative in the way of malt when it comes to American IPAs. I suggest relying on two or three malts that produce a clean and undistracting flavor, a low FG, a yeast that isn't too spicy or phenolic, and a ton of Pacific Northwest of Aussie/Down-Under hops, especially dryhops. All of the hops you mentioned work well as you intend to use them.

 

[chickypad]

I actually like a little victory in an AIPA, though I agree you have to be careful not to go overboard. It all depends on what you want. Yooper's Dogfish 60 clone has all 2-row with 3% amber malt (kind of like victory on steroids) that I like a lot. I've also made that recipe before subbing victory when I was out of amber. Your hop plan sounds good to me too.

 

[bobbrews]

^ Different strokes.

You seem to prefer East Coast IPAs. They are more malt forward.

 

[chickypad]

No actually I'm a more of a west coast IPA fan, those very light and clean grainbills that some might call "unbalanced" - I just happen to like that particular recipe. I find a little victory in a mostly base malt grainbill adds just a little toast and crispness without being overbearing. Too much Munich on the other hand makes an IPA too malty for me. As you say, different strokes.

 

[falkaveli]

I HIGHLY recommend a hop stand at flame out for about 30 minutes. Massive hop flavor.

 

[NewkyBrown]

Thanks for the replies. I'll post a recipe back here soon and hopefully someone can critique for me!

 

[mbbransc]

I never use any crystal in my IPAs. I find even a little becomes too malt forward after a month or so in the keg. I use mostly 2-row and add a bit of either munich or maris otter for some subtle flavor additions. That's usually all my grist.

You have some good hops for great IPA hop profiles. I second the hop stand mentioned above; I always hop stand my IPAs now at 180° for ~20-25 minutes. Then dry hop the crap out of it! Super potent, juicy IPA.

Be anal about oxygen. My IPAs got leaps and bounds better when I began kegging to purged vessels instead of bottling.