Is this a 'Double' IPA?

[Taranis]

Entering this in a local home brew competition and I'm trying to decide if I should enter it as an 'Imperial' or just an IPA.

Feel free to comment on the recipe in general too.

2 Quarry Trail Ale
This is a first attempt at a partial mash and DIPA. Started w/ a 1.5 liter of yeast stater for 24 hours. Mini Mash: 1.) Mash @ 150-152F w 1.5 G H2o for 30 mins 2.) Teabag grain bag into 1.5 gals sparge water @ 155F (in boil kettle) -rest for 15 3.) Place grain+bag in colander, pour 2L (@170F) slowly over grains into sparge water 4.) Heat to just below boiling & add 50% DME 5.) Add hops as per schedule (in bag) 6.) @ 15 mins add rest of DME 7.) Cool in ice bath (ph=5.5) 8.) Measure OG ( Primary: 9.) Add water to bring to 5g 10.) Pitch yeast and ferment @ 64-66 Secondary: 11.) Dry hop in secondary @ 60

malt & fermentables

29% 3# Briess Pilsen Light DME
29% 3# Briess Pilsen Light DME (late addition)
24% 2#,8oz American Two-row Pale
10% 1# American Crystal 40L
5% 8oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine 33 2 ~
5% 8oz Briess Bavarian Wheat 35 3 ~
Batch size: 5.0 gallons
Original Gravity
1.077
Final Gravity
1.016 measured
Color
8° SRM / 16° EBC
(Gold to Copper)

boil 60 mins 0.5 Simcoe leaf 11.9
boil 30 mins 1.0 Amarillo pellet 9.2
boil 10 mins 1.0 Amarillo pellet 9.2
boil 5 mins 2.0 Centennial leaf 10.8
boil 5 mins 1.0 Simcoe leaf 11.9
boil 10 min 1 ea Irish Moss
post-boil 1 min 0.5 Simcoe leaf 11.9
dry hop 7 days 1.0 Simcoe leaf 11.9
dry hop 7 days 1.0 Simcoe leaf 11.9
Boil: 4.0 avg gallons for 60 minutes
Bitterness
73.6 IBU / 6 HBU

yeast
Wyeast British Ale II (1335)
Wyeast American Ale (1056)
Alcohol
7.6% ABV

 

[Ramitt]

By bjcp guidelines looks to be just over the line into the iipa range by og and ibus

 

[SouthBay]

can you taste any alcohol in it? if not, you might try for an IPA. if so, go IIPA.

 

[Taranis]

can you taste any alcohol in it? if not, you might try for an IPA. if so, go IIPA.

Thanks, that's great advise, the hop flavor is deliberately smooth even though it's pretty bitter so I'm afraid the reaction from the Judges will be "Imperial, really?...try adding more hops". But can I be penalized for entering a weak IIPA in the IPA category?

 

[SouthBay]

Thanks, that's great advise, the hop flavor is deliberately smooth even though it's pretty bitter so I'm afraid the reaction from the Judges will be "Imperial, really?...try adding more hops". But can I be penalized for entering a weak IIPA in the IPA category?

You can probably be penalized for anything. The scoring is only based on the subjective opinion of the judge, that your brew fit their idea of what constitutes the criteria of that particular style.

My experience is that most judges think of IPA as really bitter anyways, and that if you dont hit the upper 1/3 of the IBU range for that style, the comments will follow that it needs more hops. I think you'd probably be better entering it as an IPA, and hoping they have hop-resistant taste buds rather than the other way around.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks, that's great advise, the hop flavor is deliberately smooth even though it's pretty bitter so I'm afraid the reaction from the Judges will be "Imperial, really?...try adding more hops". But can I be penalized for entering a weak IIPA in the IPA category?

Not really. They won't know the exact OG and the exact IBUs, so if it tastes more like a big IPA, enter it as an IPA. They go strictly by meeting the style guidelines, and a "too small" IIPA may be dinged heavily if it's not hoppy and malty enough.

 

[Taranis]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll decide after I crack the first bottle but I'm leaning towards IPA.

 

[SouthBay]

To give you an idea, you can 'technically' meet the criteria of an American IPA by using 10# 2-row, 1/2# caramel 40, and 1 oz of simcoe @ 60 minutes.

BUT, if you gave that to a judge, they'd probably say 'what the... ?!' and rate it lower... even though it technically meets the criteria.

I'm thinking that if you're going to enter something into a competition, you probably want to play to their expectations. and with IPA's, id imagine most judges expect increased bitterness.

 

[Taranis]

Sorry for the late reply!

I entered it as an IPA and won second place in the Judges choice category - similar to best in show. There were only 30 or so entrants so the categories were popular vote (It was open to the public) and Judges choice/Best in show)