Need a recipe for a "big" beer

[StudentBrewer]

I have done 8 or so extract/specialty grains batches and all have been relatively low gravity. I would like to try my hand at a bigger beer, but not necessarily one that will take a year to age. I was thinking along the lines of a IIPA, mostly because I have ingredients that are consistent with that style. I have these ingredients to work with: lots of light DME, a lb of Crystal 40, and Centennial, Chinook, Cascade, and Amarillo hops. I also have US-56, Nottingham, and Wyeast 1056 on hand.

Anybody have a recipe for a bigger beer that would utilize these ingredients?

Thanks!

 

[rewster451]

With extract it's hard to get a big beer that's light in color, as an IPA should be. Other than that, use the centennials, a lot of them if you have them at 60, 20, and 5 minutes. Use about a half # of the crystal, and 7-10lbs of the light DME. But like I said, it'll be a bit dark.

 

[The Happy Mug]

I have two options. The first is the IPA route.

I'd stick with 7 lbs of the malt and 1/2 lb of the crystal.

The centennial, chinook and amarillo hops are all great bittering hops. A full ounce of each of them at 60 minutes would be great. A mixture of all three could be incredible...

A 1/2 ounce at 45 minutes would help the hop profile and increase the IBUs. Once again, I'd use a mix of the above three.

Cascade are a great hop, and I love the flavor and aroma of them. A full ounce at 30 minutes would certainly make it something.

Another ounce of cascade at 15 minutes and another at shut-off would make one great IPA.

Dry hop with a 1/4 ounce of each hop when transferring to secondary.

Use the liquid yeast. I don't have experience with it, but 1056 is a popular strain.

This should make a really hoppy IPA, something with a nice malty background that may be a touch out of style, but it's still great beer.

Of course, you don't have to go for the IPA. With what you've got, you could do a pretty serious brew. I'm not sure how to classify this, so here we go:

Steep a full pound of crystal 40. Give it a long steep (half hour) at about 150 degrees.

Use 10 lbs of the light malt extract

Give this baby a LONG boil. I'm talking about three hours. Just let it go. This will darken your wort and remove a lot of undesirable compounds from it. Taste it at boil then after 3 hours, you will notice a difference. The final product is as silky smooth as an expensive desert.

Throw in an ounce of any the bittering hops listed above (or a nice combination). Start the timer.

At 50 minutes in, add an ounce of cascade.

Use the Wyeast 1056. This should end up as a nice stout or porter.

Edit: Don't use three ounces of hops for the 60 minute boil in the IPA. My mistake, I meant an ounce of any, not an ounce of each.

 

[rewster451]

I've never thought of what doing a long boil would do to a wort. I like the advice you're giving here. I wish I would have thought of this before. Live and learn, especially if a great deal of your life is spent learning from this forum.

 

[wild]

How big is big? Here's an extract recipe with an SRM: ~6 and an ABV:18.2%.

Good luck,
Wild

 

[The Happy Mug]

wild, I felt drunk just reading that.

 

[wild]

Yeah, I was wondering how big of a mash tun would be needed to make that as AG? Probably would have to boil it down quite a few hours too!

Wild

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

That reminds me. A while ago I moved an AG into a 8.5 gal Alum. pot do to the fact my mash tun seemed to small. I thought it would be a nightbare keeping the heet steady since it was aluminum and in fact ended up hotter than I expected. It was close to 1/4 inch thick though.

So, since it seems to keep the heat so well I was thinking of buying the 68 qt pot form the same company for mashes and boils.

Any Nay Sayers? Also, what do you use to attach a spigot to an aluminum pot?

 

[jeffg]

I used to do an extract IPA recipe that utilizes all the ingredients you have listed--I thought it was pretty good:

7 lbs light dme
1 lb. crystal 20
.75 oz chinook 60 minutes
.75 oz centennial last 25 minutes
1 oz centennial last 15
1 oz last cascade last 5

og is around 1.056 and fg is around 1.010
I also added a 1/2 lb. of toasted malt but you can skip.
I have also in the past added oak chips to the secondary to give a cask conditioned flavor, along with .75 oz of cascade dry hopped...

It is very hoppy.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

StudentBrewer, here's an IIPA from my local HBS (www.defaclos.co) :
IMPERIAL IPA
Purchase Kit: Liquid or Dry yeast
Our IPA recipe on steroids! Really strong & bitter!
8 1/2 lbs. light malt extract
2 lbs. Two-Row Pale malt
1 cup light brown sugar (end of boil)
1/2 lb. Cara-pils malt
1/2 lb. Medium Crystal malt
1 1/2 oz. Chinook hops (bittering)
1 oz. Perle hops (flavoring)
1/2 oz. Willamettes hops (finishing)
1/2 oz.Willamettes hops (dry hop in fermenter)
1 pkg. Burton water salts
1 pkg. Nottingham ale yeast (or White Labs California V, California Ale, Dry English or Wyeast #1272, #1056 ale yeast)
1 pkg. Bru-Vigor (yeast food)
2/3 cup light brown sugar (priming)
O.G. - 1.075
F.G. - 1.017

 

[The Happy Mug]

Uh, I just noticed I goofed. I didn't mean a full ounce of each for the full boil in the IPA. I meant an ounce of any one hop or a mixed ounce. That mistake would have been one bitter IPA.

 

[wild]

That reminds me. A while ago I moved an AG into a 8.5 gal Alum. pot do to the fact my mash tun seemed to small. I thought it would be a nightbare keeping the heet steady since it was aluminum and in fact ended up hotter than I expected. It was close to 1/4 inch thick though.

So, since it seems to keep the heat so well I was thinking of buying the 68 qt pot form the same company for mashes and boils.

Any Nay Sayers? Also, what do you use to attach a spigot to an aluminum pot?

I use an aluminum boil pot too. For spigots you can use the same as you would for SS. Weldless bulkhead fittings or welded.
Note: I have heard that it is necessary to treat the newly drilled aluminum surface prior to connecting weldless fittings. You might want to research this before continuing.

Good luck,
Wild