My next brew, Extract IPA critique

[Heavywalker]

This is my first attempt at a recipe and I am considering brewing this for my second brew. Can you guys give me your thoughts on this.

As always thanks in advanced.


Method: Extract
Style: American IPA
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 5 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 3 gallons
Efficiency: 35% (steeping grains only)
Original Gravity:1.062
Final Gravity:1.015
ABV (standard):6.27%
IBU (tinseth):55.5
SRM (morey):7.09
Fermentables
Extract
Amount Fermentable Bill %
7 lb Dry Malt Extract - Extra Light 82.4%

Steeping grains

1 lb American - Caramel / Crystal 30L 11.8%
0.5 lb German - CaraHell 5.9%

Hops
Amount Variety Time AA IBU Type Use
1.25 oz Chinook 60 min 13 45.64 Pellet Boil
.5 oz Amarillo 20 min 8.6 4.01 Pellet Boil
.5 oz Centennial 20 min 10 4.67 Pellet Boil
.5 oz Amarillo 5min 8.6 4.01 Pellet Boil
.5 oz Centennial 5 min 10 4.67 Pellet Boil
1 oz Amarillo 7 days 8.6 Pellet Dry Hop
1 oz Centennial 7 days 10 Pellet Dry Hop

Other Ingredients
Amount Name Time Type Use
1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min Fining Boil

Yeast
White Labs - California Ale Yeast WLP001
Attenuation (avg): 76.5%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temp: 68 - 73 °F
Starter: Yes
Fermentation Temp: 68 °F
Pitch Rate: 1.0 (M cells / ml / ° P)
288 B cells required

Notes
Steep grains at 155 for 30 minutes, Bring to boil and add half DME, 60 minute boil, add remaining DME at Flame out cool to 70*F and pitch 2L starter(Decanted). Ferment at 68 degrees F for one week, let warm to 72-73 to finish. Allow 3 weeks to finish, dry hop for 7 days prior to bottling. Prime and allow to fully carbonate for approximately 3 weeks

 

[Heavywalker]

Any input?

 

[Yooper]

As far as steeping grains, that's too much crystal/cara malt. I'd go with no more than a pound total, but I actually prefer less like .5 pound total.

Since you're doing a 3 gallon boil, I assume you'll be topping up with water to make five gallons. If so, I'd increase the 60 minute hops to two ounces depending on the IBUs it shows. (Remember that you'll be adding 50% water, with 0 IBUs to top off).

I'd make the .5 ounce additions later in the boil all 1 ounce additions and do the typical 15/10/5/0 time table. More like this:

1 oz Amarillo 15 minutes
1 oz Centennial 10 min
1 oz Amarillo 5 minutes
1 oz centennial 0 minutes

 

[AdamJDuncan]

I'm going to try this recipe a few times (with Yooper's suggestion) with different NZ hops. However they won't be single hopped because I've noticed in commercial examples that solely using aroma hops can make the bitterness seem off. I thus plan to use the same bittering hop across the beers, then for one use only Nelson Sauvin for flavour/aroma/dry, for another use only Pacific Gem, etc.

My question is: is there a bittering hop you'd recommend as the most "neutral" for an IPA? Should I use Chinook, like here, or Northern Brewer, or another one? Thanks.

 

[Yooper]

I'm going to try this recipe a few times (with Yooper's suggestion) with different NZ hops. However they won't be single hopped because I've noticed in commercial examples that solely using aroma hops can make the bitterness seem off. I thus plan to use the same bittering hop across the beers, then for one use only Nelson Sauvin for flavour/aroma/dry, for another use only Pacific Gem, etc.

My question is: is there a bittering hop you'd recommend as the most "neutral" for an IPA? Should I use Chinook, like here, or Northern Brewer, or another one? Thanks.

I tend to use warrior or magnum for bittering IPAs and APAs. They are very neutral tasting, but pretty high in AAUs so a little can go a long way. I buy my bittering hops by the pound.

 

[Heavywalker]

I'm going to try this recipe a few times (with Yooper's suggestion) with different NZ hops. However they won't be single hopped because I've noticed in commercial examples that solely using aroma hops can make the bitterness seem off. I thus plan to use the same bittering hop across the beers, then for one use only Nelson Sauvin for flavour/aroma/dry, for another use only Pacific Gem, etc.

My question is: is there a bittering hop you'd recommend as the most "neutral" for an IPA? Should I use Chinook, like here, or Northern Brewer, or another one? Thanks.

Sweet, let me know how it turns out, I am a few weeks out from brewing this.

I picked the hop choices because one of my favorite IPA's (Elysians The Immortal) uses this combo, I wanted to try to get close to the flavor of that beer, eventually I would like to clone it with an all grain recipe but I wouldn't call it a clone at this point.

Yooper Thanks for the input. The IPA I am trying to clone is full of hop flavor so the additional boil hops in the last 15 minutes should bring that out, I might be hesitant to add more chinook as the IBU's on the IPA I am trying to get close to is only 54.