[utefan]

Greetings,  trying to put together an IPA with some malt character.  Fairly new to home brewing, my first IPAs were fairly dry, but delicious. I previously used Amarillo and Magnum in one batch, Citra and Simcoe in another.  Want to the try 3 C's.   Just hoping to mix it up:
.75 lb Crystal 20
1 lb Carapils
1 lb Munich Light (10L)
.75 lb Wheat
.5 lb Crystal 60
6.5 lb Light DME
Planning a 30-40 minute steep @ 153
60 minute boil

Hops: (Pellet)
1oz Columbus@60
.5 oz Columbus @45
.5oz Centennial @30
.5 oz Cascade @30
.5 oz Centennial @10
.5 oz Cascade @10
.5 oz Cascade @ 5
Dry Hop
1 oz Centennial 5-7 days
1 oz Cascade 5-7

1 tsp Irish moss @10

Yeast: WLP 001

I welcome any comments.   Should I add/delete? Does the combination look ok?  Thanks! 

[majorvices]

That's an awful lot of Cara and crystal malts, especially for an extract beer. For my tastes you are going to have a very unbalanced beer. High rates of crystal and cara malts clash terribly with the hop character. If you are going to use that much sub in some sugar for the DME to dry the beer out some. I realize you want it malty but it's going to be cloying with what you have written.

Start with ditching the cara pils. Your beer will have plenty of body without it. Then get your cara and crystal down to 5-10% of the total fermentables. I prefer closer to 5%.

You will have to mash the wheat and the Munich, but the 45 minute steep should accomplish that. I don't think the wheat really does much for you here. You'll get plenty of foam and head retention from the hops.

Without calculating your IBUs I think you should move the 45 min and 30 minute additions to the 20 minute and under, even 10 min or under. Save most of your hops for last 10 min and flame out. What you have there is going to probably make an overly bitter beer. Keep the quantities but move the additions to the end of the boil.

[HoosierBrew]

Great advice on all counts.  I would move those 45 and 30 hops to the last 10 minutes as well, and definitely double your dry hops - 2 oz is more at an APA level. 4 oz (minimum) will put you more in IPA territory.

[fmader]

First off... Welcome to the forum! Secondly, great advice from Kieth and Jon. These guys are good and have helped me many times along he way.

One strategy that was difficult for me to wrap my arms around early in my brewing days was the 0 minute hop addition with a hop stand. What good is adding hops when it's not boiling going to do? Well, I quickly learned that this is my favorite addition. This is your big time flavor addition. My suggestion is to take your 45 min and 30 minute additions and move them to 0 minutes. Keep that Columbus at .5 oz and bump the cents and cascades up to maybe an ounce each. And definitely go at least 4 oz for dry hop.

Another thing to consider is that Cascade doesn't bring as much to the table compared to the other C hops or most flavorful IPA hops. I'm not saying that it's bad, because I love cascade in just about any beer, but sometimes you need to bump it up in the ratio so it doesn't get lost in the flavor. Maybe a 3:2 ratiio.

After a couple of adjustment with your grains and regardless with what you do with your hops, you'll have a good beer! I love that you're into recipe design early!

[utefan]

Thanks for the advice! With the suggestions I rewrote as:

1lb Munich 10.8%
.75 lb wheat 8.1%
.50 Crystal 40 5.4%

6 Lb Light DME 64.9 %

1 lb sugar 10.8% (Mainly to boost ABV, is this appropriate?  Best time to add?)

Hops schedule as suggested:leaving 1 oz Columbus @60, moving other to 20 and under, increasing dry hops to 4 oz.  Definitely moving some to 0 minutes, too.

Any new comments? Thanks for your help, super psyched to brew today.

[fmader]

Thanks for the advice! With the suggestions I rewrote as:

1lb Munich 10.8%
.75 lb wheat 8.1%
.50 Crystal 40 5.4%

6 Lb Light DME 64.9 %

1 lb sugar 10.8% (Mainly to boost ABV, is this appropriate?  Best time to add?)

Hops schedule as suggested:leaving 1 oz Columbus @60, moving other to 20 and under, increasing dry hops to 4 oz.  Definitely moving some to 0 minutes, too.

Any new comments? Thanks for your help, super psyched to brew today.

Your sugar will boost ABV, but it will also creat a dryer beer. What's your target original gravity?

[utefan]

Looking for 1.59-1.60 OG, 1.014 FG, which I thought fit in with this style beer.  Again, I am totally new to brewing and appreciate any feedback so I don't screw up an entire batch.  I was hoping for about 6%ABV, just trying to find the right balance of fermentables/grain, etc.

I know a kit would be easier, but I more interested in experimenting with flavor profiles, "feel", etc.  My friends who home brew only make lagers,  so I am turning to this forum.

Thanks!

[fmader]

Looking for 1.59-1.60 OG, 1.014 FG, which I thought fit in with this style beer.  Again, I am totally new to brewing and appreciate any feedback so I don't screw up an entire batch.  I was hoping for about 6%ABV, just trying to find the right balance of fermentables/grain, etc.

I know a kit would be easier, but I more interested in experimenting with flavor profiles, "feel", etc.  My friends who home brew only make lagers,  so I am turning to this forum.

Thanks!

Haha... I think it's great that you're designing your own recipes. I'm not too experienced in extract. I only brewed about 8 or 10 extracts and they were all kits. I use sugar in my IPAs so I can achieve a dryer finish. I was just relating to what you stated in your original post about having a fuller beer. In my opinion, an IPA that finishes 1.012-1.015 is the sweet spot. I say brew it as you have it... It will be great! Happy brew day!

[Iliff Ave]

Extract can be more unfermentable so having sugar in there will help to get your FG lower. I started doing this toward the end of my extract brewing day with good success. From what I remember, it is recommended to keep it at levels of 10% or less to avoid 'cidery' flavors...

[utefan]

Got to my brew supply store and tried some Patagonia Crystal 35, which tasted really good.  Traded out my 40, same amount.  Followed the new hop schedule.  OG a littler higher than anticipated.  Will go big with the dry hops. 

Thanks for all of the feedback.  The waiting game begins....

[majorvices]

One of the tricks I use is to match my percentage of sugar with my percentage of crytal/cara malts - since the sugar will dry the beer and the crystal/cara will "kinda" sweeten the beer. You certainly don't want it too dry.

Still don't think you need the wheat. If it were me I'd do a mini-mash with 2-row or pilsner for the Free Amino Acids which is a nutrient that extract is usually low in and helps during fermentation.

I personally think you can make some great extract beers - but a few of rules. . Always use DME as your base over liquid extract which for some reason seems to finish sweeter and has problems with oxidation. Stick with a light DME as your base and mash malts like Munich or mash/steep other specialty malts to get color and flavor you want. Consider doing a mini-mash for every batch, it will provide FAN and give you more creativity to your recipes and get you primed for brewing all grain. Oh, and don't use too much crystal malt!

[utefan]

Ok,ok I'll cut back on the crystal...
Brewed on Monday,  yeast is totally happy now.  I had to construct an emergency blow off tube last night because the airlock just couldn't handle business.  I appreciate all the tips.  I am taking copious notes for my future batches.  My friends(who enjoy drinking the beer) are all tired of me rambling about my new hobby/obsession, so I am stoked to find a forum where people enjoy talking about beer and how to make it better.

I'll report back with results.

[fmader]

Ok,ok I'll cut back on the crystal...
Brewed on Monday,  yeast is totally happy now.  I had to construct an emergency blow off tube last night because the airlock just couldn't handle business.  I appreciate all the tips.  I am taking copious notes for my future batches.  My friends(who enjoy drinking the beer) are all tired of me rambling about my new hobby/obsession, so I am stoked to find a forum where people enjoy talking about beer and how to make it better.

I'll report back with results.

You'll want to use that blowoff for every beer through the heavy primary ferrmenratation.. Just to be safe.

[utefan]

Beer is amazing!  Thanks for all of the tips, comments, etc. Blow off tube was absolutely necessary, thanks fmader. Fermentation was spectacular!
 Even with all of the hops additions, I will still up the dry hops a little next time.  Working now on a chai stout.

This hobby is turning into a part time job...

[majorvices]

Beer is amazing!  Thanks for all of the tips, comments, etc. Blow off tube was absolutely necessary, thanks fmader. Fermentation was spectacular!
 Even with all of the hops additions, I will still up the dry hops a little next time.  Working now on a chai stout.

This hobby is turning into a part time job...

Just don't let it become your full time job if you can help it. Unless you don't like making money.