[Erik_Mog]

Thinking about an IPA for my next brew, this weekend if schedule allows, to redeem myself from my failed IPA.  This is the recipe I am working on, and would love your feedback/suggestions.

Leia's Kiss-AG
American IPA
Type: All Grain
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.22 gal
Boil Time: 60 min      Equipment: My 10 gal Brew Pot w/Igloo Cooler
End of Boil Volume 5.72 gal         Brewhouse Efficiency: 73.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 4.75 gal      Est Mash Efficiency 73.0 %

Ingredients
 

11 lbs Pale Malt, Golden Promise (Thomas Fawcett) (2.7 SRM)   90.7 %
10.0 oz Carapils (Briess) (1.5 SRM)  5.2 %
8.0 oz Caramel Malt - 60L (Briess) (60.0 SRM)  4.1 %
1.00 oz Centennial [11.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min  39.3 IBUs
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 mins) 
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 10.0 min  11.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.40 %] - Boil 10.0 min  7.0 IBUs
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) 
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 0.0 min  0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.40 %] - Boil 0.0 min  0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Denny's Favorite (Wyeast Labs #1450) [124.21 ml] 1L Starter
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days  0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.40 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days  0.0 IBUs
0.50 tsp Gelatin (Secondary 2.0 days)

 
Beer Profile
 
Est Original Gravity: 1.060
Est Final Gravity: 1.011
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.5 % 
Bitterness: 58.3 IBUs
Est Color: 7.7 SRM 
Mash Profile
 
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge Total Grain Weight: 12 lbs 2.0 oz
Sparge Water: 4.13 gal
Sparge Temperature: 180.0 F

Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 19.81 qt of water at 160.2 F 148.0 F 75 min

 
Sparge Step: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 4.13gal) of 180.0 F water

I am also thinking of this water profile (based very loosely on Bru'n Water's Pale Ale profile with a lot lower Sulfate):


Ca   95
Mg    4
Na    9
SO4   158
Cl    54

            
            
Mineral Additions (gm)   Mash   Sparge      
Gypsum           .      5.0   4.1   
Calcium Chloride      1.5   1.2   
Epsom Salt              0.5   0.4   
            
Mash Acid Additions                  
Lactic   88.00   %   0.99   (ml)

Est. Mash pH:  5.32

Would love any suggestions/feedback, especially on the hoping.
 

[HoosierBrew]

IMO you're way light on hops for an IPA - your hop schedule resembles an APA more closely. Personally I'd double (or even triple) your 10, 0, and dry additions, depending on how much hop flavor and aroma you like. And if I'm reading right, it looks like you're gonna mash @ 148F for 75 mins. It's ok, but you're liable to finish lower than 1.011 with that grist. Water profile looks good to me.

[Erik_Mog]

IMO you're way light on hops for an IPA - your hop schedule resembles an APA more closely. Personally I'd double (or even triple) your 10, 0, and dry additions, depending on how much hop flavor and aroma you like. And if I'm reading right, it looks like you're gonna mash @ 148F for 75 mins. It's ok, but you're liable to finish lower than 1.011 with that grist. Water profile looks good to me.

I love a lot of hop flavor and aroma in an IPA.  I like bitter as well, but not overly so.  I doubled all the hop additions 10 min and later, and it put the IBU's to 77 (past the BJCP range for an AIPA).  If I drop the 60 min Centennial back to .75oz, it is 67.4 IBU, which is close to the level of one of the IPAs I like to drink.  With dropping the Centennial back .25oz, you think that will be enough of an initial bittering with the rest made up in the late addition?

As far as possibly finishing lower than 1.011, that's fine.   1.011 is just BeerSmith's prediction anyway.  As long as it tastes like what I am hoping for, a little extra alcohol is fine.

[HoosierBrew]

IMO you're way light on hops for an IPA - your hop schedule resembles an APA more closely. Personally I'd double (or even triple) your 10, 0, and dry additions, depending on how much hop flavor and aroma you like. And if I'm reading right, it looks like you're gonna mash @ 148F for 75 mins. It's ok, but you're liable to finish lower than 1.011 with that grist. Water profile looks good to me.

I love a lot of hop flavor and aroma in an IPA.  I like bitter as well, but not overly so.  I doubled all the hop additions 10 min and later, and it put the IBU's to 77 (past the BJCP range for an AIPA).  If I drop the 60 min Centennial back to .75oz, it is 67.4 IBU, which is close to the level of one of the IPAs I like to drink.  With dropping the Centennial back .25oz, you think that will be enough of an initial bittering with the rest made up in the late addition?

As far as possibly finishing lower than 1.011, that's fine.   1.011 is just BeerSmith's prediction anyway.  As long as it tastes like what I am hoping for, a little extra alcohol is fine.

Backing off on the bitterness seems to suit what you're after, while giving you nice hop flavor and aroma. But here's a good way of getting the bitterness you want while leaving you free to add all the late hop character you want - add all of your targeted IBUs at 60 minutes, then after the boil cool the wort to 170F and add all the hops you would've added late boil for flavor and aroma (called a 'hopstand'). Let these hops steep for 45 minutes, stirring often. Finish cooling as usual. Advantages are:  1/ You can control just the amount of bitterness you want while getting tons of great hop flavor and aroma.  2/ Hop flavor and aroma are superior to boil additions IMO.  3/ Little to no bitterness is extracted in a 170F steep so you can add plenty of hops and not worry about the effect on bitterness. This is what I do.

[Erik_Mog]

IMO you're way light on hops for an IPA - your hop schedule resembles an APA more closely. Personally I'd double (or even triple) your 10, 0, and dry additions, depending on how much hop flavor and aroma you like. And if I'm reading right, it looks like you're gonna mash @ 148F for 75 mins. It's ok, but you're liable to finish lower than 1.011 with that grist. Water profile looks good to me.

I love a lot of hop flavor and aroma in an IPA.  I like bitter as well, but not overly so.  I doubled all the hop additions 10 min and later, and it put the IBU's to 77 (past the BJCP range for an AIPA).  If I drop the 60 min Centennial back to .75oz, it is 67.4 IBU, which is close to the level of one of the IPAs I like to drink.  With dropping the Centennial back .25oz, you think that will be enough of an initial bittering with the rest made up in the late addition?

As far as possibly finishing lower than 1.011, that's fine.   1.011 is just BeerSmith's prediction anyway.  As long as it tastes like what I am hoping for, a little extra alcohol is fine.

Backing off on the bitterness seems to suit what you're after, while giving you nice hop flavor and aroma. But here's a good way of getting the bitterness you want while leaving you free to add all the late hop character you want - add all of your targeted IBUs at 60 minutes, then after the boil cool the wort to 170F and add all the hops you would've added late boil for flavor and aroma (called a 'hopstand'). Let these hops steep for 45 minutes, stirring often. Finish cooling as usual. Advantages are:  1/ You can control just the amount of bitterness you want while getting tons of great hop flavor and aroma.  2/ Hop flavor and aroma are superior to boil additions IMO.  3/ Little to no bitterness is extracted in a 170F steep so you can add plenty of hops and not worry about the effect on bitterness. This is what I do.

I may have to give that technique a go.  I want as much flavor as I can get.

[HoosierBrew]

I may have to give that technique a go.  I want as much flavor as I can get.

Lots of brewers are hopping their APAs and AIPAs that way nowadays - it works really well!

[Erik_Mog]

I think that's the route I will go.  Grand total of 1.75oz Centennial at 60 min (68.8 IBU, I like Hoppyum and that is 70 IBU), 4oz each of Cascade and Amarillo steeped for 45 min @ 170F, 2oz each Cascade and Amarillo dry hop for 13.75oz total hop additions...that's a lot of hops LOL.

[HoosierBrew]

I think that's the route I will go.  Grand total of 1.75oz Centennial at 60 min (68.8 IBU, I like Hoppyum and that is 70 IBU), 4oz each of Cascade and Amarillo steeped for 45 min @ 170F, 2oz each Cascade and Amarillo dry hop for 13.75oz total hop additions...that's a lot of hops LOL.

Yep. And you'll love it. Be sure to post what you think.

[fmader]

You'll love it better than Hoppyum 😉

Your modifications look great. Nice advice, Jon!

[Erik_Mog]

I am bottling my APA on Saturday, so that will free up my fermenter and chest freezer, so depending on my schedule, I hope to be able to do this one on Sunday morning.

[Erik_Mog]

You'll love it better than Hoppyum 😉

Your modifications look great. Nice advice, Jon!

Hoppyum is one of my favorites, so if I nail this one and I like it better than Hoppyum, I will be one happy camper.

[fmader]

You'll love it better than Hoppyum 😉

Your modifications look great. Nice advice, Jon!

Hoppyum is one of my favorites, so if I nail this one and I like it better than Hoppyum, I will be one happy camper.

I had Hoppyum for the first time while I was at Myrtle Beach last week. It was actually the first time I've seen it. Not a bad beer. It's unique because it has a little nutty flavor to it.

[Erik_Mog]

I had never had it until I moved back to NC at the end of February.  It's a good NC beer.  Foothills puts out several good brews IMO.  I also like their Peoples Porter, Jade IPA and Seeing Double IPA.

[Erik_Mog]

Great brew day on this today.  Hit my mash temp of 148F dead on and only lost 2 degrees over 75 min.  I hit the predicted pre-boil gravity of 1.046 and hit 1.064 OG (predicted was 1.063).  With the large amount of hops in this recipe, I decided to bag the pellets, and then pour into the fermenter through a paint strainer bag.  I don't think I will ever brew without bagging the hops and using the strainer bag again.  I got my target post boil volume of 5.5 gal into the fermenter.

I was only able to get the wort to 80F with my chiller, so I put it in the chest freezer to finish cooling, cut the grass, and pitched the yeast at 5:00PM.

I double crushed the grains for this batch as well.  I had a stuck sparge on my first AG brew day, so I was a little nervous about it today. There was no stuck sparge this time though.  My measured mash efficiency was 76%, and overall brewhouse efficiency was 77.6% (both a good improvement over my first AG).  Now to wait and see if my starter was good and the yeast takes off.  I do have a couple of packs of US-05 just in case.

[santoch]

Erik-
If you are having issues with yeast getting going, I highly recommend you get an oxygen system for aerating.  90 seconds in a 5 gallon batch and your yeast will be quite happy.