First Ipa Attempt

[emabal]

Hi all,

The following will be my first attempt at an IPA. This recipe was borrowed from "How to Brew" by John Palmer, and put into beersmith.

Style: American IPA
TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 22.00 L
Boil Size: 11.00 L
Estimated OG: 1.060 SG
Estimated Color: 17.6 EBC
Estimated IBU: 59.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: - %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
1800.00 gm Light Dry Extract (15.8 EBC) Dry Extract 47.06 %
1800.00 gm Light Dry Extract (15.8 EBC) Dry Extract 47.06 % (Add after boil)
225.00 gm Bairds Pale Crystal Malt (UK) (60.0 EBC) Grain 5.88 %
44.00 gm Northern Brewer [9.60 %] (60 min) Hops 40.1 IBU
70.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.80 %] (15 min) Hops 15.8 IBU
33.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.80 %] (5 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Any feedback on the above would be much appreciated.

Happy brewing

Carlos.

 

[manticle]

First I'm not sure (and I mean not sure) if you need the whirlfloc for an extract brew.

Second - it looks more like an english ipa due to the english hops and yeast rather than an american ipa. Nothing wrong with that - just depends what you want. I would consider breaking up all your late hop additions (anything after 30 minutes) into smaller amounts and adding much more frequently (like every 5 minutes or less) if you want an american style - also american hops and yeast would be recommended. Same amount but just bit by bit - gives nice layering.

I'd also recommend dry hopping for either aipa or ipa which you haven't mentioned.

 

[haysie]

It sure looks English IPA, go for it! Looks :super:

Great hop schedule, I would only add a wee (10gm) blast of EKG or Fuggles at conditioning/secondary/keg stage to prounounce that earthiness that is sublime in a good English.

 

[chappo1970]

It sure looks English IPA, go for it! Looks :super:

Great hop schedule, I would only add a wee (10gm) blast of EKG or Fuggles at conditioning/secondary/keg stage to prounounce that earthiness that is sublime in a good English.

+1 Actually have to agree with Haysie here :icon_cheers:

Although I hate fuggles and would go the EKG instead

 

[Dazza_devil]

I'm just washin the bottles for my first English IPA extract attempt.
Mine has 1kg dextrose for a drier finish, perhaps you could consider subbing some of your LDME for dex depending on your tastes.
I dry hopped mine with around 1g/litre of pellets which you also may consider for this style as Manticle has suggested.
Each to their own but I used 600g of spec grains all up (which included 80g Pale Choc for colour) in a 27 litre batch to balance out the bitterness.
What temp are you going to ferment at?

 

[emabal]

This is meant to be an English IPA (I selected the incorrect type in Beersmith - fixed that now...)

I plan to ferment at the 18 degree mark.

I made an ESB with Northern Brewer and Fuggles, and that turned out ok....

 

[Screwtop]

I'm just washin the bottles for my first English IPA extract attempt.
Mine has 1kg dextrose for a drier finish, perhaps you could consider subbing some of your LDME for dex depending on your tastes.
I dry hopped mine with around 1g/litre of pellets which you also may consider for this style as Manticle has suggested.
Each to their own but I used 600g of spec grains all up (which included 80g Pale Choc for colour) in a 27 litre batch to balance out the bitterness.
What temp are you going to ferment at?

Brewing is ALL about balance. A big hoppy beer such as an IPA should have it's bitterness balanced nicely with sweetness. Too dry and it will be too bitter and bloody dreadful.

Screwy

 

[Dazza_devil]

According to Jamil and Palmer's 'Brewing Classic Styles' lack of attenuation is a common mistake with high-gravity English Ales. According to the book you want a reasonably crisp finish and choose a yeast that finishes drier rather than sweeter. They recommend replacing a portion of the base malt with corn sugar to aid in drying out the final beer because too much malt sweetness and hop bitterness can result in a cloying and more barley wine-like result.

Also from the Guidelines - finish should be medium to dry. Historically, temperature extremes and a rolling sea journey resulted in highly attenuated beer on arrival.

I've used Wyeast 1028 @ 19.5 degrees C and let it sit at 22 for 2 days after fermentation before cold crashing for 3 days. Huge trub.

With S04 I would be tempted to ferment at 19 or 20 (even more) to aid in attenuation and perhaps get some fruitiness for this style but I'm far from experienced with the style so others may dime in.

 

[manticle]

I think Screwy (if I read him correctly) might be suggesting that 1kg is too much. I know he would recommend the addition of some simple sugar in many an extract type brew but maybe a touch less (myself I would add in no more than 250-300). Should be a balance between bitter and dry with a hint of malt sweetness to make it work.

My reading also suggests IPAs were tradtionally highly hopped but matured for long periods so the bitterness integrated into the brew. As far as I can work out the process was brew with loads of bittering, mature for many months, then dry hop.

If I'm wrong, I'll eat my curtains.

@OP - recipe looks good as is if IPA [uk] is what you are chasing. A touch of dex and dry hopping are good suggestions though.

 

[Dazza_devil]

I think Screwy (if I read him correctly) might be suggesting that 1kg is too much. I know he would recommend the addition of some simple sugar in many an extract type brew but maybe a touch less (myself I would add in no more than 250-300).

Not sure if Screwy was suggesting I have used too much dextrose there Manticle, perhaps it could read that way since he did quote me.
I remember someone posting that a 3:1 ratio of LDME to dextrose is an acceptable amount, although I would normally use much less, around the amount you suggest.
I thought I would try the 3:1 ratio with this one since I used more crystal and wanted a fairly dry result. Hopefully it turns out OK, I guess it will depend on my FG reading in the morn.

 

[manticle]

Not sure if Screwy was suggesting I have used too much dextrose there Manticle, perhaps it could read that way since he did quote me.
I remember someone posting that a 3:1 ratio of LDME to dextrose is an acceptable amount, although I would normally use much less, around the amount you suggest.
I thought I would try the 3:1 ratio with this one since I used more crystal and wanted a fairly dry result. Hopefully it turns out OK, I guess it will depend on my FG reading in the morn.

He could have equally been agreeing with your use of crystal/spec grains to balance the dryness. At the end of the day, we're all aiming for balance between the various factors that make good beer.

 

[Screwtop]

Not sure if Screwy was suggesting I have used too much dextrose there Manticle, perhaps it could read that way since he did quote me.
I remember someone posting that a 3:1 ratio of LDME to dextrose is an acceptable amount, although I would normally use much less, around the amount you suggest.
I thought I would try the 3:1 ratio with this one since I used more crystal and wanted a fairly dry result. Hopefully it turns out OK, I guess it will depend on my FG reading in the morn.

Was hoping to get people Thinking. Whatever beer you brew, be sure it is in balance. I brew a 3.25ABV beer that finishes at 1.006, however it has good mouthfeel and an interesting profile. That' achieved by balancing Mash Temp, % of Cara/Crystal malt, hopping for Bitterness and flavour, Yeast strain attenuation and flavour profile along with Fermentation management.

Malt extract being less fermentable than mash wort, can benefit from some dex/sucrose to assist attenuation. Still the FG needs to be considered before bitterness levels. IPA's are up there in the OG stakes, so the FG will naturally follow as attenuation is a percentage of the OG. Good UK IPA's are well balanced, not dry!

Tasted a beer of Manticles recently that was......out there, big on bitterness, but so well balanced. Would have scared the shit out of any beer newb, but they would have been back sipping at it after the initial....................yeeeaaaaakkk thats bitter! because it was balanced and sessionable.

Screwy


Balance Value

 

[Dazza_devil]

According to the mouthfeel section in the style guidelines medium to high carbonation levels can render an overall dry sensation in the prescence of a malt sweetness. So there's another contributing factor in the overall balance. Something else that may be worthy of consideration is that the English IPA's have less hop character and more pronounced malt flavour than their American counterparts.

 

[Dazza_devil]

If it's of any use to the OP my IPA which started at 1.060 finished at around 1.014 give or take which is where I was aiming so I'm happy with that, medium to dry finish is what I wanted. I can post the recipe now if there's any interest otherwise it'll be in the recipeDB after around 4 months if it's up to scratch.

 

[avaneyk]

Interesting link there Screwy - saved for future reference.

I made a dunkel recently and tried it for the first time last night - initial thoughts were that its nice but could use a couple more IBUs. (Although the bitterness is meant to be to style so either my hops weren't as bitter as I thought (age?) or I overdid the munich) This article seems to back this up - my 'balance value' is about 0.82 when the recommended value for this style is 0.9

Cheers,
Andrew.

 

[Screwtop]

Interesting link there Screwy - saved for future reference.

I made a dunkel recently and tried it for the first time last night - initial thoughts were that its nice but could use a couple more IBUs. (Although the bitterness is meant to be to style so either my hops weren't as bitter as I thought (age?) or I overdid the munich) This article seems to back this up - my 'balance value' is about 0.82 when the recommended value for this style is 0.9

Cheers,
Andrew.

Once you're confident with your brewing system and you can repeatedly achieve and predict attenuation outcomes then it's easy to apply bitterness levels to suit based upon the BV formula, also based upon the BV you can shoot low or high dpending on where you want the outcome to be while still within style guidelines.

Screwy


Sorry OT post

 

[Dazza_devil]

Just planning my next recipe, an Americam IPA, and just read in Jamil and Palmer's 'Brewing classic Styles' that they recommend using dextrose at no more than 20% simple sugars with this particular style. Probably because of the dryness + bitterness that Screwy made us aware of previously.
I'm sure that link to the BV formula is a useful tool but personally I wouldn't use it and to be honest didn't read the text in it's entirety. I think there's a lot more to the whole balance than an equation can bring and prefer to keep an open mind on all things.

 

[jbowers]

Hey Screwy, have you ever had Stone Ruination? Would be curious to hear what you thought of it if you have?

 

[Dazza_devil]

Hey Screwy, have you ever had Stone Ruination? Would be curious to hear what you thought of it if you have?

I'm not Screwy but I like the look of it. Love the label, 100+ IBU's balanced with a high alcohol content of 7.7%, sounds poetic.

 

[Screwtop]

I'm sure that link to the BV formula is a useful tool but personally I wouldn't use it and to be honest didn't read the text in it's entirety. I think there's a lot more to the whole balance than an equation can bring and prefer to keep an open mind on all things.

The point is in the text, the formula is simply a tool to assist the brewer. Every beer needs tweaking to balance it to suit the beer produced by each individual brewers system and processes, the text explains how important both the OG and FG (attenuation) are in designing balanced bitterness/sweetness into a beer.

Hey Screwy, have you ever had Stone Ruination? Would be curious to hear what you thought of it if you have?

Yes, plus a few even more bittter, 400 IBU was the highest from memory, I agree with the commonly held belief that humans can not differentiate bittering above 100 IBUs. Have had a couple of homebrewed IPA's of 90 and 100 IBU's that were so well balanced that they were still very drinkable.