Historical Ipa

[bkmad]

So the other day I was reading through 'Designing Great Beers' and reading the section on bitters and pale ales. I got interested by the section where he talks about recipes for IPA's from the days when it was exported to India and he provides a table with the specs. Out of interest I plugged the specs into beersmith and the results were suprising.

Batch size: 164L (1 UK Barrel)
OG 1.065
100% pale malt
3300g EKG (3.0%) 90 mins (7.3 pounds of hops per barrel for bittering)
680g EKG (3.0%) dry hop (1.5 pounds per barrel)

IBU: 143!
IBU/SG: 2.2!

The bitterness seems a bit over the top especially given that he says they achieved around 80% attenuation so the beer was pretty dry. I've used a faily low AA% for the hops too so it could have been even more bitter.

Anyone have any more data on hop rates used for the original IPA's or any idea of the hop AA% for back then? I'm guessing thet he's either gotten his hop rates wrong or the hop AA% was a lot lower back then. I might give the recipe a go, but at the moment I'm worried that it will end up completely unbalanced and not that nice to drink. Any thoughts?

 

[rclemmett]

What sort of hops (fresh, flowers... pellets)?

 

[O'Henry]

Two books you need to check out:

'Hops and Glory' by Pete Brown and 'Old British Beers and How To Make Them' by Dr John Harrison and the Durden Park Beer Circle.

These are good starting points for historical IPA info, and the later for other English historical styles as well.
A quick glance at Old British Beers has rates of around 3oz per gallon of goldings + 1/2 ounce dry hop, with gravities between 1062 and 1075. Not a lot of recipes are called IPA in the book though, though no doubt some of the beers labeled KKK and XXX were exported and could be considered IPAs. I don't think you are for off with the hopping rate. The above rate is 6.75 lb/UK bbl...

 

[Bribie G]

For a really expert analysis of old UK beer styles, have a look around the blog Shut up about Barclay Perkins
A bit hard to navigate but it's pure gold. Guy's an IPA Nazi, will have all the info you need.

 

[O'Henry]

For a really expert analysis of old UK beer styles, have a look around the blog Shut up about Barclay Perkins
A bit hard to navigate but it's pure gold. Guy's an IPA Nazi, will have all the info you need.

+1. This blog is a must.

 

[bkmad]

What sort of hops (fresh, flowers... pellets)?

Good thinking. The book didn't say, but I would assume they meant flowers whereas I entered in pellets. Changing it to flowers gives a lower bitterness of 129 IBU - still high but a reasonable reduction.

 

[bkmad]

[quote name='O'Henry' post='772677' date='May 11 2011, 05:34 PM']+1. This blog is a must.[/quote]

Cheers guys, you've both given me plenty of reading to get on with

 

[dcx3]

The lad from EPIC made an IPA in barrels and then put the barrels on the ferry between the Islands in N.Z.
http://www.epicbeer.com/. Its on here somewhere.

 

[neonmeate]

some time ago i stopped being able to taste bitterness below 50 IBU....

i have made a few of these old recipes that have turned out 200+ IBU and they just come out tasting balanced, after ageing and/or brett. EKG as well is incapable of being offensive, you can't use too much of it.

i would be careful not to over-burtonise the water though when you're using that much hops.... especially the magnesium... i made a historical IPA once with 75IBU and the correct burton water profile and it was totally undrinkably bitter and caustic.

 

[manticle]

[quote name='O'Henry' post='772674' date='May 11 2011, 05:29 PM']Two books you need to check out:

'Hops and Glory' by Pete Brown and 'Old British Beers and How To Make Them' by Dr John Harrison and the Durden Park Beer Circle.

These are good starting points for historical IPA info, and the later for other English historical styles as well.[/quote]

I'd add Terry Foster's Pale ale, annoying as Foster's overuse of exclamation marks can sometimes be!!

 

[MHB]

[quote name='O'Henry' post='772674' date='May 11 2011, 05:29 PM']Two books you need to check out:

Snip 'Old British Beers and How To Make Them' by Dr John Harrison and the Durden Park Beer Circle.[/quote]
Thanks for the heads up, always interested in good brewing books; turns out there was 1 copy on eBay UK, 20 Quid with postage mine now.
Another great book is an old CAMRA publication in the Home Brew Classics called India Pale Ale the back half is all (~25) Historic IPA recipes the authors are Clive La Pensee and Rodger Protz, if you are interested in historic IPA I would strongly recommend keeping your eyes peeled for this book.
MHB

 

[felten]

Posted this in the wrong IPA thread whoops. There is a recipe/interview for meantime IPA on the BN website, which I think they said was a throwback to a traditional IPA. 1.069 OG and only 75 IBU though iirc.

 

[winkle]

I've been browsing through the "Shut up about Barclay Perkins" recipes for ideas again and am quite taken with X-Ale. (Kind of an IPA anyway)
Brewers caramel substitute suggestions anyone? Bribie?