Ipa Help

[Innes]

Hi Everyone,

I am looking at brewing an IPA using extract and grains, but I am not sure about my hop schedule.

What I have so far is:

80gm Galaxy [13.40 %] (60 min)

20gm Chinook [13.00 %] (15 min)

20gm Cascade [5.50 %] (15 min)

20gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (15 min)

15gm Chinook [13.00 %] (10 min)

15gm Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min)

15gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (10 min)

15gm Citra [11.10 %] (10 min)

10gm Chinook [13.00 %] (5 min)

10gm Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min)

10gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (5 min)

10gm Citra [11.10 %] (0 min)

5gm Chinook [13.00 %] (0 min)

5gm Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min)

5gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (0 min)

5gm Citra [11.10 %] (0 min)

Total IBU: 65

I've chosen these hops because I'm after the fruity flavours these hops deliver.

I'm just wondering if I've over done the hops, got the combination wrong or if this will work well?

Mick

 

[rotten]

Gday mate.
I would suggest you have definately overdone your hops. 250gm of of a combination like that should be way over 65 IBU.
More experienced breewers should be able to help further, I would simply advise for now not to brew until you check your calcs again using a brewing software program, or wait for further advice. Maybe check out the recipe pages here for other IPA recipes.
Hope that helps.
Cheers

 

[Lodan]

^ agree
I counted more than 60IBU with the 60min addition.
What volume are you brewing to and what is your boil volume?

 

[glaab]

the 60 min add alone is about 120 IBU. Maybe you can download the trial ver of beersmith and sort through it.

 

[Innes]

^ agree
I counted more than 60IBU with the 60min addition.
What volume are you brewing to and what is your boil volume?

Its a 50L batch with a 50L boil.

I put the hop schedule into beersmith and it gave me 65IBU.

 

[kelbygreen]

i myself dont like chinook but thats me, citra is a awsome hop if it was me id bitter with simcoe then add citra and cascade at 20 and 10 mins then if you think its not pungent enough dry hop some more

 

[bum]

How are you guys working out his IBUs without knowing anything about his boil?

65IBU is fine with a high enough OG/FG. Perhaps post the full recipe to get some other perspectives?

I haven't added up any of your numbers but just in terms of the "vibe" of your hopping schedule I'd be thinking about moving your 15min additions later, reducing your 5/0min additions and put the balance into dryhopping. But that might just be me.

 

[manticle]

How are you guys working out his IBUs without knowing anything about his boil?

Magic

 

[Lodan]

Only a guess of 23L with a small boil for my initial estimate. Sorry to doubt your beersmith calcs OP!

 

[Innes]

65IBU is fine with a high enough OG/FG. Perhaps post the full recipe to get some other perspectives?

That might help.

Estimated Original Gravity: 1.071 SG
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.01 SG
Estimated Color: 13.8 SRM
Bitterness: 65.0 IBU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 7.03 %

Brew Type: Extract
Style: American IPA
Batch Size: 50.00 L
Boil Volume: 50.00 L
Boil Time: 60 min

5.20 kg Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM)
3.90 kg Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM)
2.60 kg Dark Liquid Extract (17.5 SRM)
0.30 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM)
0.25 kg Oats, Malted (1.0 SRM)
80.00 gm Galaxy [13.40 %] (60 min)
20.00 gm Chinook [13.00 %] (15 min)
20.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (15 min)
20.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (15 min)
15.00 gm Chinook [13.00 %] (10 min)
15.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min)
15.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (10 min)
15.00 gm Citra [11.10 %] (10 min)
10.00 gm Chinook [13.00 %] (5 min)
10.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min)
10.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (5 min)
10.00 gm Citra [11.10 %] (5 min)
5.00 gm Chinook [13.00 %] (0 min)
5.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min)
5.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (0 min)
5.00 gm Citra [11.10 %] (0 min)
10.00 gm Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min)
15.00 gm Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 min)
50.00 ml Oak Essence (Liquid) (Primary 0.0 min)
1 Pkgs Cooper Ale (Coopers #-)

 

[Kieren]

I would suggest you have definately overdone your hops.

- can you do such a thing?

I would probably swap the galaxy bittering hop for simcoe, as suggested by kelby, it is a smoother bittering hop, but keep the rest and just go for it. It will be over top but you will never know until you brew it, then if it is too much whined it back next time (or up it if it is not enough)

I would ditch the oak essence as well, keep it all about the hops, but that's me.

Not too sure about the extracts though, need to ask someone with more experience with extraxts than I.

K

edit: spelling

 

[bum]

Personally I'd be thinking about using plain pale extract for the base and getting my colour and other flavours with spec grains - but there's no reason it won't make a fine beer as is. Go with what you've got.

I've never bittered with Galaxy but I have had a commercial all galaxy IPA and (despite pretty much everyone else's opinion to the contrary) it was rough as guts so I'd listen to Kieren on that one. I can vouch for his suggestion of subbing it for simcoe - very nice.

I'll also echo his point about the oak essence. Leave it out unless you've used it before and found it to your liking. Maybe experiment with some in a few bottles to get an idea of correct dosing rates for your taste? Or - put half the batch away in a small cube and actually age it with some oak chips, you should be able to get some at most HB stores these days.

I think your bitterness is fine as long as you're expecting an aggressive beer - and there's no way you could have designed a beer like that without aiming for one so I think you'll be pretty pleased with it if you brew it as is.

 

[rotten]

That might help.

Estimated Original Gravity: 1.071 SG
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.01 SG
Estimated Color: 13.8 SRM
Bitterness: 65.0 IBU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 7.03 %

Brew Type: Extract
Style: American IPA
Batch Size: 50.00 L
Boil Volume: 50.00 L
Boil Time: 60 min

Hey ah if I had known that I may have held off on replying. Assumptions are dangerous no-matter what game you are in. If that's 65IBU you've got a really good brew. Noticed you are using a coopers yeast though, will that be up to the job? 1 pack won't be enough IMHO even with a starter, maybe try something else, at least a safale US-05 or two.
Cheers

 

[Innes]

Thanks everyone for you great advice. I have tweaked the recipe based on the advice I have received so far.

I have substituted the Galaxy for Simcoe for bittering as kelbygreen suggested. I was also advised by a guy at my local homebrew shop that I should leave the last two Chinook additions out as it might cause an overpowering piney/grapefruit flavour which would cause the Cascade and Citra flavours to be lost. Can anyone verify this for me?

Based on Rotten's advice, I have substituted the Coopers yeast for safale US-05.

Now the hope schedule looks like this:

85.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (60 min)
20.00 gm Chinook [13.00 %] (15 min)
20.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (15 min)
20.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (15 min)
15.00 gm Chinook [13.00 %] (10 min)
15.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min)
15.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (10 min)
15.00 gm Citra [11.10 %] (10 min)
10.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min)
10.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (5 min)
10.00 gm Citra [11.10 %] (5 min)
5.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min)
5.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (0 min)
5.00 gm Citra [11.10 %] (0 min)

Still 65IBU

The addition of the Malted Oats is to give the beer a thicker consistency, but I'm not sure if 250g will be enough to achieve this. I'm looking for the consistency of some of the double IPA such a Murray's Icon 2IPA.

As Kieren suggested, I won't use the oak essence. I did some experimenting last night and found that it kills the hop flavour in the beer. I might try using oak chips in a future version of this recipe.


Is there anything else I should be looking at with this recipe?

 

[Innes]

Should I use 500g of oats or stick with the 250g?

 

[bradsbrew]

Should I use 500g of oats or stick with the 250g?

What type of oats?

 

[bum]

I've never put oats in an IPA (nor read any recipes suggesting to) so I couldn't say either way but if you've not done it yourself before I'd be erring on the side of caution.

If malted oats are the same thing as oat malt (which I'm assuming it is) are you aware this needs to be mashed? As I say I've never used it myself but it might be worth looking into whether this needs to be mashed with a certain amount of base malt to be converted.

 

[Innes]

What type of oats?

I was given two 250g bags of Dried Oat Extract by a friend who was going to use them in an oatmeal stout, but never got around to it.

According to the packet, it says its great for oatmeal stouts, porters and all English ales.

 

[bum]

Oh, ignore me then. Sorry.

 

[bradsbrew]

I was given two 250g bags of Dried Oat Extract by a friend who was going to use them in an oatmeal stout, but never got around to it.

According to the packet, it says its great for oatmeal stouts, porters and all English ales.

OK never heard of oat extract before, cool. I was going to give the same advice as Bum and say you need to mash oats with base malt. I have mashed oats with English ales and used heaps with stouts, never with an american though.

Also I would use some of the chinook for a dry addition.

Cheers