English IPA tips

Giving a first attempt at an English IPA, but I don’t have a lot of resources outside of Jamil’s book…

What are your opinions on:

  • Good commercial examples, especially ones brewed here (I, for example, LOVE Three Floyds’ version)
  • Yeast selection
  • Hop schedule (dry hopping?)
  • OG/FG

I will also gladly accept award-winning recipes if you’ve got 'em  ;D

There are a few examples state-side, but probably best to seek out the true English IPA’s , if you can find it “Meantime makes a great EIPA” or Samuel Smith or even Worthington’s White Shield.

There are a few good English yeast selections, 1968, 1098, 1099 or my favorite 1275 Thames Valley

I think the secret is a balanced bitterness , high hop aroma from dry-hoping and a slightly dry finish. Don’t be afraid of using some non-traditional hops for dry-hopping too. Other than that and IMO…stick with E.K.Goldings or Fuggles for bittering and flavor.

Try making a 3.5 ABV IPA, but you should try to keep your formulations under 6% ABV for the style. Experiment with your water, use good English malt… Crisp, Thomas Fawcett or Golden Promise.

Oh, and here’s my recipe for English IPA:

Brew Type: All Grain Date: 5/16/2007
Style: English IPA Brewer: Christopher Bowen
Batch Size: 5.00 gal Assistant Brewer: 
Boil Volume: 5.72 gal Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 % Equipment: My Equipment
Actual Efficiency: 70.04 %

Gold Medal and Best of show at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival - ProAM catagory, Silver medal at the AHA regional , Gold medal at the Kona Beer Festival 2008

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
9 lbs 3.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 85.09 %
14.1 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 8.15 %
6.4 oz Amber Malt (22.0 SRM) Grain 3.70 %
5.3 oz Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM) Grain 3.06 %
1.25 oz Chinook [12.00 %] (Dry Hop 10 days) Hops - 
2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 34.3 IBU
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (30 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops - 
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (10 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops - 
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days) Misc 
1 Pkgs Thames Valley Ale (Wyeast Labs #1275) [Starter 125 ml] Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.058 SG (1.050-1.075 SG) Measured Original Gravity: 1.054 SG
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.014 SG (1.010-1.018 SG) Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Color: 10.8 SRM (8.0-14.0 SRM) Color
Bitterness: 34.3 IBU (40.0-60.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 10.0 AAU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 5.66 % (5.00-7.50 %) Actual Alcohol by Volume: 5.74 %
Actual Calories: 239 cal/pint

Mash Profile Name: Single Infusion, Full Body Mash 
Mash Grain Weight: 10.80 lb Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Sparge Water: 2.29

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 3.38 gal of water at 163.7 F 152.0 F 90 min
Mash Out Add 1.35 gal of water and heat to 180.0 F over 2 min 180.0 F 10 min

Carbonation and Storage Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar Carbonation Volumes: 2.0

Cheers

I like to use WLP002.

I also like using all EKG’s for flavor, aroma and dry hop.  Moderate to high hop aroma is key to this fine beer.

It should be clear and I shoot for amber in color.  I like a medium bodied mouthfeel with this beer.

Price’s English IPA
English IPA

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Brewer: bluesman
Boil Size: 6.63 gal
Boil Time: 90 min 
 
Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
10.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 81.63 %
.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 %
.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 %
.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 %
.50 lb Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM) Grain 4.08 %
.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 2.04 %
1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (90 min) Hops 28.0 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 15.4 IBU
.5 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (30 min) Hops 5.3 IBU
.5 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] [4.50 %] (20 min) Hops 3.8 IBU
.5 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (10 min) Hops 2.5 IBU
.5 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops - 
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops - 
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 
5.5 gal Poland Spring (R) Water 
1 Pkgs English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) [Starter 2000 ml] Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.062 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.060 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.79 % 
Bitterness: 55.1 IBU
Est Color: 11.0 SRM

Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Total Grain Weight: 12.25 lb
Sparge Water: 4.25 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F

Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
60 min Mash @ 150.0 F

Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).

Check out my website  ;D

http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BlitzkriegHops

To clarify, the correct gravity numbers are 1.068 SG, 1.016 FG, and you want your sulfate level around 500ppm.

Thanks for the great recipe! What is the brewing software you’re using thats giving you the calorie guilt-trip???

If Philadelphia qualifies as “here,” and if you can get it, I think Yards India Pale Ale is quite good and tastes like what I remember from trips to England.

I think here meant US; but if he meant really local then FFF is on the illinois-indiana border; basically a suburb of Chicago.

Yessir… I live in Indy and bow to Nick and the guys at FFF… i LOVE Blackheart (the English IPA), Dark Lord, Bohemoth, Dreadnaught, etc., etc., etc…

http://www.3floyds.com/our-beers-2/

If you can’t get their beers where you’re at, I think we could arrange a trade of “Yeast Samples” via UPS

oh… and I did some “research”… bought St. Peter’s IPA and Ridgeway IPA.

The St. Peters was great… so earthy/dank in the nose, my girlfriend swore I tracked dirt into the kitchen on my shoes!

Wonderful, round malt profile. Just bitter enough to satisfy and balance. A bit oxidized from the trip (I would love to taste it at the brewery someday!)… but thats why I’m making one myself!

I like that St Peter’s. Expensive so it’s an occasional treat. I’m trying to emulate the mouth-feel and malt profile of these type of English ales. Some success but I’m still working on it. Let us know if you achieve what you’re looking for.

Not sure if you can get it in the US, but Marston’s Old Empire is a reasonable EIPA.

Stateline in MD has or had it.  I tried a bottle when I was tasting a group of EIPAs to formulate my recipe.  There was a range of maltiness, but all were well hopped.

Lantern Yard IPA
English IPA

Type: All Grain
Date: 4/18/2010
Batch Size: 5.30 gal
Brewer: Jim Rosenkranz
Boil Size: 7.00 gal Asst Brewer: 
Boil Time: 60 min  Equipment: Brew Pot (15 Gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (10 Gal) for 5 gallon batch 
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0  Brewhouse Efficiency: 73.00
Taste Notes: 
 
Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
11.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 84.62 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3.85 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 3.85 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 3.85 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3.85 %
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops - 
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 12.0 IBU
1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.00 %] (60 min) Hops 23.7 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (20 min) Hops 9.0 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (5 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
1 Pkgs English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.067 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.067 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.020 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.020 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.06 %  Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.14 %
Bitterness: 47.7 IBU Calories: 305 cal/pint
Est Color: 10.7 SRM Color: Color

Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Total Grain Weight: 13.00 lb
Sparge Water: 4.49 gal Grain Temperature: 65.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 65.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH
 
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 19.50 qt of water at 164.8 F 154.0 F

Burtonise the liquor.

Floor malted Maris Otter pale malt only (low colour if you want to be authentic).
No other malts.

Perhaps a little sugar in the grist - up to 10%.

English hops  - I suggest Kent Goldings - lots of them, but keep it balanced. (OG 1.070, 50 IBUs - or thereabouts)

English ale yeast that ferments dry - Nottingham is pretty reliable

Age for 18 months, and then dry hop.

Ant Hayes
Tonbridge, Kent

WOAH?! ??? ??? ??? ???

This is an English IPA, not an Americna hop bomb.  I have one aging.  Give it a try.  Ant knows his stuff here.

Early records idicate a Brittish IPA variety of beer named October beer, a pale well-hopped brew popular among the landed classes, brewed domestically; once brewed it was intended to cellar two years.

That’s what I figured…I wasn’t disagreeing…just…well…WOAH…

i had heard of EIPAs aging, but never 18 months, let alone 2 years…time to buy another carboy.

Indeed!  An Ant, it’s great to have you here!

There are two styles called EIPA: the kind of beer that BJCP describes, and the kind you actually see in most pubs in England. I heartily prefer the latter.

Most beers I’ve had called “IPA” in England were straw to light amber in color (4-8 SRM, or thereabouts), 3-6% ABV (typically about 4.5%), light-medium bodied, floral, and smoothly-bittered. This is not what the BJCP guidelines indicate, and so I consider the BCJP wrong with regards to this style - or at least they tend to describe American-made English-style IPAs or “English Export IPAs,” rather than beers called “IPA” in England. That being said, I recently brewed a beer along these lines: 4.6% ABV, pale in color (7 SRM), floral and balanced towards the hops. I just tapped it, and it’s great. I say you don’t really “need” English hops, just as long as you stay away from the really piney/citrusy American hops. Nugget/Willamette was a good combo for me (I even threw in a pinch of Cascade, and I don’t think it made it taste any less authentic). I think a FWH addition, a 5 min addition, a flameout addition, and a light dry-hop addition is what you need (and you could probably keep out the FWH addition). I used S-04 in this last one, but I’m sure most English yeasts would be fine. I Burtonized my water, which I think is a good rule of thumb. Shoot for dry to medium-bodied (hint: not more than 10% crystal). I would give it long enough to clear, then cold crash, if you can (English beers really ought to be brilliantly clear, even if dry-hopped). Clarity is another place where choosing the right yeast can save you some time. S-04, 1098, or 1099 would be my first choices.