Formulating my first IPA recipe

Beer Recipes
1

I’ve been brewing for about 10 months now, 6 months all grain.  We (two friends and i that all pitched in to buy the equipment) started brewing this and that to see what style relay grabbed us.  Well it turned out to be Imperial IPA something that i only acquired a taste for about 6 months ago.  We’ve brewed “Hop Hammer” from Brewing Classic Styles a few times and it always goes over well.  Much of this has to do with the fact that really good Imperial IPA’s are either hard to get, expensive or past their prime when they get to were i live (Alaska), often all three. Brewing someone elses recipes is only so fun though and i really want to branch out and try experimenting with my own Imperial IPA recipe.  Being rather inexperienced though i thought i’d try and run my ideas by the more learned to get some feed back first.  So here’s the gist of the recipe thus far.

10 lbs                Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)          Grain         
5 lbs                Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM)          Grain     
5 lbs                Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)                    Grain     
1 lbs                White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM)              Grain

0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 90.0 min        Hop          5        10.8 IBUs   
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 85.0 min        Hop          6        10.7 IBUs   
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 80.0 min        Hop          7        10.7 IBUs   
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 75.0 min        Hop          8        10.6 IBUs   
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 70.0 min        Hop          9        10.4 IBUs   
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 65.0 min        Hop          10      10.3 IBUs   
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min        Hop          11      10.1 IBUs   
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 55.0 min        Hop          12      9.9 IBUs     
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 50.0 min        Hop          13      9.6 IBUs     
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 45.0 min        Hop          14      9.3 IBUs     
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 40.0 min        Hop          15      8.9 IBUs     
0.25 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Boil 35.0 min        Hop          16      8.4 IBUs     
0.50 oz              Mosaic [11.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min        Hop          17      10.5 IBUs   
0.50 oz              Meridian [6.50 %] - Boil 25.0 min        Hop          18      5.4 IBUs     
0.50 oz              Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min  Hop          19      8.6 IBUs       
0.75 oz              Mosaic [11.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min        Hop          21      10.2 IBUs   
0.75 oz              Meridian [6.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min        Hop          22      4.2 IBUs     
0.75 oz              Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min  Hop          23      4.3 IBUs     
1.25 oz              Meridian [6.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min        Hop          24      0.0 IBUs     
1.00 oz              Mosaic [11.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min          Hop          25      0.0 IBUs     
1.00 oz              Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min  Hop          26      0.0 IBUs

3.00 oz              Mosaic [11.50 %] - dry hop          Hop          25      0.0 IBUs     
3.00 oz              Nelson Sauvin [12.00 %] - dry hop  Hop          26      0.0 IBUs

I plan to do a 90 min Mash at 150F, a 90 Min boil and use Wyeast 1056.  i was also thinking about aging for two months before dry hopping than aging another month before bottling.  I’ve also had some very good IPA’s with Bret in them and have been debating trying that out, possibly after the initial 2 month aging period.  I have never done a hoping scheduled such as this, or used any of those hop variates or for that matter used British pale malt or Vienna Malt before so this hole recipe is really designed to be a completely different set up than i have done previously. Any feed back would be much apreciated in particular how the hop variates i chose might marry together.  Thank you

2

Personally, I would simplify those apollo hop additions to 90, 60, & 45 minutes or something…

3

The hop schedule will definitely keep you busy. It should be awesome

4

+1 to simplifying.  Remember that you only get two things out of hops (hopefully): Alpha acids and oils.
The Alpha Acid (bittering addition) is typically done at 60 minutes because longer doesn’t really increase the isomerization of the Alpha Acids much, and less then 60 minutes doesn’t give adequate time for isomerization.

The oils in hops boil off rapidly.  Some boil at around 120*!  So in boiling, or even just hot wort you are losing the oils at a rapid pace.  The oils provide the aroma and flavors (other than bitterness).

So personally I only do a maximum of 3 additions: Bittering at 60 minutes, and two flavor/aroma additions - one at 5 minutes and one at flameout.  Then of course I do dry hopping.

5

Thanks guys, i’ll make some tweaks to the recipe tonight on beer smith tonight and give it another proofing by the forums after (probably wont brew it until November its fourth in line to be brewed) still welcome to more suggestions though.

6

+1
It’s more complicated than it needs to be.

Also, I disagree with the freshness factor…a big beer like this has great longevity and I only I see it getting better with age, not worse!
But individual tastes do vary.  Do what your taste buds dictate to you.  But save at least a couple of bottles to enjoy a year down the line, and prepare to be surprised.

7

Aside from simplifying the bittering additions comment, you might also want to consider a hop stand. You will get a lot of hop flavor by letting the hops steep in the hot wort for 30-90 minutes after flameout.

8

I agree with the simplifying additions as well. In fact, I would put all of the hops into a few different groups.

60- Bittering (just go with all of it here)
You can do a 30 minute or not, I don’t think it adds much, but others do, so it is up to your tastebuds.
25-5, Add half of this amount at 10, and half (with all the rest) at 0. 30-60 minute hop stand (I think erock does even up to 120).

On the hop choices, that is all up to you, everyone likes their own different flavors.

Grain bill looks good, but why the two different pale malts?

9

Good advice from all.  Definitely simplify the bittering addition.  I get most or all of mine @ 60 or 90 minutes depending on boil length.  +1 to the hopstand big time.  I like a 45 minute hopstand for IPAs.  You can get a really good hop flavor doing this.