I’ve been doing lots of belgians, but I want to get back to doing a solid hoppy beast that focuses on hop flavors and aromas and doesn’t overwhelm my girlfriend’s limited tolerance for bitterness. Therefore I came up with this IPA idea. Simple straightforward strong American IPA recipe with a focus on some hops I got in my freezer from Nikobrew. Thoughts?
Style: American IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)
Recipe Specifications
Boil Size: 6.52 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.98 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.60 gal
Estimated OG: 1.068 SG
Estimated Color: 6.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 99.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 71.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.7 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
11 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 86.3 %
12.0 oz Munich 10L (Briess) (10.0 SRM) Grain 2 5.9 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 3.9 %
8.0 oz Caramel Malt - 20L (Briess) (20.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.9 %
2.00 oz Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus (CTZ) [15.50 %] - Hop 5 71.9 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 6 -
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins) Other 7 -
10.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Boil 15.0 mins Water Agent 8 -
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 9 5.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 6.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 8.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Boil 5.0 mi Hop 12 7.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Aroma Steep 30.0 min Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Aroma Steep 30.0 Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Aroma Steep 30.0 min Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Aroma Steep Hop 16 0.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 17 -
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 18 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 19 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days Hop 20 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Dry Hop 10. Hop 21 0.0 IBUs
0.25 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days Hop 22 0.0 IBUs
0.25 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days Hop 23 0.0 IBUs
0.25 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days Hop 24 0.0 IBUs
0.25 oz Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Hop 25 0.0 IBUs
Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
I think that looks tasty except for the carapils as well. The only other comment I would make is with the amount of hops for dry hopping 10 days seems a little long for me. I like 3-5 days so I might suggest the initial 3 days and then add and go another 2-3 days but that’s just me:)
So I can bump up C20 to maybe 5% and get rid of Carapils. Dry hopping I agree, I actually generally only do it to about 7 days max first first, and less. I’ll dry at end of primary then rack to secondary for 2nd dry hopping for maybe 3-4 days.
If he mashes low, the body will be thinner and more fermentable. If he adds some Carapils, it will provide extra body and foam retention without adding sweetness. It’s a dextrin malt. It makes more sense to use it with a low mash temp than high. 4-8oz is plenty. Use it if you think your beer is too thin.
At GR Jeremy Kosmicki said he does not pay attention to what is said in the interwebz. He brews to his taste, uses a lot of carapils and crystal in his beers, and is after balance, not the West Coast thing.
It was refreshing to hear that. Not that I like carapils and crystal , but I appreciate the end beer.
Depends on what you’re after. If the goal in a low mash temp is to attenuate well (with a low FG) and have,for example, what the Belgians call a ‘digestible’ beer , then it seems counterproductive to drive the FG back up with unfermentables. I’m not saying it can’t ever have a place in beer, but I’d rather control body with mash temp most times. YMMV.
What about books? Is it ok to listen to what’s said in them? If so I’d suggest to consult Mitch Steele’s IPA book about the over use of crystal malt in IPA brewing. I’m assuming Mitch brews to his taste too.
Seriously, I agree that everyone should brew to your taste. My tastes don’t appreciate the combination of too much crystal malt in addition to american C hops. But I don’t think the OP is doing theat here. That said, I still don’t think the .5 lb of cara pils really does much for the recipe.
With cara pils I consider it a tool. I guess if you are mashing low or want to keep the beer very light but want to still keep more body in the beer (say a basemalt of strictly pils) cara pils is a great tool. For single infusion breweries who may have a problem mashing high, etc. But I’m not sure why it was included in this recipe, which is why I said I don’t think you need the carapils.
Anf Jeff, one more thing. When Kosmicki said “don’t believe everything you read on the internet” I don’t think he meant this forum.
And I’ve made it clear a few times that I’m not a huge fan of Rogue beers. They are obviously well brewed but I prefer my beers drier. Much of this may have to do with Climate. It’s hot and sticky where I am and what I want is a dry beer that will quench my thirst, especially when I drink IPAs.
I think that’s part of it for me too. It’s already hot and humid here, and a dry IPA just quenches the thirst a lot better (to me) when it’s sticky, aside from my feelings on lots of crystal and ‘C’ hops.
8oz of Carapils in a 5.5 gallon batch will increase FG by 0.001 gravity point at a low mash temp without increasing subjective sweetness while adding more body than the same beer mashed higher that finishes at the same gravity and sweeter.
Like you said. It all depends on what you want to achieve. Carapils can achieve things that can’t be duplicated by the same grist without Carapils at a higher mash temp.
I’m not (and wasn’t) saying that Carapils has no place in brewing. I’ve used it and get its potential uses clearly. But there are a lot of options in AG brewing to get to an end result, and the cool thing is we can all choose our own approach.
I brewed an all Pilsner base malt IPA with carapils to bump up the body inspired by this thread yesterday. But I stick by my original remarks… I don’t “think” you need the carapils in this recipe. Not am absolute, just a suggestion. I think that there are too many IPAs out there with too much perceived body. And there is no suggested mash temp. So in reality, in this recipe, I’m not sure what the carapils would be for. But maybe it’s exactly what the OP wants.
First time I used cara pils in an IPA recipe was 10 years ago in a Russian River Pliny cone and that turned out pretty good, but Ive not used it in an IPA recipoe since and they’ve turned out purdy good, too.
But I stick by my original remarks… I don’t “think” you need the carapils in this recipe. Not am absolute, just a suggestion. I think that there are too many IPAs out there with too much perceived body. And there is no suggested mash temp. So in reality, in this recipe, I’m not sure what the carapils would be for. But maybe it’s exactly what the OP wants.