So it’s no secret that American IPA brewers nowadays (especially here on the west coast) seem to shun the use of much, if any, caramel malts in their IPA’s. Many of the the best IPA brewers (Vinnie Cilurzo and Matt Brynildson to name a few) have been very open about their dislike of crystal/caramel malts paired along side american hops.
However…
As I sit here drinking a delicious glass of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, it has gotten me thinking. How do they seem to do it so well where as everyone else seems be going so far the other way? Just this season alone, having tried the Celebration Ale, Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale, Estate Ale, and even a classic like Torpedo… I am SO impressed and intrigued by how well they get that combo of crystal malts and american hops to work together.
I think in small amounts, it works well. For a 5 gallon batch, I use 10 lbs of 2-row, 1 lb of crystal 20, and 1/2 lb of carapils. Along with the combination of Citra, Simcoe, and Amarillo hops, I won gold at the Colorado state fair. The malt flavor is present, but in the background. I think this combo works well for me. But really, homebrewing is about what you like, regardless of what others think is or isn’t the proper recipe. If you like it, use it.
The best IIPA I never made had 10# 2-row, 3# munich, 1# C60 and 1# sugar. Ton of Cascade, Centennial and Summit. Not pale at all, but just a perfect balance of delicious malt and a blast of hops playing together like a symphony. 166 IUB btw…
I think the key is to select a good flavorful crystal malt, and use no more than necessary. A good medium (50ish SRM) UK crystal is my go-to for pale ales. 4% in my IPA.
That great that you say that… For instance… Sierra Nevada’s recipe for Celebration Ale uses about 11-12% of a medium UK crystal malt, which sounds like a lot. At least a lot more than most people would want to use these days in what we now call IPA.
My theory for why it works for them… That chunk of caramel malt is the only other thing in the grain bill besides their 2-row base malt. So maybe its the simplicity of the recipe that allows it to work so well???
I know there are no black and white, 2+2=4 answers here. Im just trying to get opinions. Im just so fascinated by how much they seem to keep things “old school” and against what many brewers seem to be going away from. Yet, they are still arguably one of the best breweries to be producing hoppy beers right now.
Then there is Gordon Strong’s statement that he thinks Maris Otter does not go well with “C” hops. Read that on in print not too long ago and chuckled, but please don’t ask me where that was in print.
It all comes down to what you like flavor wise in your beer.
Brew to taste, sir! If you like the MO malt quality paired with the “C” hops, go for it! The crystal thing - everything in moderation. See how the crystal affects the beer as a whole. I think that the big goal in an American IPA is to make sure that the hops stay firmly planted in the foreground. Don’t let the malt steal its thunder. I only use around 2.5% light crystal in mine for instance. Just a touch of complexity and a little color addition. Nothing fancy, but nothing completely one dimensional either. Others go a little heavier on the crystal malts, but I like the way just a little works with the entire beer.
I’ve been using 6% British caramalt in my house IPA for the past year and I love it. I definitely like a small amount of crystal malt in my AIPAs. Brew to taste!
Bingo. I’ve had a lot of commercial IPA’s with too much crystal, and I grew up on Harpoon IPA which doesn’t use any. I like my IPA’s dry and crisp, but that’s just how my palate developed.
I do like some background malt complexity in an IPA, but I prefer to get it from things like Munich, Victory, MO, etc., instead of crystal.
I just checked several of my successful and unsuccessful hop focused beers and found the following.
In general, I keep the ‘colored’ crystal malt content in the 4 to 7% range. I also note that the ‘non-colored’ crystal (aka: dextrin or carapils) malts don’t seem to have too much effect on cloying or flavor-clouding perceptions. For instance, I have a very nice PA with 5% C40 and 5%Dex than I find is still quite pleasant.
I have experimented with PA and IPA recipes with varying percentages of C60, Dex, munich, aromatic, and biscuit malts. In no case did any of those individual malts exceed 5%, but the sum of those malts approached 20%. The malt character of those beers was pleasant and complex, but I found it clearly clashed with the hopping the bittering. I find that a more singular note in the malt flavor is needed to avoid that clash and to allow the hops and bittering to shine.
In your opinion, can brewing water additions such as calcium sulfate and possibly even mash pH adjustment (in the 5.2-ish range) help to enhance the hop flavor and make the malt profile more subdued in these heavy-crystal IPA’s?
That is an option for sure, LOL. I only add about 6oz in mine for a 5 gallon batch so I am probably okay. Just a general question. I would venture to say that the water profile might be able to tilt the perception of the beer flavor in an instance like this.
I don’t feel that water chemistry has that much effect, although reducing the wort pH would thin the body perception and make it a little more tart. But another effect of depressing the wort pH is that hop expression is also reduced. That is counterproductive in PAs and IPAs.
The best way to reduce malt flavor seems to be employing a narrower malt profile.
Good info Martin. I figured that water adjustment would only go so far in this scenario, but it never hurts to throw it out there, right?
Just keep the main focus of the beer up front - the hops. No fancy malt bill needed. Just some base malt and enough crystal for color and a touch of complexity.
For hoppy beers, I tend to adjust my water profile to accentuate dryness and sharper, firmer bitterness (high sulfate, low chloride). If you go the other way, I think the bitterness is flabby and coating, and the hop character is muddled.
I’m with erockph on using high-quality base malts to layer in malt-type flavors: Munich, Vienna, MO, Pils, or a combination. My favorite IPA recipe uses half Munich I and Half German Pils, with a touch of Victory and table sugar (or honey, if I’ve got some).
I agree on all accounts. I get my mash pH around 5.5 with some phosphoric acid and also drop some gypsum into the mash to really make the hops come to life. The chloride to sulfate ratio is what I pay the closest attention to, and I tend to use it lightly (the less is more thing again).
I am a huge fan of blending munich malt with another high quality 2-row malt. It really gives the malt a kick. Clean and dry - fo sho!
