Jul/Aug 2016: Fat Head's Head Hunter IPA clone

Zymurgy
1

In response to a reader inquiry, I need to clarify a couple of things about the Head Hunter recipe that appears on page 36 in the Jul/Aug 2016 issue of Zymurgy:

  1. There should be 11 oz. of flaked wheat in the ingredient list. These are referenced in the narrative but don’t appear in the ingredients. They were there in the original and must have disappeared when I was switching between extract and all-grain formulations during editing. My mistake!

  2. If you can’t or don’t want to use hop extract for the 90-minute bittering charge, just target about 35–40 IBUs at 90 minutes using the hops of your choice. High alpha is preferred because it’ll reduce vegetation in the kettle.

2

Is it Sept already? Where did my summer go?

3

Hahaha, that’s what I get for posting about one issue while working on the next one. Fixed it. :slight_smile:

4

Nice

5

Will you post the complete updated recipe?

6

Yep, I will do that later today. Cheers!

7

Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA Clone
Recipe by Amahl Turczyn, based on a recipe in Mitch Steele’s IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale

INGREDIENTS
for 5.5 gal (20.8 L)

  • 6.75 lb. (3 kg) Pale 2-row malt
  • 3.38 lb. (1.5 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
  • 13 oz. (369 g) Weyermann Carahell malt
  • 13 oz. (369 g) 15° L crystal malt
  • 11 oz. (312 g) Flaked wheat
  • 11 oz. (312 g) Dextrose
  • 4 oz. (113 g) Dextrin malt
  • 5 ml (0.17 oz.) Liquid CO2 hop extract (90 min)
  • 0.25 oz. (7 g) Centennial, 10% a.a. (45 min)
  • 0.25 oz. (7 g) Simcoe, 13% a.a. (45 min)
  • 0.25 oz. (7 g) Centennial, 10% a.a. (30 min)
  • 0.25 oz. (7 g) Simcoe, 13% a.a. (30 min)
  • 1 oz. (28 g) Centennial, 10% a.a. (steep 10 min)
  • 1 oz. (28 g) Simcoe, 13% a.a. (steep 10 min)
  • 1 oz. (28 g) Columbus, 14% a.a. (steep 10 min)
  • 2 oz. (56 g) Centennial, 10% a.a. (dry hop 10 days)
  • 2 oz. (56 g) Simcoe, 13% a.a. (dry hop 10 days)
  • 2 oz. (56 g) Columbus, 14% a.a. (dry hop 10 days)
  • California/American ale yeast, 2 L starter

Original Gravity: 1.070 (17° P)
Final Gravity: 1.015 (3.8° P)
Color: 6 SRM
IBUs: 87
ABV: 7.5%
Boil time: 90 minutes
Brewhouse efficiency: 76%

DIRECTIONS
Lightly toast wheat flakes. Treat reverse osmosis water with 2 tsp. gypsum. Mash at 150° F (66° C) for 75 minutes. Ferment at 67° F (19° C) for 10 days. After fermentation is complete, rack onto dry hops and steep for 10 days.

MALT EXTRACT VERSION
Substitute 8 lb. (3.63 kg) extra-pale malt extract syrup for pale 2-row malt, Maris Otter malt, and flaked wheat. Steep dextrin, Carahell, and caramel malts in 155° F (68° C) water for 30 minutes. Rinse, dissolve extract completely, and proceed with boil.

8

Out of curiosity, anyone know why both carahell and c15 are both specified. I realize they are not exactly the same, but they’re pretty darn close…

9

Mitch Steele’s recipe actually calls for 40L crystal, but I’ve found this makes the clone just a touch darker than the original. You could probably sub 12% of either 15L or CaraHell and get a very similar result.

10

Thanks Amahl, makes sense, definitely going to be brewing this…

11

Just to follow up, brewed this on 8/6, keg kicked last Saturday 9/17. Needless to say, this turned out really well  ;D