Session IPA / Pale Ale Recipe Feedback

Beer Recipes
1

Looking for some general feedback on the recipe below.  I guess on the grain bill in particular.  I wanted to add a little more sweetness and body to stand up to the hops without using crystal.  I happened to have some extra special b hanging around so I thought I would add for a little more color.  For water adjustments, I am probably going to target like 200 ppm sulfate levels.  Thanks for any feedback!

Batch Size (fermenter): 10.00 gal 
Bottling Volume: 10.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.047 SG
Estimated Color: 7.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 90.5 IBUs
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

Amt                  Name                                                    Type        #        %/IBU       
9 lbs 3.0 oz        Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)              Grain        1        50.0 %       
5 lbs 8.0 oz        Munich I (Weyermann) (7.1 SRM)          Grain        2        29.9 %       
3 lbs 5.0 oz        Vienna Malt (Weyermann) (3.0 SRM)      Grain        3        18.0 %       
5.9 oz                Special B (Dingemans) (147.5 SRM)        Grain        4        2.0 %       
1.35 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - First Wort                  Hop          5        37.6 IBUs   
1.35 oz              Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus  15 min        Hop          6        14.7 IBUs   
2.65 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool        Hop          7        21.7 IBUs   
2.65 oz              Simcoe [13.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool      Hop          8        16.6 IBUs   
2.0 pkg              Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007)    Yeast        9        -

Dry hopping - half of the below amounts will go in each 5 gal keg:
4.00 oz              Apollo [17.00 %] - Dry Hop 3.0 Days      Hop          10      0.0 IBUs     
4.00 oz              Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 3.0 Days    Hop          11      0.0 IBUs     
0.65 oz              Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus  [15.50 %] - Hop          12      0.0 IBUs

2

90.5 ibus in a 1.047 wort is going to be very unbalanced.
I’d bump the gravity up and shoot for a bu:gu ratio of about 1.25.
Or, if I wasgoing for a more sessionable ipa, tone down the ibus to roughly the same ratio.

You are using a lot of very high alpha hops.  Yes, they are all good ones, but they are packed with alpha acid nontheless.  You might want to sub out some of the really high alpha varietals for some good lower Alpha varietals, too.  Amarillo, cascade, centennial, citra, galaxy come to mind.

3

Lower your whirlpool temp to minimize bitterness. I’d also move the 15min Columbus to whirlpool.

4

I don’t know about special B in an APA. You’ll get your color, but even at that amount, you might get the “raisin” taste from it. I think you’d be fine with your bill without it.

But then, you could be onto something amazing too.

5

.
I agree, Frank.  Each his own, though.

6

I can’t speak to Special B, but lately I’ve been using British extra dark crystal in my beers, and haven’t noticed any raisin-y flavors. Granted, I use it in very small amounts. It’ll give you some caramel flavors, but the small (<6%) amount means that you don’t get that crystal malt overkill sweetness/syrupiness.