What's your best IPA recipe?

[lupulin]

I am going to brew an IPA this weekend. I usually don't like hoppy beers (and as such I kind of suck at making them) but I've been craving them for some reason. So, any great IPA recipes out there? I'd like to brew something in the 1.060 range that's nice and dry and really really bitter without being disgusting.

[adm]

This one that I did recently is shaping up to be excellent (even if I do say so myself):

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=36899&hilit=enola+gay

If I were in the US, I'd probably use 2-row rather than the lager malt.

[lupulin]

That looks like a good one, adm. Good pictures, too.

I was actually thinking something with caramalt and sugar. I've never used amarillo and citra together, either... wheels are turning.

[Rookie]

I am going to brew an IPA this weekend. I usually don't like hoppy beers (and as such I kind of suck at making them) but I've been craving them for some reason. So, any great IPA recipes out there? I'd like to brew something in the 1.060 range that's nice and dry and really really bitter without being disgusting.

You may want to try some hops that are not considered IPA hops. My son-in-law does not like IPA, but early this year I brewed a very hoppy alt that he really liked. I used spalt in the alt.

[pantsmachine]

This one, no doubt. Stands head and shoulders above anything else i have made.

White Star IPA Mk2

5.00 kg Pale Malt
2.00 kg Munich Malt
2.00 kg Wheat Malt,
0.15 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
30.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
1.00 oz Chinook [12.50 %] (90 min)
3.50 oz Bobek [5.20 %] (90 minFH)
1.80 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] (90 minFH)
1.00 oz amarillo(90 min FH)
1.00oz simco(90 min FH)
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (15 min)
0.45 kg Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 4.69 % last 10 minutes
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (3 min)
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (3 min)
2.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (1 min)
2.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (1 min) Hops
2.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (0 min)-
1.50 oz Chinook [12.50 %] (0 min)-
2.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (0 min)
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (0 min)
0.95 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min)
2.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min)
3.1 oz Whisky barrel Oak Chips ( 30.0 days)
1.5oz simco dry hop 30 days
1.5 oz amarillo dry hop 30 days

SG 1.060
FG 10.1?
Bitterness: 104.5 IBU
Est Color: 8.2 SRM
Notes
3.5oz bobek first hopped,1.8oz styrian goldings 1 oz amarillo, 1oz simco first hopped
Will be dry hopping with Simcoe & Amarillo(1.5 oz each), huge tropical nose required.
Oak chips to be around 4 oz and want them in for two weeks at least.
21.25 ltr mash water at 77 deg, grain at 14 deg c to achieve 66.5 deg
Rind from one orange or a few tangerines.
31 ltr sparge water to achieve 8 gallon final batch

[Barley Water]

My favorite IPA is Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. You can easily look up the recipe online (since I am here at work I can't remeber exactly what I used) but basicly it is American two row and a little British Amber malt with Warrior, Simcoe and Amarillo hops added throughout the 60 minute boil. The stuff has an OG of 1.064 with 60IBU of bitterness but is hop bursted and the flavor and aroma is really big. I have medium hard water with both temporary as well as permanant hardness and the hops give you a smooth bitterness, not at all harsh. Many American IPA's are pretty big (OG around 1.070 and higher) and many have a very harsh bitterness (Chinook will do this to you depending on your water profile but of course it is all a matter of personal preference).

White Star IPA mk2 looks like pretty wild stuff. I recently did a beer with oak chips and I really like the way it came out (I did a Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale clone). At some point, I will probably do an IPA and add the chips, that would be an interesting experiment. I must however admit that I would probably not make a beer with 109 IBU, I guess I am too much of a wimp for that much bitterness. I would think that all those hops would completely cover up any flavor notes from both the honey and the orange peels, can you really taste them through all those hops? Anyway, you would feel quite at home in California, Oregon or Washington state brewing a beer like that, carry on.

[pantsmachine]

I'd like to try a DFH60minute. Liked the philosophy of the company as displayed in Beerwars. Bitterness awareness is more relevant as in when and how you hop as opposed to how much you hop i feel. I put my flag up for being able to pick out the honey and orange peel, could be placebo i suppose. But then again i was getting a dark chocolate thing off the hops in 5A.M Saint in Brewdog Bar in Aberdeen and my mates didn't. The oak chips work well but need to be limited in their time in beer if the beer is to be accessible any time in the near future once brewed. 5 days is enough for me. Two weeks is too much!

[Barley Water]

Well, I am certainly not an expert when it comes to oak in beer (having done it only once) but I learned a few things before my initial attempt. As you noted, contact time is very important. Also, oaking is dependent on the surface area exposed to the beer so chips do more by weight than say cubes for example. Also, the type of oak is important, for instance American oak is more agressive tasting than say French oak for instance. Finally, the level of toast makes a difference as well. Of course, since I have only tried it once I have not explored any of these variables. In the beer I made, I used 1 1/2 ounces of medium toast American oak chips in a 5 gallon batch of beer. The beer was normal gravity beer (around 1.050 OG, I would think higher would tend to get better extraction of oak) and the contact time was 10 days. I ended up with a very noticable oak flavor which was not too strong but not what I would call subtle either. Next time I make this beer, I may actually cut it back a little just to see what happens. Without having tried it, I suspect that a supper hoppy beer would cover up many of the oak flavors but again not having tried it I can't say for sure. Anyway, back in the day when all beer was stored in oak barrels, I suspect that at least to some extent it affected the flavor of the beer (and probably added a bunch of other wild organisms but that is a different subject).

[pantsmachine]

Agree with all of that, i am still playing with 'oak or not' as i do each brew. Have you tried BBQ smoking oak barrel shavings? Your first reaction is probably step back in revulsion? Works well for me, i am using Scottish Whisky barrel shavings which give a MUCH more noticalbe oak presence than for example Brupaks French Oak Chips which are the retail chipped for brewers oak bits(price premium is crazy on these). I bake my shavings at 200 deg C in the oven for a while to kill any lurkers. I am continually tempted to buy a barrel and 'do it for real'. So far i have resisted the temptation and intend to for the forseeeable future........maybe.

[Barley Water]

Soaking the oak chips in spirits is yet another twist you can put on things and no, I have not tried it yet. I would think that maybe a nice brown porter with Scotch infused oak chips for a week or so might be really good. My guess would be that you would end up with a porter with hints of vanilla from the chips as well as some nice Scotch flavors, sounds really nice to me, sort of an Irish Coffee with a twist.

[pantsmachine]

I've read about that one but IMHO there is a line i'm not into crossing. I don't mind if a little layer is left in a beer from the remainder that didn't evaporate off but i'm not into mixing compressed beer with the stuff we make. That's not to say that i haven't though about what sort of compressed beer i COULD make.....

If you ever do give it a go i'd really like to hear how it turns out? Wouldn't mind having a crack at wet hopping post harvest. Totally Beaujoulais Nouveau or what?

[lupulin]

That looks like an insane recipe, pantsmachine.

I ended up going with something simple. I have a bunch of old hops that need to get used up since the new crop is coming in. I ended up going with:

6 pounds gold LME 60%
1.5 pounds gold DME 15%
1.25 pounds munich 12.5%
0.75 pound carapils 7.5%
0.50 pound caravienne 5%

1 oz simcoe @ 60 minutes
1 oz amarillo @ 5 minutes
1oz cascade @ 3 minutes
1 oz zues @ 0 minutes
1 oz centennial @ 0 minutes
1 oz zeus dry hop
1 oz amarillo dry hop

OG 1.060
IBU 50

I think it will probably be more like a pale ale. I didn't initially figure for the age of my hops, so I was hoping for a higher IBU. I also forgot the sugar. So it goes. I think I will be tweaking this more to really get to something that has a good, firm bitterness. I'd still be interested to hear any other good recipes

[pantsmachine]

Look like a nice beer, will it be amber or lighter in colour? I LOVE the flavour & Aroma that Amarillo impart. I am planning a slightly weaker(ABV) version of white star and intend to ramp the hops up further. Luckily with brewing there is no peak to the mountain so we can just keep climbing!

[pantsmachine]

Vulcan long Mash IPA
Batch Size: 8.50 gal
Boil Time: 90 min
Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.60 kg Pale Malt
1.00 kg Munich Malt
1.00 kg Vienna Malt
0.70 kg Wheat Malt,
0.60 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
0.20 kg Wheat, Torrified
0.15 kg Chocolate Malt
2.50 oz First Gold [8.30 %] (90 min)
1.00 oz First Gold [8.30 %] (15 min)
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [9.40 %] (5 min)
1.00 oz Simcoe [12.90 %] (5 min)
0.75 oz Amarillo Gold [9.40 %] (4 min)
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [9.40 %] (3 min)
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (1 min)
1.25 oz Amarillo Gold [9.40 %] (1 min)
2.50 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min)
25.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)
2 pkts US 05 yeast

Est Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.83 %
Bitterness: 74.2 IBU
Est Color: 15.7 SRM

Mashed overnight and fremented at 10 degrees. Bloody astonishing beer, 2nd best after White Star IPA

[dave-o]

^^^^++

First Gold and Amarillo go great together.