Pliny-Type Double IPA

If that is the Pliny clone recipe that is available in this forum as well as other places on the Internet, you'll love it. I've brewed it once and it turned out very well. I think this year I'm going to try the Pliny the Younger clone since I don't have any hopes of ever trying that beer.

 

Yeah, I'd be excited too. I like beer with such a low SRM, with all that punch. will be a surprising one. Not sure what actual IBUs in Pliny beers are, but probably not much less than your theoretical? Also curious how you created the Pliny-like recipe.. Only thing I would personally be worried about is the dextrose. Personal preference as always. What's the math... is it a little less than a pound?

 

131 "theoretical" (Tinseth) IBUs translate to a whole lot less actual IBUs. I'd estimate something in the high 70s. There are two things working against the 131 number. First, the upper limit to the IBUs you can get is about 110, due to solubility limits. Second (and more importantly from a practical standpoint), above about 65 Tinseth calculated IBUs, the theoretical utilization curve fails, and needs to be replaced by a much flatter one. (Not Glenn Tinseth's fault - he never tested those kinds of levels, and (probably) didn't envision the kind of hopping that's done today.) Each IBU above about 65 gets more expensive in terms of hops needed than the previous IBU.

 

I am waiting for mine to finish at the moment. I added my first round of dry hops this week, I did 1.5oz of Columbus, 1oz Centennial, & 1oz Simcoe. Next week I will add 0.5 Columbus, 0.5 Simcoe, 0.25 Centennial, & 0.25 Amarillo and transfer to the Keg hopefully next weekend.

 

In Mitch Steele’s book he said the Stone tested it at 65 IBU. When FW was guest brewing it , when RR was replacing the brew house, @bulletrain76 said they also got 65 IBU IIRC.

I had a couple of glasses last year in CA, and it didn’t seem as bitter as when I first had it long ago. Brewers do adjust their beers over time.

 

I brewed a Pliny the Elder homage not too long ago. In brewcipher my predicted Tinseth IBUs were 202, 'modified' Tinseth (which I believe takes in to account what @VikeMan mentions above) were predicted at 86. IMO it came out right in the 80 -90 ibu range based on other very bitter beers I have tasted.

My advice would be to not be shy about boil hops - I did a 4oz FW addition, which felt insane, but also awesome.

 

definitely no honey malt...even a small amount, imho
fwiw, brewing something like a Blind Pig shortly

 

The last few times I made it I used Hop Shots (extract) for the bittering charge, and the rest of the hops at the end starting at about the 15min mark. Using the hop extract helps cut down on the wort loss.

 

Pliny

17* Plato
Rahr 2 Row
2% Simpson’s C60
Sugar
70 IBU (actual, not Calc I believe)

90min boil
Warrior/CTZ @90
Amarillo Extract at 45
Simcoe at 30
Whirlpool: Centennial, Simcoe, Cascade, Am

CTZ, Cascade, Simcoe DH1
Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe, DH2
Always pellets

Slightly higher CaCl than CaSo4 actually. Not overly hard water profile

Vinnie is adamant about getting as much yeast out of the beer as possible before dry hopping as well..

 

It's a different animal than most crystal/caramel malts...closer to melanoidin or aromatic. 0.7% isn't a lot, but I would be more likely to use a Pale Ale malt/5% very light Munich and normal 2 row

 

I brewed my version of PtE a couple of years ago and I was very pleased with how it turned out:

SG: 1.071
FG: 1.012
Briess Pilsner Malt
5% Briess 20L Crystal

90min boil
CTZ at 90
CTZ at 45
Simcoe at 60
Whirlpool: Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo (1 oz. for Centennial and Amarillo & 1.7 oz. Simcoe)
Dry Hop: CTZ, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo (1 oz. each).

I dry hopped once all signs of fermentation were complete for a duration of 14 days.

I fermented with US-05.

I will be re-brewing this beer.

Cheers!

 

I think it might be our palates are changing...which means the beers are changing...never mind

 

It wasn’t that long ago that Vinnie said Pliny was 95 IBU from testing. Steele’s book came out some time later at 65 IBU in testing.

 

I'm wondering if Vinnie was talking about the bottled beer or the wort going into the fermenter...I could see before fermentation and dry hops (maybe even post-fermentation using chico) getting 95 IBUs...but not after dry hops.
Most of the research I'm seeing brings most all moderately-high dry hopped beers into the 55-70 IBU (tested) range no matter how much hops the beer saw in the boil/whirlpool.

 

The Northern Brewer variant that I've done as a kit and since sourced from LHBS 5 or so times comes out nice. No honey malt. Uses 2 row, carapils and carastan. Also .75 lb corn sugar( table sugar is fine also). Crazy good fresh West Coast IPA, nice to have on tap regularly.

 

That I’m not sure about, as he never specifies when it was tested. I also know that wort can be well over 100 IBU measured.
https://appellationbeer.com/blog/how-many-ibu-about-one-hundred/

This is where I got the 95.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/6351/doubleIPA.pdf

 

Dave, is there a reason for this? Why does dry hopping 'decrease' the IBUs?

Cheers!

 

There’s a great MBAA podcast on this very topic. It’s a worthwhile listen