How do you brew your IPA

almost forgot add last 10 minutes of 90 minute boil until flameout

 

We've brewed at least 10 American IPAs and have won some homebrewing awards along the way. Here is a general guideline for what we use in IPAs.

Malts: 2-row as base, a little caramel 10, either flaked barley or carapils for added mouthfeel

Adjuncts: Corn sugar (this is key if you want a hop forward IPA, we usually use 2-3 pounds for a 10 gallon batch)

Yeast: Safale US-05. We've used White Labs California Ale in the past with success, but it's cheaper to use S-05 and I think it's a great clean yeast for IPAs

Hops: Obviously the most important ingredient in the IPA. You could go a variety of routes, but I will try to sum up what we generally do. Light additions at 60 and 30 (usually an ounce each for a 10 gallon batch). Once there are 10-15 minutes left in the boil, we'll add a couple more ounces. Go crazy at flameout (2, 3, 4 ounces or more). Dry hop in secondary for 7 days, 3-4 ounces for 10 gallons. We'll occasionally do a double dry hop during secondary (add another ounce of hops 3-4 days after first dry hop). We'll also occasionally hang some whole hops once the beer is kegged. This drastically changes the beer, usually for the better. Some of the more common varieties we use are Citra, Cascade, Simcoe, Amarillo, Belma, Mosaic, Calypso, Columbus, Centennial, Chinook (yes, we love the C's). Aim for IBUs to be around 50-60. We prefer more hop flavor/aroma and less bitterness... lots of late additions and dry hops.

 

Forgot to mention, 3 ounces of whole hops in the Hop Rocket when the wort is on its way to the plate chiller.

 

I use a metric butt-ton of MOAR HOPS. Add enough of a good bittering hop at 60 to get your IBUs right, then add most of that metric butt-ton at 15 or less. The exact hop schedule doesn't seem to make that much of a difference, as long as you've got a large flameout / hopstand addition. I've made them with the popular 15/10/5/0 scheme and I've made them with only a bittering addition and a huge flameout/hopstand addition. They come out fine either way. Dry hopping is also good, I've done anywhere from 2oz in a single addition to 8 oz in multiple additions. I guess which is best depends on the degree of dry hop character you wish to have, but I'd usually say a single addition of 4oz should be pretty tasty.

grist wise I don't care whether it's got sugar to make it drier or if crystal malt is used or if some portion of amber extract is used or whatever. Obviously don't load it up with tons of crystal and a malt bill fit for another style, be reasonable. But the west coast verses non-west coast IPA style doesn't leave me with a particular preference. I like them malty or hoppy or both, dry or not so dry, whatever.

Generally I try to have IPAs from boil to bottle in 2 weeks or so, and drink the bottled beer as soon as it's ready.

Lots of hops is key. Use a shovel.

 

To clarify on those belma, you mean for dry hopping, regular hopping, or both?

As one of the first to try belma, I made an all-belma IPA smash to really test them out. I found them to be somewhat fruity, but a bit muddy for IPA use. Now combined with other hops, they may have some pale ale or IPA potential, but I haven't really investigated this route too closely. For stouts, the earthiness of belma is perfect, and it is one of my early choices for a stout late(r) addition, or for use as a bittering hop*.

Eventually I'll try calypso, mosaic, and some of the other stranger ones like sorachi ace. But for now, I'm still not out of hops, so it's not time to place another order yet. So I'll stick with what's in the freezer, which is a fair portion of magnum, super-galena, citra, cascade, willamette, fuggles, and a bunch of one-ounce packs of all kinds of stuff I got from bbrown12. Belma + fuggles seems like an ideal combination for a stout or maybe a brown ale with a fair degree of roastiness.

*honestly I haven't checked the cohumulone level, and don't know how "optimal" belma is for a bittering hop. but I do know the ones I have are pretty high in AA, like 13.9% or something like that, and haven't given me any trouble when I've used them for bittering, which has occurred various times.

 

I've had an all-Belma IPA and it was a bit odd.

Planning an Ahtanum, Calypso, Citra, and Meridian DIPA sometime soon. A friend made an IPA DH'd with Meridian - that shit smelled straight up like fresh raspberries. I was blown away. Way preferred to Mosaic.

 

Matt,

Please report back on how Meridian performs in your beer. I must admit that this hop was not ‘on my radar’. I just read about it in the Stan Hieronymus Hops book: “Interesting aroma includes lemon pie, fruit punch”.

I must admit I never thought about drinking fruit punch while eating a lemon pie before but I am now salivating just thinking about it.

Cheers!

 

We've used belma a couple times with success, can't remember the exact addition times, but it was definitely later in the boil and not more than an ounce or 2 in a batch. We've dry hopped with it as well. They are higher in AA like you stated, but I don't believe we've tried them for bittering yet. Mine came from Hops Direct and I think the aroma is great.

We're actually soon to brew one of our IPAs at one of the local breweries in Columbus OH, which is sort of like a Pro-Am collab for us winning their homebrew competition. Anyway, the varieties of hops used during the boil were mosaic, belma, calypso, cascade. Dry hopped with mosaic in secondary. For a second dry hop, one keg had whole leaf citra, the other had amarillo (can't remember which one we entered into the competition, but both were equally good).

Your mention of brown ale has me thinking some sort of hoppy brown ale with a similar hop bill to the one mentioned above.... Sorachi ace is another good one, adds a unique twist to an IPA or hoppy ale. I've only used it a couple times though.

 

I have an APA made with Belma and Mosiac that I'm currently drinking. Pretty fruity -- but not in a citrus fruit sort of way -- more stone fruit. A decent beer, but this beer and another made with Citra has made me realize that I'm really an old-school hop person when it comes to IPAs; I'm more into citrus and pine. Give me Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and some Columbus. I'm good with Simcoe and Amarillo, also.

 

How do you feel about adding rye to this recipe configuration? I'm not sure if its just me, but rye seems to give hop forward beers more bite. What is it?

 

Rye has its own "bite" or sharp crispness, which I think is somewhat additive to hop bitterness. Sort of.

 

How are you adding the mango out of curiosity?

 

I have never personally brewed with mango, but a local brewer where I live makes a mango IPA. It's amazing. I believe they cut up the mangos and add them to their fermentors. Like dry hopping, but with mangos. I'll ask them next time I'm there.

 

Cool! If you can, ask how finely they cut them up (ie. chunks vs diced vs macerated etc)! Cheers.

 

I have never used rye before, so I can't speak for how it would fit in from experience, however I have heard ruthless is a hopbursted rye ipa, and that is a well brewed tasty beer. I would imagine it would work well, maybe 5 to 10%?

 

DRY HOP IT! ever since i stated, it is really hard for to buy ipa's at the bar, let alone bottles of them. hell, i stopped chasing heady and all the crazy ones too. nothing like a fresh ipa

 

i bet they add juice. o'briens had a pineapple version of alpine duet, and they added juice directly to the cask...

 

Vikeman said it has its own bite to it. I haven't used rye either but it sure would be interesting to try wouldn't it!? Why not try 5-10%. Couldn't hurt! I love that Ruthless rye. Awesome! Try it if you can!