IPA Recipe Critique!

1. On selection of malt extract, I think a good approach is to use the lightest available DME (typically marketed as "pilsner" or "extra light" or something like that). Then if you want some other color/character, steep some specialty grains to achieve it. In this case, you have already settled on Vienna, which should give a touch of color, maltiness, and sweetness. So you're all set.

2. Vienna should be mashed (and is capable of converting itself). I see that you mention a mash temperature, so maybe you already knew that. 152 degrees is fine. You should maybe do some reading on mini-mashes - it is not too difficult, but just make sure you know what you're doing.

3. When brewing with malt extract, I think the best approach is to use distilled or reverse osmosis water. Barring that, just try to use a water without much in it. Don't use softened water (for instance, water that has been through a water softener), that is typically not suitable for brewing.

It's true that for a hoppy beer people sometimes try to accentuate the sulfate content of the water, but for your second batch I think you're better off sticking to distilled or reverse osmosis water (given that you are using malt extract). It is much easier to cause problems than to hit the nail on the head in your circumstances. (To say a bit more: it is very hard to tell what minerals are already in your DME, since it has been through a mash already. If you ever switch to all-grain, water chemistry is something you will gain more control over. For now, it is unlikely that your water chemistry will be problematic if you simply use distilled or reverse osmosis water.)

4. Boiling temperature is not something to worry about. Just maintain a vigorous boil. When measuring the length of your boil, don't start your timer (or whatever) until the wort is visibly boiling.

5. Honey will dry out the beer. So will table sugar. It's up to you whether to take that approach. Don't overdo it (8 oz is reasonable, it seems to me). It is fine to add it at flameout.

6. For the yeast, I would recommend a rehydrated packet of Safale US-05 dry yeast. This will give you plenty of yeast without having to make a starter or anything like that. US-05 is known for giving a clean, attenuative fermentation.

7. I would shake the bucket (or is it a carboy?) for a little while to get oxygen dissolved into the wort. This should be done when the wort is already mixed with the water and is in the 60s Fahrenheit.

8. Fermentation temperature control is important - 70°F is not ruinous but it is a little high. Can you find a way to keep it a few degrees cooler?

9. I can't comment on the hop schedule but it looks vaguely reasonable. Likewise with the priming sugar - I haven't done the calculation but you should consult How to Brew which should give you a good idea of how much to use for your desired level of carbonation. Be careful to stir the priming sugar into the wort very thoroughly (don't splash it around, just stir at a moderate speed for long enough to mix it really well). This is important because a mal-distribution of priming sugar can result in some bottles being over-carbonated while others are flat.

 

So, my sort of higher-level suggestion is to read How to Brew by John Palmer, which I am sure covers mini-mashes.

But so let's talk specifics. You've got one pound of Vienna malt, which ideally should mash in about 1.5 quarts of water. 2.5 gallons is way too much. The way I would do it is heat up 1.5 quarts in a smaller pan and add the Vienna malt. Dialing in the exact temperature might be a little hard in those circumstances, but it is also not a big deal to be off by a few degrees. Let the grain sit there, occasionally checking the temperature and adjusting as necessary, for an hour. [Edited to add: I don't mean to suggest that you need to worry too much about the temperature. It's just that the temperature is likely to fall pretty fast in these circumstances, so you might briefly turn on the burner 2-3 times over the course of the hour to bump it back up to low 150s. Not a big deal though.] Then strain the water into your kettle (which you might have started heating with about 2.35 gallons while the mash is going on). What a lot of people would do is hold the Vienna malt in a bag (like this one - you can find similar products from just about any homebrew-oriented retailer) in the smaller pan. Then you can just lift the spent grains right out when the mash is done. If you have your kettle heating up at that point, you could swirl the bag in the kettle (being careful not to let go!) to rinse the last of the sugars from the spent grains.

Once you have your kettle going with the liquid from the mini-mash + however much water it takes to get to 2.5 gallons, do your boil as normal. In other words, once you've got a boil, add the DME, stir it in, add the hops, etc. I would do a full 60-minute boil - after all, you've got a 60 minute hop addition!

 

I would add another half ounce or ounce of hops at the 60min or at 45min. I just did an IPA and I usually add too much. This time I backed off and it was too little. My IPA turned out to be a great pale.