Milkshake IPA hop recommendations

giddiup...that's a lotta hops for a beer where apricot and vanilla will be a fairly dominant aroma contributor...usually breweries slash their hopping rates for fruity beers. That seems like a good schedule of a double IPA, but I personally wouldn't have gone that high for a millkshake version. I would have said half that level of hops would have been good...I would just be worried of it coming in too grassy and astringent (a little goes a long way with this style of beer). Maybe cut the dry hop timing in half...so like 36 hours per dry hop?

Edit...just saw you're only doing 1.5 lbs. of apricot...so maybe i'm a little off base. But still don't want to see it coming our astringent...i've been tasting way too many astringent versions of these beers lately...where half an hour later my mouth is still got that 'drying feeling'

 

IMO 1.5lbs is not sufficient for 6 gallons. I do 1lb per gallon in my milkshakes usually frozen fruit that I puree myself. I do high hopping rates though on mine too. Usually 16oz whirlpool, 1-4oz dry hop, then a second 4oz dry hop when I rack beer on top of fruit. I usually use 2 vanilla beans too.

 

exactly the amount I use. I'm sure everyone has diff ways and methods, as they say "there is more than one way to skin a cat", but ive done quite a few of them and that's whats come out the best for me. Nice balance between fruit and hop flavor with a nice and creamy mouth feel. Usually my milkshakes are around 8-9% abv which makes them pretty dangerous cuz that abv is very well hidden in there.

 

I'd let it cool to the same temp as the beer. Could possibly kill off yeast if you rack beer on it at pasturizing temps. You'll want that yeast to eat up the sugars from the fruit and have yeast for bottle carbing unless you are kegging, but if that sugar from the fruit isnt fermented it might make your beer to sweet.

 

You will have to cold crash it.

 

Every fruit I have used in a fermenter has floated. I just rack from beneath it.

 

what @VikeMan said. Every fruit I have used also floated. After months of aging it eventually settles, but with your case you will want to cold crash it or rack from under it. Either way if you get some in the keg it will settle to the bottom and come out in the first pour or 2

 

Then I would def cold crash at 32-34 degrees for 2 days or until the fruit drops. This is a tough style to bottle as it doesn't last very long. I would minimize oxygen exposure as best as you can and drink them fast. Cheers

 

You'll have plenty of yeast for bottle conditioning even with a cold crash. Doubt it will take any longer than normal.

I always bag my fruits and weigh it down with some stainless steel hardware to keep the fruit submerged. Not everyone does that but it works for me.

I'd also recommend freezing your fruit in the future. It'll break the cell walls and increase the flavor transfer.