Hops Shots
When it comes to IPA my West Coast roots are hard to hide. I like the malt lean and the hops to sing. Particularly important are huge punches of citrus and tropical aromas that jump out of the glass. I like IPAs dry and on the lower end of the alcohol spectrum which helps keep them from being oppressive to the palate. To the chagrin of other west coasters, I don’t like them bitter. At 61 IBU’s, this is not a massively bitter beer. The hops make their presence known via flavor and aromatics, not through face collapsing bitterness. This is achieved through getting the majority of BUs through late hop additions in addition to a hop extract charge at the beginning of the boil. The hop extract is derived from Amarillo hops which feature a low cohumulone level and relatively smooth bitterness. To add a subtle malt complexity I blend base malts. This beer showcases Nelson Sauvin hops which are quite unique and help the beer stand out.
Specifications
Volume: 6.6 Gallons (be prepared to lose a lot of volume from all the hop additions)
Original Gravity: 1.061
Terminal Gravity: 1.011
Color: 8.19 SRM
Alcohol: 6.56% (ABV)
Bitterness: 61.7
Efficiency: 76% (tweak recipe to match efficiency of your brew house)
Boil Length: 90 Minutes
Ingredients
5 lb (33.3%) Golden Promise Malt; Thomas Fawcett
4 lb (26.7%) 2-Row Brewers Malt; Briess
2 lb (13.3%) Vienna Malt; Weyermann
2 lb (13.3%) Weyermann Pils
12 oz (5.0%) White Wheat Malt; Briess
6 oz (2.5%) Caramunich® TYPE III; Weyermann
6 oz (2.5%) Cara-Pils® Malt; Briess
.5 lb (3.3%) Corn Sugar
4ml Amarillo Hop Extract (Hop Shots) – added during boil, boiled 60 m
1 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15 m
.25 oz (2.1%) Nelson Sauvin (12.2%) – added during boil, boiled 15 m
.25 oz (2.1%) Centennial (8.8%) – added during boil, boiled 15 m
.75 oz (6.4%) Amarillo Leaf (10.9%) – added during boil, boiled 15 m
.5 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 10 m
.25 oz (2.1%) Nelson Sauvin (12.2%) – added during boil, boiled 10 m
.5 oz (4.3%) Centennial (8.8%) – added during boil, boiled 10 m
.75 oz (6.4%) Amarillo Leaf (10.9%) – added during boil, boiled 10 m
.75 oz (6.4%) Nelson Sauvin (12.2%) – added during boil, boiled 5 m
.75 oz (6.4%) Centennial (8.8%) – added during boil, boiled 5 m
.75 oz (6.4%) Amarillo Leaf (10.9%) – added during boil, boiled 5 m
.75 oz (6.4%) Nelson Sauvin (12.2%) – added during boil, boiled 0 m
1 oz (8.6%) Centennial (8.8%) – added during boil, boiled 0.0 m
1 oz (8.6%) Amarillo Leaf (10.9%) – added during boil, boiled 0.0 m
1 ea WYeast 1056 American Ale – 1800ml starter on stir plate
1 oz (8.6%) Nelson Sauvin (12.2%) – added dry to secondary fermenter
1 oz (8.6%) Centennial (8.8%) – added dry to secondary fermenter
1 oz (8.6%) Amarillo Pellet (10.1%) – added dry to secondary fermenter
Water
Carbon-filtered Seattle water which is very soft. All salts added to grist before mashing in.
6.0 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)
4.0 g Calcium Chloride (Calcium Chloride (anhydrous))
2.0 g Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate)
Mash
60 Minute Saccharification Rest at 153° F
10 Minute Mashout Rest at 170° F (I do a second hot water infusion to mashout)
Sparge at 170° F and collect sufficient runnings to hit pre-boil volumes
Fermentation
- Chill wort to 60° F and pitch yeast slurry.
- Set temp controller to 64° F and allow to rise to this temp.
- Ferment at 62-64° F until beer is 2-6 points from terminal gravity then raise temp to 68° F. Hold at 68° F for 2 days.
- Chill fermenter to 34° F. Rack beer off yeast and package.
Keys to Brewing
- This beer really shines when you get it to attenuate properly. Shoot to get this beer 80-83% attenuated.
- This beer is about hops. Use the freshest ones you can find. I buy in bulk each fall from Hops Direct and vacuum seal and freeze that year’s harvest. There are great savings doing this if you brew a lot of hoppy beers.
Awards
The beer brewed from this recipe has won awards as a BJCP Category 14b. American IPA:
- 2012 NHC First Round – 1st Place