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When you set out to brew a West Coast–style IPA you need to resolve yourself to getting it right. This hop bomb pulls no punches when it comes to citrus and piney hop flavors and aromas, but it doesn’t overwhelm you with bitterness either. The key for getting that big hop flavor is to backload the recipe with American hops at the end of the boil. The beer stays in balance by bolstering up the malt bill with bready Maris Otter Malt along with a touch of toasty Victory Malt and just a kiss of caramel sweetness. When you’re done with fermentation, go big on your dry hopping.
Information
OG: 1.065
FG: 1.016
IBU: 71
SRM: 9
ABV: 6.7
Batch size: 5.5 gallons
Ingredients
- 12 lbs. Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt
- 1 lb. Munich Malt
- 12 oz. Victory Malt
- 8 oz. Caramel Malt 60L
- 1 oz. Warrior Hops
- 3 oz. Simcoe Hops
- 1 oz. Cascade Hops
- 1 oz. Chinook Hops
- 3 oz. Simcoe Hops
- 2 oz. Citra Hops
- 2 oz. Centennial Hops
- American Ale Yeast (Wyeast 1056)
- 5 oz. Corn Sugar (bottle conditioning)
Directions
- Mash in with 5.5 gallons of 157 degrees Fahrenheit water to reach a mash temp of 148 degrees Fahrenheit. Mash for 1 hour. Sparge with 5.1 gallons of 168 degrees Fahrenheit water. Boil for 1 hour, adding the 1 oz. of Warrior hops at the start of the boil. The remaining hop schedule is quite complex:
- With 10 minutes left to the boil, add .5 oz. each of Cascade, Chinook, and Simcoe.
- With 5 minutes left, add .5 oz. each of Cascade, Citra, and Simcoe.
- With 1 minute left, add .5 oz. each of Centennial, Citra, and Simcoe.
- At flame out, remove the heat and add .5 oz. each of Centennial, Chinook, and Simcoe.
- Ferment with American Ale Yeast for two weeks at a temperature between 65 degrees Fahrenheit and 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once primary fermentation is complete you’re going to do two rounds of dry hopping. For the first round, dry hop with .5 oz. each of Centennial, Citra, and Simcoe in a muslin or nylon bag for three days. After three days remove the hops, and dry hop again with another .5 oz. each of Centennial, Citra, and Simcoe for an additional three days before removing the second round of hops.
- For bottle conditioning, prime with 5 oz. of corn sugar.
For extract versions, replace the Maris Otter with 9 lbs. of a quality Pale liquid malt extract, preferably one made with Maris Otter. Steep the remaining grains for one hour in a gallon of water at150 degrees Fahrenheit before adding the extract.
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Excerpted with permission from The Homebrewer’s Handbook: An Illustrated Beginner’s Guide by Matthew Schaefer. Copyright 2014 by Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.