Advice on hop schedule

[MikeMarcus]

Hi all. I have been reading these forums for quite a while but this is the first time that I have posted.

I'm knocking up an IPA this weekend hopped with New Zealand varieties. I'm looking to get the mega aroma of a US West coast IPA (but more tropical fruits rather than the grapefruit of cascade, etc.) with the malt balance & and slight sweetness of a British IPA (higher mash temperature, less neutral yeast). The grist is pretty standard but I have never really designed my own hop schedule before so I'm looking for some advice.

Here is the recipe.

New Zealand IPA

Style: English IPA OG: 1.073
Type: All Grain FG: 1.018
Rating: 0.0 ABV: 7.20 %
Calories: 239 IBU's: 40.06
Efficiency: 75 % Boil Size: 29.00 L
Color:   11.1 SRM   Batch Size: 22.00 L
Boil Time: 90 minutes
 
Fermentation Steps
Name Days / Temp
Primary 14 days @ 21.0°C
Dry hop 7 days @ 20.0°C
Bottle 21 days @ 20.0°C
 
Grains & Adjuncts
Amount Percentage Name Gravity Color
6.66 kg 92.50 % Pale Malt, Maris Otter 1.036 3.0
360.00 g 5.00 % Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L 1.033 80.0
180.00 g 2.50 % CaraPils 1.033 2.0
 
Hops
Amount IBU's Name Time AA %
15.00 g 21.54 Pacific Jade 60 mins 14.40
25.00 g 15.47 Nelson Sauvin 15 mins 12.50
25.00 g 3.03 Riwaka 5 mins 6.10
25.00 g 0.00 Nelson Sauvin 0 mins 12.50
25.00 g Riwaka 8 days 6.10
 
Yeasts
Amount Name Laboratory / ID
1.0 pkg British Ale White Labs 0005
 
Additions
Amount Name Time Stage
5.00 g Irish Moss 15 mins Boil
 
Mash Profile
Mash In 60 min @ 67.0°C
Batch Sparge 76.0°C
 

[dave-o]

Some people will probably tell you that the IBU isn't high enough for the style or the OG, but it looks good to me.

[TC2642]

Some people will probably tell you that the IBU isn't high enough for the style or the OG, but it looks good to me.

I'd be one, I think with that gravity you would need at least double the hops, I would go for around 50g of Pacific Jade, to balance out the alcohol, I would leave out the crystal as well, but that's more down to personal taste. Saying that the schedule looks good.

[MikeMarcus]

I was aiming for hop flavor and aroma and just enough bitterness to balance the alcohol. Do you think I have undershot the IBU's? Would you increase the late additions too?

[TC2642]

Don't think there's anything wrong with the late additions actually, your sticking about 50g in the end so that should give you plenty of aroma. The dry hopping will give you a massive amount also.

Although you could move the 15min addition to 30min to give extra IBU's. But this is personal preference as I am a bit of a hop head and even my lower alcohol beers will be around the 60-80 mark.

[MikeMarcus]

And what about for an ale which would be a compromise between satisfying a hop head and his non-hophead friends? 40-50 IBU for an OG of 1.073? Or a bit more?

[TC2642]

Probably aim for around 50-55 IBU's. Most bitters of 4-5% are around the 30-40 range so going up slightly should do the job.

[MikeMarcus]

Thanks.. I'm going to chuck in 25g of pacific jade at 60 minutes. That will give me about 55 IBU. It will make a good starting point and I will adjust from there according to how the first attempt tastes.