simple IPA

[sam c]

im still collecting up recipes for when i return to england and would like to add an IPA to the list. this is what ive come up with on beer tools so far,
please add in anything that is missing or any adjustments:

3kg light LME
500g light DME or 200g DME and 300g sugar ( i thought this might make it not so malty and let the flavour of the hops through a bit more, i could be completly wrong though!)
250g crystal malt
120 toasted malt
60g progress 90 min boil
20g fuggles 20 min boil
17fuggles 5 min boil
safale s-04 yeast

Also can someone please explain to me the difference between all the crystal malts. like 10l, 20l, 30l and so on. i see this alot in american recipes but at my local HBS they just sell light and dark crystal malt. so which one would this be in the american recipes?

[stevezx7r]

Hi Sam, if your after making a "traditional" IPA I would up the fermentables quite a bit. I haven't calculated what sort of SG your going to get but from looking at it, it looks to be in the 4% abv max range - a tad too low for an IPA. I'd aim to keep it simple - drop the toasted malt and DME and up the LME so that you end up with something at least 5 - 6 % abv. The crystal is fine (I'll explain the colour situation in a sec). As for the hops, move the 20g @ 20 mins boil fuggles to either steep at 80C for 20 mins (to retain the aroma and add flavour) or dry hop them plus the 17g once fermentation is complete. I'm assuming quite a bit here i.e your making 5 uk gallons and your kegging or putting it into cornies.

As for the difference between the crystal it's all down to colour with 10 being the lightest and iirc 120 being the darkest. I tend to stick to 60 although I've been playing with 120 recently.

[sam c]

sorry forgot to add the quantity. 23 litres.

when i run this trough beer engine it works out as 5.2% and beertools works out at 4.9% which for me would be fine. the reason for using the dme is that i thought it would be easier to take 500g from a bag of dry malt rather than 500g from a tin of liquid malt. will this have any effect on the flavour or maltyness?

about the hops. if i went for the dry hop option do you mean:

60g challenger - 90 min
17g fuggle - 5 min
20g fuggle - dry hop

or

60g challenger - 90 min
27g fuggle - dry hop
?

sorry im a little confused

oh and i will be bottling if that makes a difference.

cheers

[stevezx7r]

Dry malt does tend to be more "malty" as it's usually fresher.

Re. the hops - I'd go for a 90min boil of the 60g fuggles and steep the rest at 80C for 20 mins. If you have a hop sock then I would throw something like styrians/aurora in the keg to add that extra hoppy bite.

Also, I was wrong about the crystal (too much St George's Day antics )

Crystal malt provides the amber hue, caramel flavour and extra body to an ale. It ranges from 10L to 150L and the colour ranges have different flavours. Light (10L) crystal malts have a light caramel flavour whereas a darker (150L) crystal has a more caramelised flavour and hints of roast. You can layer more than one type of crystal to get an interesting mix of flavours.

If your bottling and intend dry hopping, make sure you use a hop sock as it's a PITA when you get a load of leaf in your teeth unless your using pellets.

[sam c]

thanks for that very quick response mate,

i take it you mean 60g challenger?

i think i would rather dry hop as i would be either using a large boiling pot or a home made boiler and it might be hard to keep a temp of 80 c for 20 mins? correct me if im wrong.

so if i do dry hop its 60g challenger 90min boil and 37g fuggles dry hop?

thanks again i really appreciate the advice

[stevezx7r]

Sorry about that, yeah, 60g Challenger.

What I meant was your going to steep those hops (fuggles) from 80C on a decreasing temperature gradient.

So, you boil for 60 mins, at the end of 60 mins you switch off the gas/electric and the wort begins to cool. Once it's at 80C add the fuggles to steep for around 20 mins (this adds the aroma and flavour).

You should already have your immersion chiller in around 15 mins before switching the gas/electric off to sterilise it, if your not using one, don't worry about it you will have to let it cool naturally.

If you are using an immersion chiller, switch the water on after 20 mins to crash cool the wort to about 20C then transfer to your fv and add your yeast.

Let me know if your still stuck

[sam c]

ah i see now. nice one. it all makes sense now.

thanks again for the help