Black IPA - Brewday

[ezraburke]

I discovered some Carapils lurking around (also, i spilled some of the Caramunich) so the amended recipe is:

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Black Betty Homage

Brew Method: BIAB
Style Name: Imperial IPA
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 9.5 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 12 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.079
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.100
Final Gravity: 1.025
ABV (standard): 9.87%
IBU (tinseth): 57.99
SRM (morey): 41.72

FERMENTABLES:
3 kg - United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale (67.4%)
565 g - United Kingdom - Malted Naked Oats (12.7%)
500 g - United Kingdom - Crystal 50L (11.2%)
250 g - German - Carafa II (5.6%)
62 g - German - CaraMunich II (1.4%)
74 g - German - Caramel Pils (1.7%)

HOPS:
15 g - Warrior, Type: Pellet, AA: 16, Use: Boil for 55 min, IBU: 48.29
10 g - Chinook, Type: Pellet, AA: 13, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 9.7
70 g - Chinook, Type: Pellet, AA: 13, Use: Boil for 0 min
80 g - Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 11, Use: Dry Hop for 3 days

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Temp: 70 C, Time: 70 min, Amount: 10.5 L
2) Sparge, Temp: 70 C, Time: 70 min, Amount: 6.5 L

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
5 g - Whirlfloc Tablet, Time: 10 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil
50 g - Carafa II (colour), Time: 10 min, Type: Other, Use: Other

YEAST:
Fermentis / Safale - American Ale Yeast US-05
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 81%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temp: 12.22 - 25 C
Fermentation Temp: 20 C

_____________________________________

Strike up to 72C then mashed in with the malt bill. Completely forgot to separate the water into mash and sparge. I am two DIPAs deep at this point, so... yeah. Bad practice.

Realise about 40secs into mashing that i should have a split amount of water, divide the kettle into two. Step mash, if you will. Mashed at approx 66 for 60 mins, then a mash out at 80C. Sparged until nothing left, dumped kettle off-the-boil at 2l on top to wash the grains.

Total pre-boil is 14l. So, i've some amount of boiling to go.

Updates as they come.

 

[ezraburke]

Down to 10.5L now, about to flameout.

 

[TheRedDarren]

You say you mash out at 80, is that the water temp or grain bed temp?

 

[ezraburke]

Water temp. Got an OG of 1.095, pretty damn happy!

 

[Covrich]

Looks like you finally achieved your efficiency this time.. what did you switch for this??

 

[ezraburke]

I popped the BIAB in a sieve over an empty FV and squeezed it, but I think the key was having two pots (totally an accident). I used the second pot of mash to sparge, then used the off boil water (1.5l) to wash it all through. I then squashed and squeezed the bag with a Pyrex jug to get every last bit of sweet goodness. Effectively a process of recirculation. If I'd not used the kettle water I think efficiency would be much much higher. Onwards and upwards!

 

[rodabod]

Exciting stuff. Let us know when you start to get yeast activity too.

 

[ezraburke]

Hoping to dry hop in 6 days (activity dependent) and have this bottled within two, then another two for bottle ageing. Should be ready by second week of September.

 

[rodabod]

I can guarantee you at that original gravity, it'll take a month or two of conditioning to taste at it's best. Give a bottle of taste after two weeks' bottle conditioning, but it will have a slight boozy roughness to it.

 

[ezraburke]

I can guarantee you at that original gravity, it'll take a month or two of conditioning to taste at it's best. Give a bottle of taste after two weeks' bottle conditioning, but it will have a slight boozy roughness to it.

Looking forward to the booze forwardness of it

 

[rodabod]

 

[ezraburke]

I can guarantee you at that original gravity, it'll take a month or two of conditioning to taste at it's best. Give a bottle of taste after two weeks' bottle conditioning, but it will have a slight boozy roughness to it.

Looking forward to the booze forwardness of it

 

[Covrich]

Yepmy 2nd half of my HBC DIPA had a gravity of 1074 after 3 weeks in the Fv it had a real alcoholc taste .. this has mellowed and was much better after 6 weeks.

Regarding the dry hop.. personally I would leave it until its well fermented, I would leave this in the FV at least 3 weeks and dry hop in the last.

 

[rodabod]

Yeast do absorb some of the soluble compounds from the hops. That's why the wort often tastes as bitter as Hell before fermentation.

 

[ezraburke]

How'd your first wort hopping go with your BIPA rod?

 

[rodabod]

Seems to have worked well, though I've never A/B'd the difference it makes.

Was down to 1020 yesterday, so shouldn't be too long.

 

[ezraburke]

Fermentation has been slow, not as crazy as previous Maris otter based IPAs. Will gravity check on Monday night, see if the krausen has cleared.

 

[ezraburke]

Krausen clear, bear enough FG. Going to get the dry hops in tonight, let it do its thang, then bottle early next week

 

[ezraburke]

I dropped the dry hops in, let it get on with its aroma absorption. Couple days later dropped a little dextrose in to offset the bitterness. Finally bottled this up about 10 days ago.

Cracked the first cold one on Saturday night:

Yes, that would be called 'I Find your Black IPA Disturbing' with a Star Wars theme label :)

First impressions:

Bang on. Appropriately dry and bitter, the dextrose helped balance this out. The aroma hops haven't done their job quite as well as i would have liked so dry hopping will be my next skill to master. Carbonation is also an issue as this hasn't quite popped and fizzed - i'll have to up my quantities next time.

All in all the best beer i've created thus far and a recipe i will certainly repeat with minimal revision.

 

[rodabod]

Carbonation is also an issue as this hasn't quite popped and fizzed - i'll have to up my quantities next time.

Yeast activity slows with higher ABV. Give these two or three weeks miniumum in the warm, and then a few days in the fridge. But the flavours will come together properly in more like two months.