Saturday, October 31, 2009

#16 Double IPA

Haven't updated in a while.... Since the Belgian Dark Strong, I brewed up the Gnarliday Ale 2009. I didn't post the reecipe because, well, that's priviledged information :) The recipe changes every year, and I like to have at least one (sort of) secret. Also in the last couple months, I got my results back from the Evergreen State Fair beer competition. I got a Blue Ribbon, and a score of 39 for my Brown Mild. Not a bad way to get back in to beer competitions I must say!

Also, for the Belgian Dark Strong that I brewed in September, I received the biggest compliment ever from a local beer/wine/food critic and former owner of a boutique beer and wine shop: "Flat-damn elegant, no kidding. Perfect balance, gorgeous malt, hops present but restrained, shocking complexity. You know what a critical SOB I am and I really can't find a damned thing wrong with it. One of the two or three best things in the liquid category I've tasted in YEARS."

Now on to today's brew. I was given a pound of Columbus Hops from a friend of my (future) brother in law. Had to make good use of them, and what better way than a big, obscenely hoppy double IPA? This recipe is inspired by Pliny the Elder, the end all be all of double IPA's.

Type: All Grain
Date: 10/31/2009
Batch Size: 4.50 gal
Brewer: Evan
Boil Size: 5.71 gal
Boil Time: 90 min Equipment: Brew Pot (6+gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (5 Gal)
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00


Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
13.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 83.04 %
0.75 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.80 %
0.65 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 4.16 %
0.25 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1.60 %
1.00 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 6.40 %

Hops
28.30 gm Warrior [15.00 %] (90 min) Hops 50.6 IBU
28.30 gm Chinook [13.00 %] (90 min) Hops 43.8 IBU
10.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (45 min) Hops 13.3 IBU
20.00 gm Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (30 min) Hops 24.0 IBU
15.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (15 min) Hops 4.6 IBU
15.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (10 min) Hops 7.9 IBU
10.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (1 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
20.00 gm Centennial [10.00 %] (1 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
10.00 gm Simcoe [13.00 %] (1 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -

Dry Hops
20.00 gm Simcoe [12.20 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops -
20.00 gm Cascade [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops -
20.00 gm Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops


Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.086 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.022 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 8.39 %
Est Color: 9.5 SRM Color: Color

This is going to be the hoppiest beer I've ever done. Here's the lineup of the kettle additions (dry hops not pictured) [blogspot's width limitations cut off the side of the picture. to see the full lineup, open the pic in a new window]


Crushing the grains, apartment style. The mill is clamped on to the railing. I often wonder what my neighbors think is going on over here when I'm brewing.