Hoppiness is an IPA

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This recipe is an oldie but a goodie, from Brewing Classic Styles. I wanted an IPA on tap, particularly something with citrusy American hops and a good malt backbone (I don’t fear the crystal malt!). My version is virtually identical to the published one, with just a few minor ingredient adjustments. I added a mix of 2-row varieties to use up the last bit of my Rahr supply.

Hoppiness is an IPA

  • 11.5 lb. 2-row Xtra pale ale malt (Viking)
  • 1.25 lb. 2-row pale malt (Rahr)
  • 1 lb. crystal 15 malt (Great Western)
  • 0.75 lb. Barke Munich malt (Weyermann)
  • 0.25 lb. light crystal malt (Simpsons)
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, added to mash
  • 1.25 oz. Magnum hop pellets (12.0% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 1.0 oz. Cascade hop pellets (5.5% alpha), 10 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1.0 oz. Simcoe hop pellets (13.0% alpha), 5 minute boil
  • 1.0 oz. Amarillo hop pellets (9.2% alpha), 5 minute whirlpool at 185°
  • 2 pkg. California Ale dry yeast (White Labs, WLP001)
  • 1.0 oz. Amarillo hop pellets (9.2% alpha), dry hop in fermenter
  • 1.0 oz. Simcoe hop pellets (13.0% alpha), dry hop in fermenter
  • 0.5 oz. Cascade hop pellets (5.5% alpha), dry hop in fermenter

Target Parameters

  • 60 minute infusion mash, 149°, full volume mash
  • 1.066 o.g., 1.009 f.g., 7.5% abv, 65 IBU, 7 SRM
  • Water built from RO, to hit a target of 89 ppm Ca, 154 ppm SO4, 44 ppm Cl, -64 RA
  • 5.25 gallon batch

Procedure

  • I built up my water from 7.65 gallons of RO water with 8 g of gypsum and 2 g of calcium chloride, and then heated it to 156°. I added the BrewTanB, grains, and 1 tbs. of 10% phosphoric acid to adjust the pH, holding the mash at 149° for 60 minutes, with recirculation.
  • After 60 minutes, I raised the mash temperature to 168° for 10 minutes, before removing the grains and bringing the runnings to a boil.
  • The mash yielded 6.5 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.059, for 71% mash efficiency.
  • I boiled the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings per the recipe. Then, I turned off the heat, chilled to 185°, and whirlpooled for 5 minutes with the Amarillo hops.
  • After the whirlpool, I chilled down to 84° and transferred the wort to the fermenter. In the fermentation chamber, I continued the chill down to 71° before pitching the yeast; it took about 3 hours to reach this temperature. I am fermenting at 68°.
  • I brewed the beer on 15 August 2026. Starting gravity was 1.061, just a touch low (probably because I didn’t boil hard enough).
  • I added the hops to the fermenter on 24 August 2026, and then cold crashed to 34° on 26 August 2026. I kegged using a closed transfer on 5 September 2026.
  • Final gravity was 1.010, for 6.8% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • This IPA pours as a deep gold beer with a slight haze; the off-white head is creamy, long-lasting, and leaves nice lacing down the sides of the glass.
  • Aroma
    • Naval orange and orange peel on the aroma at a medium-high level. Very light caramel maltiness.
  • Flavor
    • A very bitter beer, with a light caramel malt quality. The hops have a citrus pith aspect at the forefront, and some pine, with a bit of orange peel building behind that.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, dry finish that lingers on the tongue.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • Amarillo is such a great hop for creating vibrant orange aroma and flavor in a beer! I’m a bit surprised I don’t pick up Simcoe more obviously (e.g., in a piney aroma); the Cascade is a background player, but I think its citrus is melding with that of Amarillo. A different hop combo might be good–I could probably either ditch the Simcoe or lean into it more strongly. The malt character is fairly mild, about perfect for an IPA of this type; it’s a great example of how crystal malt can have a solid supporting role in American IPAs. This is a super drinkable recipe–I could see it making a nice base for various hop experiments, especially with those available back in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
  • Overall
    • 8/10

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