IPA Grain Bill

Thought I had wheat malt left from brewing a wiezen for my buddy but didn’t find any so I ended up doing:

6# 2 row
6# pilsen
1.25# 6 row
5 oz acid malt

I’m enjoying using acidulated malt. As predicted by brunwater 5 oz put me right at 5.4 for this light colored grain bill.

Wait a second weren’t you giving me a hard time about aciduated malt. My last brew I was out of acid malt and used lactic acid like you said. Now I’m wondering if you lead me astray

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You (and a little research) showed me the error of my ways!

I still have a good store of lactic acid to use up.

I’ll likely do both from time to time but I’m a true believer in the acidulated malt now.

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Save the lactic acid for your Berliner Weis and Gose brews that’s why I have it around

Ok I’ll bite. What do you feel are the advantages of acidulated malt over lactic, phosphoric or citric acid?
I’m always trying to keep an open mind…

The first time I used it I wanted to see if it made a difference in the acid requirement difference I was seeing in Beersmith3 and Brunwater. Both programs account for the adjustment but again there’s about a .20 pH difference with BS3 left wanting more acid when BW says we’re at 5.4. My pH meter agrees with BW 99% of the time.

As for my continued use, I had it to use and I’m just kind of enjoying the idea that I can use naturally acidulated malt in the grain bill without measureing and dosing with liquid acid. I still add it to the sparge water however. Whenever I have the need to be at the LHBS I’ll probably get some but won’t make a special trip if I have acid on hand.

Besides, if I use it in my lagers I can say they’re reinheitsgebot compliant. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: @brew_cat

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6 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 44.2 % 0.47 gal
6 lbs Pilsner Malt (Avangard) (1.7 SRM) Grain 2 44.2 % 0.47 gal
1 lbs 4.0 oz Pale Malt (6 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 9.2 % 0.10 gal
5.0 oz Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.3 % 0.02 gal
1.00 oz Centennial [10.80 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 5 36.4 IBUs -
0.70 oz German Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 30.0 IBUs -
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 7 - -
1.00 oz Centennial [10.80 %] - Boil 3.0 min Hop 8 4.1 IBUs -
1.00 oz Centennial [10.80 %] - Boil 2.0 min Hop 9 2.8 IBUs -
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 10.0 min Hop 10 5.5 IBUs -
1.0 pkg American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) [124.21 ml] Yeast 11 - -
2.00 oz Centennial [10.80 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days Hop 12 0.0 IBUs -

This beer edged into IIPA territory at 7.5%. Long story, weird brew day. Mashed at 150.

It’s got a light body and color. Beautiful thick white foam head from the 6 row. Amazing aroma unlike any cent IPA i’ve brewed before. Lots of stonefruit aroma. Pretty sharp bitterness but a really nice stone fruit and pineapple flavor. I like it a lot but I’ll have to get the abv down on it to brew again.

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I’m really beginning to like this one a lot. This may be my new go to IPA recipe. Still need to try one with wheat.

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Brewing this one tomorrow. First time using wheat in an IPA so here we go.

This beer will be closer to 7% abv. My brewhouse efficiency for recipes is set to 80% but I always get in the 90s on this kind of grain bill. Unless a pound of wheat will impact my efficiency…

I was thinking of a “single” hop IPA but given the low AA% of Grungeist I may toss in some C hops or something else fruity to boost the IBUs. Mid 50s ain’t an IPA IMHO. Am I wrong?

Recipe Specifications

Boil Size: 6.94 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.94 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.25 gal
Estimated OG: 1.062 SG
Estimated Color: 3.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 56.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 82.9 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

Amt Name Type # %/IBU Volume
5 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 43.2 % 0.39 gal
5 lbs Pilsner Malt (Avangard) (1.7 SRM) Grain 2 43.2 % 0.39 gal
1 lbs 4.0 oz White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 3 10.8 % 0.10 gal
5.0 oz Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.7 % 0.02 gal
2.00 oz Grungeist [2.70 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 5 19.6 IBUs -
0.65 oz German Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 30.0 IBUs -
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 7 - -
2.00 oz Grungeist [2.70 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 8 3.5 IBUs -
2.00 oz Grungeist [2.70 %] - Boil 2.0 min Hop 9 1.5 IBUs -
2.00 oz Grungeist [2.70 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 20.0 min, Hop 10 1.9 IBUs -
1.0 pkg American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) [124.21 ml] Yeast 11 - -
2.00 oz Grungeist [2.70 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days Hop 12 0.0 IBUs -

Mash Schedule: My BIAB 6 gal
Total Grain Weight: 11 lbs 9.0 oz

Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash Step Add 17.05 qt of water at 160.6 F 150.0 F 60 min

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Just mashed in. Added .5oz citra at each hop charge and lowered the GG to 1 oz. Total IBU closer to 80 now.

My Green Ghost IPA. It’s young. Only been in the keg about 2 weeks after just over 3 weeks in the fermenter. It’s interesting…very fruity…sweet citrus, orange, tangerine, a little pineapple maybe…The citra doesn’t some through much. I feel like it needs a little more punch. Kind of soft and bland…which is interesting because I bittered to 30 IBU like I have been with my IPAs but this one definitely is not as sharply bitter as normal. This is also the most wheat I’ve used in a IPA and I’m not so sure… Didn’t stop me from pounding 3 last night though…haha…very easy drinker.

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I backed down on the carbonation on my latest and seems to highlight more hop flavor

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Sounds and looks delicious.

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I’ve stopped using finings all together on my IPAs. Seems pointless as I have juice and mouthfeel qualities that run counter to the concept of finings.

Do you think the wheat may take away or suppress your hop flavor some? Thinking about how wheat makes its presence known in other beers. Still sounds fantastic!

Yea, that irish moss probably won’t have much effect with over a pound of wheat in there huh? haha…habit…

Beats me…I’m only using wheat because… @brew_cat Can’t say I’ve noticed any real benefit from it.

Iv been adding wheat because I read that the higher protiens in the wheat malt supposed to hold on to the hop flavor or something. Who knows how much difference it makes just to many variables when I brew. Hop age hop supplier etc etc. I’m sure enjoying this juicy IPA I did with about 25% wheat. It’s cloudy and I figured it’s holding some hop particulate in suspension. Sounds good anyway

I guess it’s a month post kegging. Still cloudy and aromatic. Flavorful. Serving a 2.2 volumes at 8psi. Could be the wheat could be the lowe carbonation. Who the heck knows. This is the 5th variance of this brew I think now I will try to duplicate it.

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Brewed this today. Pumping to fermenters now. Long day, trouble with a burner. Very cold and windy at the moment. Burner trouble now has me thinking more about that electric brewery…

21.5 lbs 2 row
1.75 lbs wheat malt
1.5 lbs c40
.5 acidulated malt

Bittered with magnum, 2oz of centennial FWH, 5 mins, 2 mins, and whirlpool for 20. The centennial AA% was just 7.4. Seems really low for centennial.

I’ll pitch a high K starter of 1056.