So this summer I am planning on doing some different brews, one of which being an Apricot IPA. I had Dogfish Aprihop and thought it was pretty good and something different. Any feedback on my recipe would be appreciated:
7 lbs. Marris Otter
2 lbs. white wheat
1 lb flaked wheat
8 oz. crystal 20L
8 oz. Munich 20L
1 oz. Centennial (60 min)
1 oz. Amarillo (20 min)
.5 oz. Amarillo (5 min)
WY1010 American Wheat
10 lbs fresh frozen apricots or equivalent of apricot puree
Mash at 148-150 for 60 minutes.
I chose Amarillo because I hear they can have a peachy, apricoty, kind of flavor which would maybe compliment the fruit. Centennial just to get a little bit of a spicy flavor. I figured adding the wheat would give maybe give it some “chewiness” and maybe some body. One question I have is what would the equivalent be of canned puree vs. fresh apricots?
I chose Amarillo because I hear they can have a peachy, apricoty, kind of flavor which would maybe compliment the fruit. Centennial just to get a little bit of a spicy flavor. I figured adding the wheat would give maybe give it some “chewiness” and maybe some body. One question I have is what would the equivalent be of canned puree vs. fresh apricots?[/quote]
Grain bill looks good. I wish I had some Amarillo on hand so I could advise a little better, but I do have Citra & it seems to be a nice compliment to fruity beers, on the aroma side of course. I recently brewed an apricot pale ale & used the puree. I chose the puree over frozen because the tart flavor in the frozens.
I used 3.3lbs (one can) of Apricot puree for 5.5gal. I racked on top of it for secondary. The flavor & aroma came out perfect.
However, I’ll be using the extract next time. I had a very clear beer until I added the puree. I believe most fruit extracts are sold in 4oz bottles. I’d start with 3oz per brewing community advice.
I’m a fan of extracts. I’ve used watermelon multiple times and love it. 3 oz for a 5 gal batch is good. You can use 2 oz for a lighter flavor. ( it will still be plenty noticeable). And I’ve used all 4 oz. some people thought it was too much but others loved it.
I think you should go with the real fruit and skip the extract. I always like my beers better when I do.
I’m made a few apricot and mango IPAs. I actually think that 10 pounds of fruit may be a little much, for my tastes anyway. I’d maybe cut it back to 5 or 6 or so. You can always add a second round of fruit if you think it needs more fruit flavor, although doing so could age and diminish the hops somewhat. To compensate, you may want to consider a small dry hop addition, added after you get the fruit where you want it.
I’m not sure I’d use munich 20L, but if you like it then go for it. Personally, I’d probably replace with a few ounces of darker crystal like 60L or caramunich. But again, personal preference. The difference would be minimal.
You may also want to consider using Wyeast 1272 in this recipe. It is more neutral than 1010, and has some fruitiness that would complement the apricot. I could even see one of the fruity british strains working well in this recipe. Good luck.
