Planning ahead on I2PA

[Dubba_Brew]

Ok guys... here is what I'm wanting to try. I want to make a double IPA soon, but I'm still in the extract with steeping grains (doing some partial mashing) phase of my brewing. I've got a recipe that puts my OG in the area of 1.090. I know that the fermentability of the LME is out of my control, but I'm wondering what I can do to help my WLP001 get me down to around 1.014. I want to plan this out before I get stuck in the middle with a stuck fermentation.

I know I'm going to make a stepped up starter (start it on Wednesday and step it up on Friday). Is there anything else I can do to help it ferment out well? I was thinking of using a drop or two of olive oil in my starter (the second phase) to help make sure the starter is raring and ready to go at this beer.

Any suggestions or things that I should keep in mind?

by the way... I know that I should really get into all-grain so that I can control the fermentability of my wort. I think that was part of my Brew Years Resolution for this year. Actually going to start building my mash tun this weekend (I hope). But that's another thread all together.

Thanks for the help!
Cheers... and HERE WE GO STEELERS... HERE WE GO!

[ColdBraue]

You can steep about a pound or so of 6 row malt in the extract at like 148*F, that may help your FG because it will help convert the LME a little more. You could also take out some of the LME and add some table sugar to help it dry out. That is probably the best and easiest way. Most IIPA recipes I've seen have cane sugar in there somewhere. Also make sure to aerate the wort before you pitch, and you can ramp up the temp at the end of primary to around 70*F or so to help ferment it out.
Keep it in primary for a good 3 weeks too. That will help you get down to your FG.
Cheers and good luck!

[kace069]

I think cold braue hit this right on the head.
Except I would go with 2 row instead of 6 row. If you are already partial mashing I would plan this brew out as a partial mash. Conduct your partial mash with a side of 2 row to steep with your lme. And substitute some plain old sugar for some lme. 1.014 is kinda big for an IIPA. I haven't mad any but my buddy brews it all the time and he usually shoots for a 1.008 FG

Just watch the amount of crystal malt you put in to help keep that FG low.

[Dubba_Brew]

kace069... what do you mean when you say "watch the amount of crystal malt"? The recipe I'm using calls for 1# of crystal 120 and that's it.

[Bugeater]

I would toss in a pound or so of sugar as part of your fermentables. It won't affect the flavor and will ferment out completely, thus dropping your final gravity down to the area you want. I have no way of figuring exactly how much sugar to add other than telling to to try a pound and see how it goes. I do this to my barleywines to get the FG down and it works really well.

Wayne

[kace069]

A pound of Crystal 120 is a lot in an IIPA. I used about a 1/2lb in my last IPA and that seemed a bit to much. I will be backing off that next time.

What I meant by the crystal malt part of my post is this. The higher the lovibond of the crystal malt the less fermentable it is. a 10l crystal malt is going to almost completely ferment out, with little in way of flavor contribution. A 120l Crystal malt is mostly going to contribute flavor and color, but most of its sugars are going to be unfermentable by the yeast. Leaving you with a higher FG. When my friend wrote his recipe for his first beer, an Irish Red he had a little more then 3lbs of crystal malt in the grain bill. That is just way to much.

Personally, I like to mix up the crystals in a beer, especially if the grain bill is rather simple, like for a pale or IPA. I usually use 2 different crystal malts, just to give some definition to the malt profile. Especially if I am going to run the IBU's up rather high. When brewing these styles I like them bitter but not overwhelming. I just don't get the desired results using only one crystal malt.

[Dubba_Brew]

kase069: I'm going to have to correct myself... I just looked at my recipe again and it calls for 1# of crystal 20 - not 120. So by what you're saying that should actually help that out.

I would toss in a pound or so of sugar as part of your fermentables. It won't affect the flavor and will ferment out completely, thus dropping your final gravity down to the area you want

That's what I'm thinking... after hearing what you guys are saying this is what I'm thinking about doing - I'm going to substitute a pound (maybe two) of my LME for corn sugar (which I'll add late in the boil), I think I'm going to pick up a pound of 2-row to steep with the extract to help break it down a little more, and of course I'm going to step up my starter so it's nice and healthy and ready to go.

Thanks for the help guys... if you've got any more help to throw my way, I'd love to hear it. I want to make sure this things turns out alright (first attempt at the I2PA).

[kace069]

If you exceed more then 15% of your fermentables with sugar you could have problems with it finishing as low as you would like. The yeast would prefer to eat the simple sugars then the more complex sugars malt provides. Which could leave you with yeast that doesn't want to finish the malt sugars after consuming all the simple sugar. I try to keep my sugar additions at no more then 10% of my grist.