Batch #1: Accidental IPA

This was my first all-grain batch, and also the first for which I kept notes. The recipe is an all-grain conversion of the Northern Brewer "Extra Sensory Bitter" extract kit. I chose this recipe for my first AG batch, because the grain bill and hop schedule is flexible enough to make a best bitter, ESB, or IPA depending on the efficiency.

Since I stopped the runoff too early (rookie mistake, eyeballing volumes in a new brewpot), the OG wound up in IPA territory. The calculated IBUs were also just right for a British-style IPA.

Recipe

Grain Bill

9 lbs. Fawcett Optic
1 lb. Durst Medium Crystal

Hops

1 oz. Target (8.4% AA) @75 min
1 oz. East Kent Goldings (??% AA) @30 min.
1 oz. Fuggles (??% AA) @10 min.
1 oz. East Kent Goldings (??% AA) finishing

Yeast

White labs WLP002 (London ESB) tube, no starter.

Mash

Single Infusion mash, 60 minutes @152F. Stopped sparge early, collecting maybe 5 gallons. Final batch size was only 4.25 gallons.

Vitals

OG: 1.067
FG: 1.018
Calculated IBU: 58
Carbonation: bottled with 2.25 oz corn sugar

Timeline

Brew day: Sun, August 25, 2002.

1:30 pm: Start heating water
2:45 pm: Finish mash-in at 152F
3:55 pm: Begin recirculation
4:00 pm: Begin sparge
5:40 pm: Stop sparge, kettle S.G. 1.056
5:45 pm: Start heating wort to boil
6:55 pm: Boiling wimpily
7:15 pm: Begin hop additions
8:00 pm: Add wort chiller and irish moss along with the Goldings addition
8:30 pm: Add finishing Goldings and begin chilling
9:00 pm: Chilled to 77F
9:50 pm: Pitched yeast, aeriated by shaking carboy.

Sunday, September 1, 2002:
Racked to secondary, SG 1.022

Bottled September 21, 2002, giving 42 12-oz bottles.

Tasting notes

10/13/02

too heavy on caramel flavor. Compares favorably to Fuller's IPA, though. Carbonation still low.

10/21/02

Caramel flavor has subsided dramatically, leaving a more toasty, almost smoky flavor. This malt profile is balanced with an assertive hop bitterness, and a huge Goldings hop aroma. The bottles have finally carbonated fully, enough to kick up a glass-filling head.

3/8/2003

Even six months later, this beer is quite good. It's a bit past its prime, having peaked a couple of months ago. As expected, the once-dramatic hop aroma has subsided, along with the yeast character. The beer is now dominated by malt flavor and hop bitterness, in a good balance for an IPA. The hop bitterness is quite clean and neutral, and the malt character is smooth and dry, with a toastiness from the crystal which is almost roasty. The remaining hop flavor blends well with the malt profile, greatly enhancing the toastiness.

I think this is far enough past its prime that it won't be going to any contests, so there's no need to jealously guard the remaining bottles anymore. Drink up!

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