Identity Crisis

By James Wilson

Recipe is part of Recipe Index

BJCP 2021 Style 21B Belgian IPA

I really like Houblon Chouffe and then found a recipe that was supposedly quite close to the real thing and it worked out well. I wasn't a big fan of the beer for the first couple of weeks after kegging, but then the harshness of alcohol and bitterness rounded out and I couldn't stop going back to it.

Awards

Welsh National Homebrew Competition 2023 (Mad Dog Brewery Co, 23/09/2023)

3rd - Best of Show

1st - IPA

Measures

• IBU 63
• ABV 9.2%
• OG 1.076
• FG 1.006
• EBC 7
• 24 litres at end of boil.
• 21 litres into fermenter.

Ingredients

Water

• Blend of reverse osmosis and tap water with gypsum and calcium chloride added to the mash to get:
• 65ppm Calcium
• 111ppm Sulphate
• 90ppm Chloride

Malt

• 6000g Dingemans Pilsen, 3 EBC, 84.5%
• 1100g cane sugar, 15.5% (Added at end of boil)

Hops

• 30g Columbus 14.3% @ 60m
• 15g Columbus 14.3% @ 20m
• 40g Saaz 2.6% @ 5m
• 60g Amarillo, dry hop for 2 days at 13C in fermenter
• 40g Amarillo, dry hop for 2 days at 5C in keg
• 25g Citra, dry hop for 2 days at 5C in keg

Yeast

• White Labs WLP550
• 2 litre starter

Process

Mash

• Single infusion at 67c for 60 minutes

Boil

• 60 minute boil, 27 litres starting, 24 litres at end.
• Add sugar at the end of the boil.

Ferment

• Pitched yeast at 18C, let rise to 20C.
• After 5 days when nearing terminal gravity raise to 22C to finish.

Serving

• Carbonate to around 2.8 volumes CO2.