This one went off without a hitch. I knew that with 6oz total of whole leaf hops I would have to aim a bit high on total volume, since they soak up so much. Couldn’t have come out any closer, though. A little over 6 G in the fermenter. SG is at 1.052 which is a touch lower than i wanted but if I had boiled off another half gallon like I typically do, I would have nailed that too. Still, if I get down to 1.014 even, that will be OK, and still get me 5.1% ABV which will be fine. I am hoping for a little more attenuation though, and if it gets down to 1.01 , that will be about 5.6%, which is a bit more like it, and would really bring out the hops more.
I went with .75oz 14% AA Columbus for 45min (42 IBU)
2oz 5.7% AA Cascade for 10min (20 IBU)
2oz 5.7% AA Cascade For 5min (9 IBU)
2oz 9.5% AA Amarillo at flame-out
Alll that should get me about 60 IBU which is fairly modest but about right for this moderate gravity IPA. I’ll be dry hopping as well with probably an ounce each of Amarillo and Cascade for a week or two in Secondary, which will ramp up the fresh hop aroma and flavor.
I am using yeast I harvested from a pale ale I made last month. If it doesn’t show decent signs of taking off after 24 hrs, I will pitch a new vial.
I don’t want to jinx myself, but I have high hopes from this one.
