I'm planning on brewing tomorrow. I want a firmly bitter IPA with strong malt flavors. I'm thinking: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1044037/huma-like I might add an ounce of palisades to the whirlpool, but haven't decided on that yet.
Really interesting recipe. First thing that stands out to me is the very aggressive So4:CL ratio! I’ve never pushed it that far and would be interested to hear what that brings to the beer (as opposed to 3:1 or 4:1).
I'm not a believer in the "ratio". What I mean is if you have 30 ppm of chloride and 90 ppm of sulfate, that's a 1:3 ratio, but totally different than 50:150. I go by strict numbers. This is what I shoot for. An aggressive sulfate level enhances the perception of dryness. I usually go more like 150 ppm of sulfate in my IPAs, for a good balance of dryness to malt, but lately I've been wanting a much more firmly bitter and dry finish. Most "pale ale" profiles use a goal of 300 ppm of sulfate, and I find that a little too aggressive for me usually.
Yes, and I ended up doing a 75+ minute boil. I ended up with 7 gallons in the boil instead of 6.5 so wanted to boil off a little more. I also changed my mind and added cryo palisade to the end of the boil instead of saving any palisade for the dryhopping. The wort is really a beautiful color and I have high hopes for this one. It smells so awesome in the brewery right now. I’m just waiting to get the chilling done.
Well, I did it. I haven't brewed since November of last year. I figured it was time to get back on the horse. With that in mind, I brewed a 5 gallon batch of Back on the Horse IPA. Now it's time for a nap.
Thanks for the reply. I have heard a lot of people say that it’s not the ratio, rather it’s the individual numbers. But I haven’t ever really found a great answer as to what the numbers should be, just ranges. I suppose that’s because it’s all relative to the brewer, which makes sense. Still, can you perceive/taste a difference between say, SO4 at 150 vs. 250? That’s not a wise-guy question, I’m honestly curious because I’ve never pushed SO4 to 250 before. Maybe my next IPA I will give it a shot.
Ah I must admit I've noticed I like the higher sulphate level to chloride in my ales but yeah I usually just try 2:1 I'm guessing I'll have to really push the sulphate envelope on another pale ale or hoppy ale and see if it tickles me fancies too.
yes, there is a perceptible difference! Maybe try it, by adding a pinch to a finished ipa in the glass. That should give you an idea of the impact. for years and years I’ve mostly gone with 150ish ppm sulfate on my ipas but occasionally I want something more aggressively dry and bitter.
