Low ABV IPA?

[BoomerBrian]

I was looking at award winning recipes last night on AHA and stumbled on this one. This is from one of my favorite IPA recipes. I currently have a normal abv version of this recipe on tap. The base of this recipe is from Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA. I am going to tweak this a bit and give it a try soon.

INGREDIENTS
For 12 Gallons (45.42 L)
7.5 lb (3.4 kg) pale 2-row malt
3.5 lb (13.25 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
2.0 lb (0.9 kg) Munich malt
1.5 lb (0.68 kg) aromatic malt
1.0 lb (0.45 kg) 10° L crystal malt
1.0 lb (0.45 kg) 40° L crystal malt
1.0 lb (0.45 kg) dextrin malt
1.0 oz (28 g) Nugget pellets, 13% a.a. (FWH)
2.0 oz (57 g) Citra pellets, 14.5% a.a. (10 min)
1.5 oz (42 g) Mosaic pellets, 12.3% a.a. (10 min)
2.0 oz (57 g) Citra pellets, 14.5% a.a. (5 min)
1.5 oz (42 g) Mosaic pellets, 12.3% a.a. (5 min)
4.0 oz (113 g) Citra pellets, 14.5% a.a. (dry)
1.5 oz (42 g) Mosaic pellets, 12.3% a.a. (dry)
Wyeast 1056 American ale yeast (3L starter)

SPECIFICATIONS
Original Gravity: 1.042
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV: 3.8%
SRM: 13

DIRECTIONS
Single infusion mash at 155°F (68°C) for 60 minutes.

Primary fermentation for seven days at 62°F (17°C).

Secondary fermentation for seven days at 66°F (19°C).

Forced CO2 to carbonate (2.5 volumes).

 

[okoncentrerad]

Now that's a nice looking recipe too, good ABV for what I'm looking for. Lots of different malts there....wish I soon get to learn what they all do to a brew Some are good for this...some for that....

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

aromatic malt
this might be a bit much, it can be too strong sometimes

 

[BoomerBrian]

aromatic malt
this might be a bit much, it can be too strong sometimes

Never used it.

My version of the recipe is:

2 row - 81%
Munich - 13%
Crystal 60 - 6%

 

[J A]

aromatic malt
this might be a bit much, it can be too strong sometimes

Yeah...less is better in most cases. I've used as much as .75 lbs in a Belgian Pale (5-gallon) which won a gold medal locally, but it can leave a lot of sweetness. I will say that the stuff that my LHBS sells is pretty great and isn't overpowering at all. It's FrancoBelges Special Aromatic and is very light in color and is less intense than typical melanoidin malts - more like an extra-intensity Vienna malt.
The recipe above uses almost 1/3 Crystal-type malts. Unless you have very good mashing technique and perfect attenuation, you could end up with a syrupy mess. Those big tropical-fruit hops will be nice but you'd be smart to keep the malt simple with around 10% Crystal malts for typical home brewing. The simpler malt bill is a really nice way to go. A reasonable amount of residual sweetness in the malt with a light, crisp finish will make for a very drinkable beer.

 

[BoomerBrian]

It won a gold medal in Category #23: Specialty Beer during the 2015 National Homebrew Competition Final Round in San Diego, CA. Bryant’s Specialty Beer was chosen as the best among 410 final round entries in the category.

I generally like simpler malt bills but apparently his combo works.

 

[J A]

I generally like simpler malt bills but apparently his combo works.

Funny, I've had the same experience. I like keeping it simple, but the two recipes that I've built with a number of specialty malts in small amounts have won multiple awards. I'll have to chalk it up, at least partially, to luck, but there's a place for complexity if you get it right, I guess.
Regarding the Aromatic, I think different maltsters have really different takes on what they brand as Aromatic Malt. Some (Breiss, Dingeman's) are darker and more like what other maltsters call "Melanoidin" malt which can definitely be heavy and cloying. I lucked into the Franco Belge Aromatic which is lighter and has a really wonderful malty flavor without being overpowering. Knowing the maltster is really important when you're buying from the LHBS and experience is king in determining what works.
Congrats on the win, BTW.