Tommy's #3 "Pliny Tribute IPA"

Share recipes here and discuss recipes posted in the recipe database.

Moderator: Post Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
Brewfoo
Posts: 134
Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2011 12:02 pm
Location: Walnut, CA

Tommy's #3 "Pliny Tribute IPA"

Post by Brewfoo »

Tommy is a friend at work who is the only one that has asked to be my brew apprentice. We always brew at my house and use my beginner's equipment because his wife isn't too fond of him drinking period, not to mention brewing his own. He so loved Pliny when he tried it for the first time, he asked that we try and clone it with an extract recipe. I have seen the Pliny recipe but it's just too complicated for a simpleton like us. So, we aren't calling it a clone, just a tribute IPA to one of the Gods of IPA's. I bought most of the adjunct sugars from a Chinese Supermarket in Rowland Heights called, "SF Supermarket"(Colima Rd./Jellick Ave.)



6 lbs Pale LME

2.2 lb Corn Sugar

14 oz bag of Brown Sugar sticks

14 oz Palm sugar

400g Brown crystal candy sugar



White Labs WLP051 California V Ale Yeast.



2 oz Mt. Hood Hops (3/4 oz @60 min, 1 oz @ 30 min, 1/4 oz @15 with whirlfloc and yeast nutrients.)



OG: 1.080



9 days in primary carboy.



Transferred to secondary carboy and dry hopped naked with:

2 oz Simcoe

2 oz Centennial

2 oz Columbus



Allow to ferment for another 26 days.

Racked only 3.5 gallons from carboy into bottling bucket. Added 4.2 oz of corn sugar for priming.



This beer didn't finish as low as I thought it would or should (FG: 1.018). I also lost quite a bit of beer to the large amount of dry hopping. I did transfer the beer from secondary to tertiary using a nylon hop bag to cover the head of the racking cane. It helped but the overwhelming amount of free floating hops continually clogged the racking process and it was a total pain in the ass.



What I did get was maybe the best tasting IPA my friend Tommy and I have ever made. This one might have a few problems. Maybe a gusher or even a bottle bomb. If not, I'm sure this one will be a winner.
Beer....it's the new "water."
User avatar
jward
Posts: 2103
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2005 10:22 pm
Location: Irvine, CA
Contact:

Re: Tommy's #3 "Pliny Tribute IPA"

Post by jward »

That seemed like a lot of sugar, but cool as long as you like how if came out.
Image
User avatar
nico soze
Posts: 316
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2011 3:41 pm

Re: Tommy's #3 "Pliny Tribute IPA"

Post by nico soze »

Jon you haven't met my friend chad. He's known for his love of adjunct sugars and naked dry hopping.
User avatar
bwarbiany
Posts: 2290
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:49 pm
Location: Mission Viejo, CA

Re: Tommy's #3 "Pliny Tribute IPA"

Post by bwarbiany »

Were you dry hopping with leaf hops or pellets? Granted 6 oz is quite a bit either way, but I can't imagine you losing a huge amount if it was pellets.
Brad
User avatar
Brewfoo
Posts: 134
Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2011 12:02 pm
Location: Walnut, CA

Re: Tommy's #3 "Pliny Tribute IPA"

Post by Brewfoo »

I know. It looks crazy on paper but you have to try it. I started with regular white cane sugar and I made one of the "best beers" the Brew Captain said he ever tasted about a year ago. I called it the "Mid-Life Crisis IPA." I boiled and added lemongrass from my house twice and it was my first experience dry hopping. Since I was a very small time extract brewer who loved big, strong beers, I experimented with different adjunct sugars around my house and local Asian supermarket.

I came across palm sugar or coconut sugar as my favorite adjunct to raise the gravity. Before I knew it, I was adding as much or more adjunct sugars than malt extract. I recently started using clear candy rock sugar from China. It's of course, cheap and for unknown reasons, my beers are crystal clear in appearance. I recently ordered a large bulk amount of DME and pellet hops from Northern Brewer and plan to continue making heavily dry hopped beers with less adjunct sugars.

There are really only a few hops I love to dry hop with. Centennial, Columbus, Citra, and Simcoe. I recently got a hold of a pound of Galaxy Hops and Calypso Hops. I had them vacuumed sealed in 2 oz portions and if anyone would like to try some, PM me and I'll give them to you at cost.
Beer....it's the new "water."
User avatar
Brewfoo
Posts: 134
Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2011 12:02 pm
Location: Walnut, CA

Re: Tommy's #3 "Pliny Tribute IPA"

Post by Brewfoo »

bwarbiany wrote:Were you dry hopping with leaf hops or pellets? Granted 6 oz is quite a bit either way, but I can't imagine you losing a huge amount if it was pellets.
I prefer pellet hops for everything, especially dry hopping in the secondary. Dry hopping "naked" or "commando-style" is the only way I do it. I would recommend not exceeding 4 oz of dry hopping in a 5 gallon carboy but 6 oz should be the max. It's curious to me how certain pellet hops will sink to the bottom while some will always stay floated on top. With each transfer of my beer from primary to secondary to the bottling bucket, I will lose a good 1/2 gallon of beer it would appear. I still haven't really solved the clogging my racking cane from the hops but a nylon bag and rubber bands helps.

What I learned this past year of extract brewing was this: Take a decent (even cheap LME from Steinfillers) malt extract, add adjunct sugars to boost the ABV to your liking, dry hop 4-6 oz in secondary for 3-4 weeks, you get IPA gold. I kept a few bottles of this "Pliny Tribute IPA" and will hold on to it for anyone to try at our next get-together.(2 weeks from today)
Beer....it's the new "water."
Post Reply