ILM Imperial IPA

L's favorite beer that we've brewed so far, and one of his favorite beers ever, was the IPA kit we got from Wilmington Homebrew. Seriously, if you're bored in ILM, go hang out. They're awesome. L wanted to brew the IPA again but all grain style so I converted the recipe and we brewed.

This was probably our most challenging brew day yet. It was miserable. I couldn't walk the next day. No, really. I slept with a heating pad wrapped around each foot.

The previous weekend, we went by my parents house to raid their garden. My mom had a ridiculous garden. We brought home enough produce to feed a small country. Monday I made 4 pints of squash pickles. Tuesday, 4 quarts of pickled jalapeno peppers. Wednesday, we went to the Slightly Stoopid/311 concert. Thursday, we brewed and made 2 quarts of dill pickles, pasta salad, sirracha hummus, and zucchini bread. All after work. Friday, we got up early and went to the beach. It was worth it.

Grains
14lbs 2-Row
1.5lb Vienna Malt
0.5lb Biscuit Malt
0.5lb Crystal-40L

Hops
1oz Warrior at 60 min
1oz Columbus at 40 min
1oz Citra at 20 min
1oz Chinook at 20 min
1oz Chinook at 0 min
1oz Columbus at 0 min
2oz Simcoe Dry Whole Cone at Secondary.

Yeast
Wyeast 1056 American Ale - started 2 days before.

Brewing
Mashed at 154° for 60 minutes.
Fly Sparge to collect 6.5 Gallons.
60 minute Boil.

The Numbers
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.101 (1.071 @ 70%)
Actual Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.065ish*
Efficiency: 64.4%*

Expected Post-Boil Gravity:1.110 (1.077 at 70%)
Actual Post-Boil Gravity: 1.072*

Expected Final Gravity:
Acual Final Gravity:
% ABV:
Attenuation:

* So we didn't do a very good job of keeping track of our data this time. I guess we were just distracted by all the other crap going on. We didn't actually write down either of the original gravities. But this is what we think they were. I know the pre-boil gave us a mid-60s efficiency but the post-boil was slightly better.

We also didn't take ANY pictures. Lame.

For the mash, we started out with 4.5 gallons at 169° which got us to 151°. Then I found this handy dandy calculator to figure out the temperature we should get the other 2 gallons to achieve the right temperature and thickness. We added the two gallons at 162° and ended up at 154° right where we wanted to be.

After we brewed, I even mopped the kitchen. It was a late night. While I do think its a good idea to multitask while brewing, I don't recommend doing quite this much!

The Verdict
L LOVES this beer. He thinks it is fabulous. I think it is wayyy to hoppy. But, it does smell amazing. Those Simcoe hops are phenomenal!!  

Dry Hopping

2 ounces of Simcoe Leaf Hops take up a lot of space!