Of the new IPA variants — black IPA, brown IPA, red IPA, etc. — session IPA is the one I like the best. With the exception of a few rye IPAs, I feel that adding something to an American IPA detracts from, rather than adds to, the beer. I totally sympathize with people who don’t like the name, but whether you call it a session IPA or a dry, hoppy pale ale, I think the concept is brilliant — a “sessionable” pale ale with a big hop bouquet.
This is the partial mash version of my all-grain session IPA recipe. That recipe, in turn, is basically just a lower gravity version of my “regular” American IPA, Roswell IPA. (The amount of bittering hops is reduced slightly, but the amount of late hops is left unchanged. Here’s why I did that.)
As a relatively low-gravity, partial mash brew, over half of the fermentables come from the small mash. Only a couple pounds (just over a kilo) of dried malt extract are used. This recipe uses the countertop partial mash method, and you should briefly familiarize yourself with that (if needed) before trying this recipe. Other than generating some wort from a partial mash, the beer follows the basic malt extract plus steeping grains method of brewing beer that most homebrewers started with.
One of the biggest potential problems in brewing this beer is that the hops can soak up a lot of wort. In this recipe, I instruct the brewer to let the chilled wort sit (covered) for an hour to let the hop debris settle and compact a bit. Feel free to use another method — such as bagging the hops or running the chilled wort through a sanitized strainer — if you’d prefer. (I like letting the wort sit because it gives me time to clean the mash tun and make doubly sure the carboy is cleaned well and sanitized.)
Jumbo Session Shrimp IPA
Session IPA
by Chris Colby
Partial mash (countertop), English units
DESCRIPTION
A partial mash version of my session IPA based on my own Roswell IPA recipe. A dry, session beer (4.6% ABV) with a boatload of flavor and aroma from American hops.
INGREDIENTS (for 5 gallons)
Malt (for an OG of 1.044 at 65% extract efficiency and an SRM of 7)
2 lb. 14 oz. US 2-row pale malt
13 oz. Vienna malt
5.0 oz. crystal malt (30 °L)
2 lb. 10 oz. light dried malt extract
Hops (for 44 IBUs total)
Warrior hops (37 IBUs)
5/8 oz. (at 16% alpha acids), boiled for 60 mins
Centennial hops (7 IBUs)
3/8 oz. (at 10% alpha acids), boiled for 15 mins
Cascade hops (0 IBUs)
0.75 oz., boiled for 0 mins
Amarillo hops (0 IBUs)
0.50 oz., boiled for 0 mins
Cascade hops (dry hops)
1.0 oz., added in keg or secondary
Amarillo hops (dry hops)
2/3 oz., added in keg or secondary
Yeast (for a FG of 1.009 and 4.5% ABV)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), or Safale US-05 yeast
(1.5-qt. yeast starter)
Other
1 tsp. Irish moss, boiled for 15 mins
0.25 tsp. calcium chloride, boiled for 75 mins (conditional)
0.50 tsp. gypsum, boiled for 75 mins (conditional)
5.0 oz. corn sugar (to prime for 2.6 volumes of CO2)
PROCEDURE
Make yeast starter 2–3 days ahead of time. In your brewpot, heat 5.5 qts. of brewing liquor to 161 °F. Place crushed grains in a large steeping bag and submerge in brewpot water. Mash at 150 °F for 45 minutes, stirring and heating briefly every 10 minutes to maintain the mash temperature. In a separate pot, heat 5.0 qts. of water to 170 °F. When the mash is done, heat it to 170 °F for a mash out. Lift bag and let drip into brewpot until you can move it over to the cooler without splattering too much wort. Scoop or pour the wort from the brewpot into the cooler. Recirculate the wort until it clears a bit, then run off. Add roughly half of the malt extract to your brewpot, and let the wort dissolve it. Sparge steadily over 60 minutes (collect about a cup of wort from the cooler every 90 seconds) to collect about 10 qts. Once the extract is completely dissolved, hold the temperature near 150 °F as you collect the rest of the wort. Add small bursts of heat, if needed, to hold at this temperature. (Anywhere between 145 and 155 °F is OK.) Add about 2.0 qts. of water to the brewpot, to make about 3.5 gallons of wort when you’re done collecting the wort. Bring the wort to a boil. If hot break does not appear big and fluffy after 5 minutes, add calcium (see ingredient list). Add the first dose of hops and boil wort for an additional 60 minutes. Add other hops and Irish moss at times indicated. Don’t let boil volume dip below 3.0 gallons during boil. Add boiling water to top up, if needed. Stir in remaining malt extract in the last 10 minutes of the boil. (Tips on adding extract during the boil.) Chill wort to 68 °F, then let the brewpot sit (covered) for about an hour to let the hop debris settle. Rack to fermenter and add water make about 5.0 gallons. Aerate the wort thoroughly, and pitch sediment from yeast starter. Ferment at 68 °F. After fermentation stops, let the beer settle for 2–3 days, then rack to secondary fermenter with dry hops. (Dry hopping tips.) Dry hop for 5–6 days, then rack to keg or bottling bucket. Carbonate to 2.6 volumes of CO2.
Jumbo Session Shrimp IPA
Session IPA
by Chris Colby
Partial mash (countertop), metric units
INGREDIENTS (for 19 L)
Malt (for an OG of 1.044 at 65% extract efficiency and an SRM of 7)
1.3 kg US 2-row pale malt
370 g Vienna malt
140 g crystal malt (30 °L)
1.2 kg light dried malt extract
Hops (for 44 IBUs total)
Warrior hops (37 IBUs)
17 g (at 16% alpha acids), boiled for 60 mins
Centennial hops (7 IBUs)
11 g (at 10% alpha acids), boiled for 15 mins
Cascade hops (0 IBUs)
21 g, boiled for 0 mins
Amarillo hops (0 IBUs)
14 g, boiled for 0 mins
Cascade hops (dry hops)
28 g, added in keg or secondary
Amarillo hops (dry hops)
19 g, added in keg or secondary
Yeast (for a FG of 1.009 and 4.5% ABV)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), or Safale US-05 yeast
(1.5-L yeast starter)
Other
1 tsp. Irish moss, boiled for 15 mins
0.25 tsp. calcium chloride, boiled for 75 mins (conditional)
0.50 tsp. gypsum, boiled for 75 mins (conditional)
140 g corn sugar (to prime for 2.6 volumes of CO2)
PROCEDURE
Make yeast starter 2–3 days ahead of time. In your brewpot, heat 5.2 L of brewing liquor to 72 °C. Place crushed grains in a large steeping bag and submerge in brewpot water. Mash at 66 °C for 45 minutes, stirring and heating briefly every 10 minutes to maintain the mash temperature. In a separate pot, heat 4.7 L of water to 77 °C. When the mash is done, heat it to 77 °C for a mash out. Lift bag and let drip into brewpot until you can move it over to the cooler without splattering too much wort. Scoop or pour the wort from the brewpot into the cooler. Recirculate the wort until it clears a bit, then run off. Add roughly half of the malt extract to your brewpot, and let the wort dissolve it. Sparge steadily over 60 minutes (collect about a cup of wort from the cooler every 90 seconds) to collect about 9.5 L. Once the extract is completely dissolved, hold the temperature near 66 °C as you collect the rest of the wort. Add small bursts of heat, if needed, to hold at this temperature. (Anywhere between 63 and 68 °C is OK.) Add about 2 L. of water to the brewpot, to make about 13 L of wort, when you’re done collecting the wort. Bring the wort to a boil. If hot break does not appear big and fluffy after 5 minutes, add calcium (see ingredient list). Add the first dose of hops and boil wort for an additional 60 minutes. Add other hops and Irish moss at times indicated. Don’t let boil volume dip below 11 L during boil. Add boiling water to top up, if needed. Stir in remaining malt extract in the last 10 minutes of the boil. (Tips on adding extract during the boil.) Chill wort to 20 °C, then let the brewpot sit (covered) for about an hour to let the hop debris settle. Rack to fermenter and add water make about 19 L. Aerate the wort thoroughly, and pitch sediment from yeast starter. Ferment at 20 °C. After fermentation stops, let the beer settle for 2–3 days, then rack to secondary fermenter with dry hops. (Dry hopping tips.) Dry hop for 5–6 days, then rack to keg or bottling bucket. Carbonate to 2.6 volumes of CO2.
—
Related Articles
Speak Your Mind