Wet Hopped IPA

It is my desire to start to brew darker beers and scale back production of my larger batches to allow me the opportunity to fine tune my recipes on smaller batches. As with everything else there is an opportunity cost to brewing one beer over another. This opportunity cost can manifest itself in monetary costs, but it can also manifest itself in calories. Beer has calories and so I can only drink so much over time without additional exercise or caloric reductions. I wanted to brew a harvest wet hop beer, and I wanted to brew a DIPA so I combine the two desires into one and brewed this beer. I will not be brewing a porter for winter(at least until after the new year) because of this. I'll also have a pale ale, a Belgian single, and now a DIPA on tap. The once a year opportunity to brew something special was just too much for me to ignore at the time. The Baltic porter will have to wait; opportunity costs.

I'll need a new keg to put this in and fortunately the day wet hops were on sale was also Siciliano's Home Brew Sale, and free hot dog day. I've wanted a 3 gallon keg for smaller and imperial batches but never felt like I was getting a good deal until it went on sale. If the internet is to be believed a 3 gallon keg will fit behind my existing kegs on the back shelf with the CO2 tank in my kegerator.

Fresh Hops are less potent then dried hops, as such 3-5 times more fresh hops are required than dry hops in a recipe. The desired effects of fresh hops come from the "volatile compounds" that are driven off in the drying process, as such don't waste these on bittering additions. This appears to be the internet consensus but trying things for yourself is the only way to truly know. I want to brew one fresh hopped double pale ale so I'm going with this advice and bittering with dried pellets. In addition I am going to work in a bit more of Vinnie's IPA advice and attempt to use corn sugar to bring my FG down to size. Also after losing many gallons of  wort in the to hop trub I am going to brew a bit of extra wort to make sure I get 3 gallons. I'll be keg hopping with wet hops in a hop bag as well.

(read more after the break)

Recipe (3.25 gallon):
8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) 82.1 %
10.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) 6.4 %
6.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) 3.8 %
12.0 oz Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) 7.7 %

1.6 oz Centennial [9.9 %] - Boil 60 min 64.1 IBUs
3.5 oz Cascade [1.90 %] - Boil 17 min 15.6 IBUs
2.0 oz Centennial [2.50 %] - Boil 15 min 10.7 IBUs
1 item Whirlflock Tablet - Boil 15 min
1 tsp Gypsum Powder - Boil 15 min
4.0 oz Cascade [1.90 %] - Boil 7 min 8.8 IBUs
2.0 oz Centennial [2.50 %] - Boil 5 min  3.9 IBUs
3.5 oz Cascade [1.90 %] - Boil 2 min 1.7 IBUs  
2.0 oz Centennial [2.50 %] - Boil 2 min 1.5 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056)

Dry Hops(Wet Hops?)
4.0 oz Cascade [1.90 %] - Secondary 7 Days 0 IBUs

Bottling Volume: 3.25 gal
Estimated OG: 1.082 SG
Estimated FG: 1.012 SG 
Estimated Color: 7.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 106.5 IBUs
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 9.4 %

Mash In add 17 qt of water at 165 @ 150.0 for 60
Batch Sparge with 2.5 gal water @ 168.0

Everything went swimmingly until I had to get the wort out of the pot, I need to clean the my bazooka screen or buy a new one. Over a pound of hops was just to much for my siphon and for the ball valve on my pot. I tried a few things to get it out, I ended up using a pyrex quart measuring cup. It was less than Ideal but I got my wort out. If it turns out not to be infected I'll be shocked and excited.

Brewed on 9/18 w/ a lovely assistant

Kegged on 10/1 with Wet/dry hops.