IPA Knowledge Base
🧪Brewing Guide

Double IPA Recipe

2 min read·392 words
brewingrecipedouble-ipa

A worked, brew-ready recipe for a Double IPA — big in strength and hop intensity, yet engineered to finish dry and deceptively drinkable. This is a West-Coast-leaning DIPA. Batch size: 5 gallons / 19 L, ~70% efficiency.

#Target Stats

StatValue
OG1.080
FG1.011
ABV9.1%
IBU80
SRM6

#Grain Bill

MaltAmount%
American 2-row6.4 kg84%
Munich malt0.45 kg6%
Light crystal (40L)0.20 kg2.5%
Dextrose (in boil)0.55 kg7.5%
Why the sugar

Corn sugar boosts gravity without adding body, so a 9% beer still finishes dry rather than syrupy. See Specialty Malts and Adjuncts and Recipe Formulation.

#Mash

Single infusion at 64 °C for 75 minutes — low for maximum fermentability and a dry finish. See Mashing.

#Water Profile

Sulfate-forward to keep a big beer crisp. See Water Treatment for Brewing.

IonTarget (ppm)
Calcium130
Sulfate300
Chloride75
Sulfate:Chloride~4:1

#Hop Schedule

Reduced utilization

High-gravity wort isomerizes alpha acids less efficiently — a DIPA needs a generous bittering charge to hit target IBU. See Alpha Acids and Bitterness and Isomerization of Alpha Acids.

TimingHopAmountPurpose
60 minSimcoe (13% AA)42 gBittering
Whirlpool (79 °C, 25 min)Citra70 gAroma + flavor
Whirlpool (79 °C, 25 min)Mosaic70 gAroma + flavor
Dry hop 1 (active, day 4)Citra70 gBiotransformation
Dry hop 1 (active, day 4)Simcoe56 gBiotransformation
Dry hop 2 (cold)Mosaic70 gAroma retention

A heavy double dry hop — see Hop Additions and Timing.

#Yeast & Fermentation

  • Yeast: clean, highly attenuative American ale strain; pitch a large starter — high-gravity wort stresses yeast. See IPA Yeast Strains and Fermentation.
  • Oxygenate the chilled wort well at pitching.
  • Ferment: 19 °C, free-rising to 22 °C for a diacetyl rest.
  • Dry hop: day 4 during active fermentation, then a cold charge.
Hop creep and alcohol heat

Big dry hops on a strong beer risk pronounced refermentation. Confirm terminal gravity before packaging. Ferment cool enough to avoid hot fusel alcohols — see Off-Flavors in IPA.

#Packaging

Carbonate to ~2.5 volumes; package with rigorous oxygen control. See Carbonation and Packaging.

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