Pliny Recipe from Zymurgy 2010

[kumo_san]

I have noticed a lot of changes over the years with Pliny and haven't paid much attention to any of the "new" recipes that have been given out by Vinnie. This latest recipe seems very different in terms of hop varieties- no more Chinook, a smaller 90min addition, etc. Also it seems to call for a lot more Simcoe. Has anyone here brewed one of the more recent recipes and done a side by side?

I am curious about IBU's as well. With all of these hops, do you think it is important to pay close attention to AA's when I adjust the recipe for my system and hops (aside from the volume)?

I am also curious about losses due to hops. The Zymurgy and BCS recipes bump volumes up by a gallon or so but that would never yield me 5 gallons of finished beer. I must end up with at least 3 gallons of hops and trub post whirlpool in a 10 gallon batch!

I have brewed the BCS version several times, but it just doesn't taste like the current Pliny. It is bigger, bolder, and not all that easy to drink. I wonder if it was closer a few years ago?

Thanks!

-----
PLINY THE ELDER- ZYMURGY JULY/AUG 2010
V: 6 gallons
OG: 1.072
FG: 1.011
SRM: 7
Mash: 151- 152F
Yeast: 001 @ 67F

87% 2-row
4% C-45
4% Carapils
5% Dextrose

3.5oz Columbus (13.9%) @90
0.75 Columbus (13.9%) @45
1.00 Simcoe (12.3%) @30
1.00 Centennial (8%) @0
2.50 Simcoe (12.3%)@0

1.00 Columbus (13.9%) dry, 12- 14 days
1.00 Centennial (9.1%) dry, 12- 14 days
1.00 Simcoe (12.3%) dry, 12- 14 days

0.25 Columbus (12.3%) dry, with 5 days remaining
0.25 Centennial (9.1%) dry, with 5 days remaining
0.25 Simcoe (12.3%) dry, with 5 days remaining

[funkenet]

I just brewed this beer last weekend from the recipe in 250 Clones Magazine. I don't know much about the previous recipes but the one you put on your post seems just like the one was working from.

I had the same problem as you with the trub/hop post whirlpool. So I, using a sanitized 1 quart pitcher, just kept scooping up trub and beer, trying to get mostly beer, and filled my carboy to about 5.5 gallons. There will be more trub but if you cold crash it I think it should all clean up. That process should give me about a gallon more delicious brew!

[Charlie]

I've made that recipe 4 times. Love it! I racked the lastest one onto the 14d dry hops last night.

It's a good recipe. I scored a 43 with it at Bluebonnet last March (and totally failed to place!).

Charlie

[thatguy314]

Vinnie has the same trub problem. He actually gets a substantial (can't say how much for sure) amount of his IBUs from hop extract so that he doesn't loose quite as much beer to the hop material. I would get some isohop from morebeer and replace it with the 3.5oz @90 min, maybe even the 45 min addition, if you want to get rid of some of the greenness. I think one vial of isohop should give you enough bitterness for many batches of beer, so just think of it as an investment.

[Charlie]

I am also curious about losses due to hops. ... I must end up with at least 3 gallons of hops and trub post whirlpool in a 10 gallon batch!

Weird! I reduce my Pliny clones from 12.5 to 11 gal (90 min) and consistently get 9.8 to 10.0 gal in the fermenter. Then again I drain it pretty slow (3 min/gal). Last time I had about 300 ml of wort drain out of the leaf hops after I transferred to the fermenter; just enough to take an OG . There were a lot of wet hops in there too, but nothing like 3 gal.

You could try pellet hops. They get in the fermenter and make a gawd-awful muck in the bottom of the BK, and I don't like 'em, but Simcoe pellets is all I can get right now.

Charlie (everything besides the Simcoe was leaf)

[NikoBrew]

I emailed Vinnie and he said he uses something a little different than isohop. The extract he uses is more difficult for homebrewers since it's more like a syrup and he said isohop would be a much easier alternative. Rumor has it I may be putting some bottles of it on my site...

[Chupa LaHomebrew]

Vinnie uses what I am close to 100% sure is the EXACT same thing as Northern Brewer's Hopshot. It's a CO2 extracted hop resin from CTZ varieties. It's green and gooey. I have used it before and it couldn't be any easier to use. Try it, skip the isohop (sorry Lee).

[thatguy314]

Vinnie uses what I am close to 100% sure is the EXACT same thing as Northern Brewer's Hopshot. It's a CO2 extracted hop resin from CTZ varieties. It's green and gooey. I have used it before and it couldn't be any easier to use. Try it, skip the isohop (sorry Lee).

Don't appologize. I didn't know they had that stuff. By my calcs, isohop (preisomerized) gives you about 300 IBUs for $30. Isohop is about the same but for $20 bucks. It's not preisomerized. You can adjust after with isohop but not with hopshot. That said, I've never adjusted afterwards with it. All said and done? Order the one that's from the supplier you already order from, as shipping will make up the difference in the other one. Hopshot has the advantage of coming in smaller doses, so I'd stick with that.