spider monkey ipa - suggestions please

peterpiper · Aug 23, 2024

Looking to brew a clone of Spider Monkey ipa, from Black Isle Brewery.

I'm not usually a bit fan of IPAs, genererally preferring lower IBU brews, but discovered I really enjoy Spider Monkey. Wondering if iwheat malt can make high IBU seem more mellow, or if it's just on the low IBU side.

Any ideas where to start?

Only info on product:
5.2% ABV
Unfiltered (it's centrifuged, but is still quite hazey).
Flavour: Juicy, Tropical
Aroma: Pawpaw, Pineapple
Lager and wheat malt base, with Cascade, Simcoe, Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops

Twostage · Aug 24, 2024

I found this on beer52 to add to the thinking :-

A juicy mouthfeel with tropical notes, heavily dry hopped for a full aroma of fruits such as Pineapple and Pawpaw. Centrifuged rather than filtered to ensure the flavours remain vibrant and punchy.
Ingredients: water, malted barley, yeast, hops.

Interestingly it misses out the wheat but adds that it is heavily dry hopped. Dry hopping would align with your thoughts that you didn't think it was too bitter if they favoured dry hopping over kettle.

Edit: spelling.

peterpiper · Aug 25, 2024

Twostage said:
I found this on beer52 to add to the thinking :-

A juicy mouthfeel with tropical notes, heavily dry hopped for a full aroma of fruits such as Pineapple and Pawpaw. Centrifuged rather than filtered to ensure the flavours remain vibrant and punchy.
Ingredients: water, malted barley, yeast, hops.

Interestingly it misses out the wheat but adds that it is heavily dry hopped. Dry hopping would align with your thoughts that you didn't think it was too bitter if they favoured dry hopping over kettle.

Edit: spelling.

Interesting.
That seems to tie in, with my liking Alesmith's 'Evil Dead Red' clone brew. Which is also heavily late & dry hopped, using Chinook; Cascade & Columbus (Tomahawk). IBU 24: BU/GU 0.44; ABV 5.9%

Only trouble, is that the hops (total 184g), start become a significant addition to overall cost.

peterpiper · Oct 20, 2024

Brulosophy evaluation of "Impact Of Wheat Malt On American IPA", concluded that switching to 20% wheat malt, made made little difference to final taste (IBU 81, ABV 6.9%).
So now guess, Spider Monkey has lower IBU, than a regular IPA.

Found an IPA recipe, with 20% wheat malt, and three of the four hops wanted.
So tweaked it to reduce ABV; add Nelson Sauvin; and reduce IBU. Will use Verdant IPA yeast, that seems to do well in my Evil Dead Red Clone. That is also a hop forward, but low IBU beer.
Ingredients ordered, and brewing soon.

SM Clone
Batch volume: 23 litre
Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.008
ABV 5.9%
IBU (Tinseth): 41
BU/GU: 0.78
Colour: 7.7 EBC

Mash
Beta-Amylase rest — 65 °C — 60 min
Mash Out — 76 °C — 10 min

Malts (4.7 kg)
3.5 kg (71.4%) — Muntons Pale Malt Maris Otter — Grain — 5.1 EBC
1 kg (20.4%) — Simpsons Wheat Malt — Grain — 4 EBC
200 g (4.1%) — Briess Carapils — Grain — 2.6 EBC

Other (200 g)
200 g (4.1%) — Briess Dextrose — Sugar — 2 EBC

Hops (170 g)
5 g (8 IBU) — Simcoe 13% — Boil — 60 min

10 g (9 IBU) — Nelson Sauvin 12% — Boil — 20 min
10 g (9 IBU) — Simcoe 13% — Boil — 20 min
5 g (4 IBU) — Citra 12% — Boil — 20 min

40 g (7 IBU) — Nelson Sauvin 12% — Aroma — 20 min hopstand @ 80 °C
20 g (3 IBU) — Citra 12% — Aroma — 20 min hopstand @ 80 °C
10 g (1 IBU) — Cascade 7% — Aroma — 20 min hopstand @ 80 °C

Added after initial vigorous ferment:
40 g — Nelson Sauvin 12% — Dry Hop — 10 days
20 g — Citra 12% — Dry Hop — 10 days
10 g — Cascade 4.3% — Dry Hop — 10 days

Yeast: 1 pkg — Lallemand (LalBrew) Verdant IPA

Twostage · Oct 20, 2024

peterpiper said:
Brulosophy evaluation of "Impact Of Wheat Malt On American IPA", concluded that switching to 20% wheat malt, made made little difference to final taste (IBU 81, ABV 6.9%).
So now guess, Spider Monkey has lower IBU, than a regular IPA.

Found an IPA recipe, with 20% wheat malt, and three of the four hops wanted.
So tweaked it to reduce ABV; add Nelson Sauvin; and reduce IBU. Will use Verdant IPA yeast, that seems to do well in my Evil Dead Red Clone. That is also a hop forward, but low IBU beer.
Ingredients ordered, and brewing soon.

SM Clone
Batch volume: 23 litre
Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.008
ABV 5.9%
IBU (Tinseth): 41
BU/GU: 0.78
Colour: 7.7 EBC

Mash
Beta-Amylase rest — 65 °C — 60 min
Mash Out — 76 °C — 10 min

Malts (4.7 kg)
3.5 kg (71.4%) — Muntons Pale Malt Maris Otter — Grain — 5.1 EBC
1 kg (20.4%) — Simpsons Wheat Malt — Grain — 4 EBC
200 g (4.1%) — Briess Carapils — Grain — 2.6 EBC

Other (200 g)
200 g (4.1%) — Briess Dextrose — Sugar — 2 EBC

Hops (170 g)
5 g (8 IBU) — Simcoe 13% — Boil — 60 min

10 g (9 IBU) — Nelson Sauvin 12% — Boil — 20 min
10 g (9 IBU) — Simcoe 13% — Boil — 20 min
5 g (4 IBU) — Citra 12% — Boil — 20 min

40 g (7 IBU) — Nelson Sauvin 12% — Aroma — 20 min hopstand @ 80 °C
20 g (3 IBU) — Citra 12% — Aroma — 20 min hopstand @ 80 °C
10 g (1 IBU) — Cascade 7% — Aroma — 20 min hopstand @ 80 °C

Added after initial vigorous ferment:
40 g — Nelson Sauvin 12% — Dry Hop — 10 days
20 g — Citra 12% — Dry Hop — 10 days
10 g — Cascade 4.3% — Dry Hop — 10 days

Yeast: 1 pkg — Lallemand (LalBrew) Verdant IPA

Looks interesting.

peterpiper · Oct 30, 2024

Just bottled & barreled today, at just on the FG of 1008.
Colour about correct, pictured in PET bottle (pressure test). And taste seems close, given it's very sharp still.

Was planning to dry hop for 10 days, once vigerous ferment over, which happened at 2 days.
But primary ferment, in bucket, was complete after 4 days. And didn't want to leave it there, inactive, for 8 more days.
So transferred to barrel, along with dry hop container. And bottled around 5l, which will be less hopped.