All Hopped Up-5

 This is our 5th iteration of our enormously popular Double Imperial aromatically hoppy ale. Last time we failed to add gypsum to the boil, and the results were a much less hoppy beer, but a fair comparison to Arrogant Bastard. Since we love the hops, and want to downplay the carmel maltiness a bit, we'll return to the gypsum and reduce the Crystal 60 from 2 to 1 pound in this 10 gallon recipe. Here's the plan for brewing on Memorial Day 2012:

Grain bill (which we've never documented previously!):
30 lbs Great western Organic (California grown and malted!) 2 row malt
2 lbs Briess Organic Carapils malt
1 lb (previously 2) Great Western Organic Crystal 60 malt

Mash grains in about 10 gallons water (147 degrees for 40 mins; 151 deg for 20 mins).

Fly sparge: Vorlauf; add 4 gallons water at 170 deg.

First Wort Hopping (FWH): add 1 oz Columbus to sparge/wort receiving vessel. Total time for sparge: 30 minutes, concurrently heating wort to boil.

At start of boil: (goes for 90 mins)

• add 3oz Columbus
• add 6T gypsum (to harden soft water and bring out hop aromas)
• add 2# organic sugar cane

at 80 mins into boil: Add 4 oz Chinook

at 85 mins into boil: Add 4 oz Cascade

At end of boil ("knock out"):

• Add 4 oz American Summit (very hoppy smell)
• Add 1 oz German Hallertaur tradition
• Add 2 oz Pilgrim

Original gravity expected: 1.080

Yeast starter (White Labs California Ale yeast) started 72 hours prior to pitching, using 1.5 liters water per starter. Pitched at 71 F at 9:15p.m. on 5/28/12.