My favorite issue of Zymurgy magazine each year features the Gold Medal winning recipes in each category from the National Homebrew Competition (NHC.) This year, a Double IPA recipe caught my eye. It looked so good in fact, I contacted gold medal winner Randy Sauter to ask if I could feature it here for everyone. Lucky for all of us, he was happy to oblige.
“It started out as sort of a Pliny the Elder Clone. We can’t get Pliny here in South Dakota,” Randy states. “I’ve brewed it a number of times, making minor tweaks. I beefed it up some to 8.8% ABV. I guess there’s no need for modesty – it’s pretty darn good.”
Randy’s been brewing for close to 14 years. He sticks to ales and has a couple go-to recipes in an American Porter and American Wheat. In 2014, he took bronze in the NHC, in the crowded 800+ entry category of IPA.
When asked if he had a favorite malt Randy stated, “I like Briess Brewers malt, I like the way it works. It just works well every time.”
You’ll find it’s the base of the Double IPA below, your gold medal winner out of 173 entries in this year’s National Homebrew Competition!
Randy Sauter’s Gold Medal Double IPA
Batch Size: 5 Gallons | Original Gravity: 1.075 | Final Gravity: 1.008 | ABV 8.8%
Recipe Notes: Mash at 150°F for 90 minutes. Mash out at 168°F for 10 minutes. 90 minute boil. Two weeks in secondary, dry hop in secondary.
| Quantity | Ingredient | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 14.19 lbs | Briess Brewers Malt | Mash |
| 0.75 lbs | Dextrose | Mash |
| 0.64 lbs | Briess 40L Crystal Malt | Mash |
| 0.64 lbs | Briess Carapils® Malt | Mash |
| 3.7 oz | Columbus Hops 13.1% AAU | 90 minutes, at start of boil |
| 0.8 oz | Columbus Hops 13.1% AAU | Last 45 minutes of boil |
| 1 oz | Simcoe® Hops 13.5% AAU | Last 30 minutes of boil |
| 2.5 oz | Simcoe® Hops 13.5% AAU | 0 min of boil, flameout |
| 1 oz | Centennial Hops, 8.8% AAU | 0 min of boil, flameout |
| 1 oz | Centennial Hops, 8.8% AAU | Dry hop, 14 days |
| 1 oz | Columbus Hops 13.1% AAU | Dry hop, 14 days |
| 1 oz | Simcoe® Hops, 13.5% AAU | Dry hop, 14 days |
| 0.25 oz | Centennial Hops, 8.8% AAU | Dry hop the last 5 days |
| 0.25 oz | Columbus Hops 13.1% AAU | Dry hop the last 5 days |
| 0.25 oz | Simcoe® Hops, 13.5% AAU | Dry hop the last 5 days |
| 1.5 L | White Labs WLP001 Yeast | Make starter |
| 0.5 tsp | Yeast Energizer (in starter) | |
| 2 tsp | Calcium Chloride (in mash) | (optional) |