DIPA hopping schedules

[Paul B]

I've been looking to do a DIPA and due to hop availability have settled on a Pliny clone.

My question is around late hopping.  Everything I've been reading on killer IPAs says basically screw everything but the 60/90 min bitter addition and 0 min / whirlpool additions.  However, the recipe from RR has a 45 min and 30 min addition.

Clearly the guy from RR should know best, but it's just so contrary to everything you read.  Should I hold these off and use at 0 and later("whirlpool") or stick to the recipe?

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

He knows his system best, which may or may not have the kind of whirlpool capability that many home brewers have.

[Paul B]

He knows his system best, which may or may not have the kind of whirlpool capability that many home brewers have.

Meaning...?

[baphomite51]

Iv brewed that recipe twice now, I'd keep the 30 minute addition it's important, If I was you I'd slash the 90 minute addition mine have come out very bitter but they have been less alcoholic iv got one legged now it's 7.5% and i think if I'm doin it again I'll still reduce bitterness and use hop shot aswell if you can this is wat Vinnie uses despite wat recipe says

[Parky]

My own teaspoon full of knowledge is that every hop addition adds a little something to the end product.

Think of it like the difference between the sound produced by a vinyl record and a CD. Vinyl is an accurate reproduction of the sound, whereas a CD is an approximation of that same sound. Sure, they both sound great, but the CD is missing some of the subtleties that are present with vinyl.

When you omit, or reduce, the midway hop additions you're effectively leaving out the opportunity to add complexity to the bitterness and flavour. You'll make a great beer for sure, but it won't be exactly the same.

Do these subtleties matter to the home brewer? - that's a matter of taste, depends what you're looking for in the end product. But just consider, you're not under the same pressure as a commercial brewery, you have time on your side, so why not go for it!

Here's a quote from another forum on a similar subject -

You're going to get a lot of contributions to the hop flavor/aroma/bitterness by using a lot of hops -- but the impact of the hops in terms of all three are different at each step. None are necessarily better than others; they contribute differently and add complexity to the flavor by making those step additions.

You can dryhop lots of hops and you'll get great aroma from it. Since you "taste" through both your nose and your mouth, you will perceive some of that aroma as flavor. However, it's not going to be as interesting and complex of a flavor as doing the dryhop and the 20, 15, or 10 minute additions. That said, you may enjoy the flavor of what that process gives you -- and that's really what matters.

The other issue you run into is that the later the addition -- especially after boiling -- the less stable the hop contribution, so it will fade over time. This may not be a problem if you intend on drinking your beer quickly, but if you plan on aging it, you definitely will lose some of your hop flavor and aroma as time goes on.

The IBUs on Pliny the Elder are huge (90 IBUs!), so if you wanted to reduce them I would reduce each addition proportionally rather than eliminate them - you can do this handy enough with brewing software. Just my two cents though 

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

He knows his system best, which may or may not have the kind of whirlpool capability that many home brewers have.

Meaning...?

The recipe is based around the capabilities of their brew house.

No whirl pooling may be because their original brew house didn't have any facility for it.

I doubt if this is the case anymore, us breweries have invested a lot in hop utilisation.