Batch #25 - Unearthly Imperial IPA Clone

It was time, last brew the lager, now an Imperial IPA.  I found this recipe in a Clone Brews book I have.  In truth I have not had the original brew, but I got it on good authority if going after an Imperial IPA, this would be a good one to go after.  I'll get some bottles of it before I drink mine so I can compare.

I am going to do a slight variation in the recipe though.  The recipe calls for dry hopping, as do pretty much every single IPA ever brewed.  However I am looking for a reason to use my Blichmann HopRocket, so I plan to use it as a Randalizer rather than dry hopping.  Will see how well that works out.  I picked up the fittings I would need on my last trip to my LHBS, and only need to get my hop leaves ordered (can't use pellets in this).

Here is the recipe:

Batch Size - 5 gallons

Grains18 lbs 4 oz - UK 2-Row Pale Malt
8 oz - Torrified Wheat
4 oz - Crystal Malt 10L
4 oz - Caramunich Malt

Additions
1 lbs - Cane Sugar

Hops
2.6 oz - Chinook (13%) (90 min)
1.43 oz - Cascade (5.5%) (15 min)
0.36 oz - Cascade (5.5%) (5 min)
0.36 oz - Centennial (10%) (5 min)
0.36 oz - Chinook (13%) (5 min)
1.43 oz - Fuggles (5.4%) (1 min)
0.5 oz - Cascade (5.5%) (dry hop)
0.5 oz - Centennial (10%) (dry hop)
0.5 oz - Chinook (13%) (dry hop)

Yeast
Wyeast 1056 - American Ale

Brewers Salts
2 g Chalk
2 g Calcium Chloride
2 g NaCl

The brew schedule was as follows:
Mash
1.25 q water/lb
60 min at 151 degrees
Mashout to 170 degrees for 10 min
Sparge for approx 1 hour

Boil
90 min boil
Full 90 min add first Chinook hops
Final 15 min - Add Cascade as outlined above, add whirfloc tablets
Final 5 min - Add Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial as outlined above
Final 1 min - Add Fuggles

Fermentation
Primary - 14 Days @ 64Secondary - 14 Days @ 72
Keg Condition - 14 Days

Here are the specs on this brew:IBU's -100 IBUsColor - 7.5 SRMCalories - 315 per 12 ozEstimated OG - 1.097Actual OG - 1.092Estimated FG - 1.010Estimated ABV - 10.9%

This one has been slow to ferment.  I did a large starter given the hi OG, however it is still bubbling away.  After two weeks in the fermentation chamber, where after one week I bumped up the temp to 70 degrees, it was not fully completed.  I have now placed the carboy in my basement which is a little warmer in the lower 70's, and after a week there is still some bubbling activities.  This weekend I will take another gravity reading.  At the time of the move gravity was down to 1.015, so it showed a little more to go.

I have some more research to do on how much conditioning I should do.  On one hand you should condition higher gravity beers for a long time to really smooth out.  However with IPA's, you lose a lot of hop flavor the longer you let it sit.  I suspect somewhere in between is a sweet spot, the trick is to find it!