I skipped a round last year, but decided that I needed to do another batch of my old favorite, Pannotia White IPA.

As I brewed this a few weeks back and as I enjoyed it now, I reflected on the fact that the (now long since past) white IPA mini-craze laid groundwork for the current hazy IPA mega-craze. White IPAs share some important features with the hazy ones, including haze and a juicy-fruity hop bill. They’re a distinct beast though, distinguished in large part by their drier body and distinct Belgian character. Personally, I find white IPAs a lot more enjoyable, but then again I also find the vast majority of hazy IPAs to be pretty mediocre.

In any case, this version of my white IPA recipe is pretty similar to the last time I brewed it, with the only minor distinction being the lack of lemon zest tincture. No particular reason I skipped that–I just forgot. Ah well!

Pannotia White IPA 1.7

• 7 lbs. 2-row malt (Rahr Malting Co.)
• 3 lbs. white wheat malt
• 1 lb. flaked wheat
• 0.5 lbs. flaked quick oats
• 0.5 lbs. rice hulls
• 2 oz. Amarillo hops pellets (7.7% alpha), 45 minute boil
• 1 oz. Amarillo hops pellets (7.7% alpha), 5 minute whirlpool
• 1 oz. Citra hops pellets (13.2% alpha), 5 minute whirlpool
• 1 oz. Galaxy hops pellets (13.8% alpha), 5 minute whirlpool
• 1 oz. Citra hops pellets (13.2% alpha), dry hop in keg
• 1 oz. Galaxy hops pellets (13.8% alpha), dry hop in keg
• 1 oz. Mosaic hops pellets (11.3% alpha), dry hop in keg
• 1 tsp. Fermax, 10 minute boil
• 8 g gypsum (added to boil)
• 0.35 oz. bitter orange peel, 1 minute boil
• 0.15 oz. coriander seed (crushed), 1 minute boil
• 1 pkg. Belgian Wit Ale yeast (WLP400, White Labs), prepared in 1.25L starter, chilled and decanted

Target Parameters

• 60 minute infusion mash, 152°, batch sparge
• 1.059 o.g., 1.013 f.g., 6.1% abv, 60 IBU, 4 SRM
• Claremont water, with 8 g gypsum added to boil

Procedure

• I began a starter a few days in advance of brewing, and cold crashed it for two days.
• I mashed in with 4 gallons of water at 163.6°, hitting a mash temperature of 152°. I added 10 mL of 88% lactic acid to hit my pH estimate.
• With two collections of runnings (one after 0.75 gallons of water at 185° and one after adding 3.35 gallons at 185°), I collected 6.8 gallons of runnings in total with a gravity of 1.046, for 73% efficiency.
• I brought everything to a boil, adding hops and such per the recipe. After 60 minutes, I turned off the flame and chilled to pitching temperature.
• I brewed this beer on 18 May 2019, fermenting at 66°. Learning my lesson from past experiences with an extremely vigorous fermentation for WLP400, I used a blow-off tube for initial fermentation. I moved it to ambient temperatures on 2 June 2019, and kegged on 22 June 2019. The hops were added to the keg in a mesh sack at this point.
• Starting gravity was 1.057, and final gravity was 1.011, for 6.1% abv.
• The tasting was done about a month after kegging; two months after kegging, this beer is still holding up really well!

Tasting

• Aroma
  • Tropical fruit forward; it’s like a nose punch of passionfruit, guava, and citrus all at once! There’s just a hint of the Belgian ale spice behind that.
• Appearance
  • Slightly hazy, with a pale gold color. The head is low but persistant.
• Flavor
  • Definite tropical hop flavor at the front of this, with a smooth bitterness and the spicy Belgian ale yeastiness around that. Malt character is in the background, and is pretty clean (as expected for the grain bill).
• Mouthfeel
  • Moderate carbonation, moderate body, very slightly dry finish.
• Would I brew this again?
  • Yep! This is a good recipe as always. The head could be a touch better on this one, I probably should have added the lemon tincture, and I suppose there should be a little more haze, but nonetheless it’s a great beer.
• Overall
  • 9/10