Classic American IPA time, again! The recipe is a modest modification of my Wildfire IPA from a few months back. The malts are fairly different (crystal 40 and biscuit, instead of crystal 30), and I used light Munich instead of dark Munich malt. The hopping schedule is also adjusted, to use the clean bitterness of Magnum and all of the flavor/aroma happening in the whirlpool and dry hop. So, I suppose it’s not really a complete rebrew, but a new recipe strongly inspired by the past recipe.

The name references the C-C dry hopping, with Cascade and Chinook whole cones right in the keg. And that, in turn, is a (bad) pun on “See See Rider,” a song that originated over 100 years ago and is known to many of us because of Elvis Presley.

See See IPA

• 12 lb. 2-row brewer’s malt (Great Western)
• 1 lb. Munich light malt (Chateau)
• 0.5 lb. crystal 40 malt (Great Western)
• 0.25 lb. biscuit malt (Dingemans)
• 1.4 oz. Magnum hop pellets (13.2% alpha), 45 minute boil
• 1 tsp. Fermax, 10 minute boil
• 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
• 1 oz. Cascade whole hops (5.5% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool
• 0.5 oz. Chinook whole hops (13.1% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool
• 0.4 oz. Centennial hop pellets (9.3% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool
• 1 pkg. American West Coast Ale yeast (Lallemand BRY-97)
• 1.5 oz. Chinook whole hops (13.1% alpha), dry hop in keg
• 1 oz. Cascade whole hops (5.5% alpha), dry hop in keg

Target Parameters

• 1.057 s.g., 1.011 f.g., 6.1% abv, 7 SRM, 67 IBU
• Infusion mash, 150°, full volume; 60 minute boil
• Claremont water, with Campden tablet to remove chloramines.

Procedure

• I heated 7.5 gallons of mash water to 157°, and added the grains to hit a target mash temperature of 150° for 60 minutes. I added 10 mL of 88% lactic acid to adjust pH.
• After a 60 minute mash with recirculation, I ramped the temperature up to 168° over 10 minutes, and held it there for 10 minutes more. Next, I removed the grains and started heating to the boil.
• I had approximately 6.5 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.050, for 64% mash efficiency.
• I boiled for 60 minutes, adding hops and finings per the recipe.
• After 60 minutes, I added the whirlpool hops and recirculated for 15 minutes, before continuing to chill.
• I transferred the wort to the fermenter, and let it chill down to 68° in the fermentation chamber, before pitching the yeast.
• I brewed this beer on 14 November 2020. Starting gravity was 1.055.
• I kegged the beer on 1 December 2020, adding whole dry hops directly to the keg. I have the hop screen adapter for my Clear Beer Draft System, and thought I’d give it a try.
• Final gravity was 1.012, for 5.7% abv. This batch came pretty close to hitting targets!

Tasting

• Appearance
  • Deep gold and fairly clear, with just a smidge of haze at the time of this writing. It has cleared up surprisingly wel! The beer pours with a persistent but modest off-white head.
• Aroma
  • There are definitely Chinook hops in this! Hop aroma is at the forefront, with a heavy spicy, herbal, and slightly dank character. I don’t pick up much for citrus notes, although I could be convinced there is grapefruit as part of it. There is a hint of caramel malt character, but that’s very much in the background. No yeast character is evident.
• Flavor
  • Flavor is dominated by the hops, with the herbal and dank character mentioned above. Bitterness is moderately high, but not over the top; it’s about perfect for my tastes! The malt character is nicely supportive, and I like the malty, bready character alongside the trace of caramel. As with aroma, the yeast stays in the background, where it belongs!
• Mouthfeel
  • Medium body, with a finish that is only slightly on the dry side. Carbonation is also on the moderate side, as is appropriate for the style.
• Would I brew this again?
  • This general recipe is a great base for a classic northwestern IPA that highlights “old school” American hops. It’s pretty similar to its Wildfire IPA predecessor, and I think this overall recipe is likely to stay in my semi-regular rotation. Although it’s a bit out of vogue these days, the 2-row plus Munich base malt combo really hits the spot for me, and I think the crystal malt adds important character. My main complaint on this batch is that the Chinook hops are just a touch heavy. Their flavor plays well with everything else, but I prefer the more citrusy varieties like Cascade in my American IPAs.
• Overall
  • 7/10