Tag Archives: American IPA

The Weekend IPA

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It’s a bad pun of a name, but it also reflects the fact that the strength of this beer is best suited for “The Weekend” (rather than a weeknight).

The recipe used here generally follows my “Spring Classic IPA,” with adjustments to use up grains and hops on-hand. Thus, the mix of pilsner and 2-row malt. My goal with the hops was to create something that had a classic “West Coast IPA” feel to it.

The Weekend IPA

  • 9.5 lb. Lamonta pale American barley malt (Mecca Grade)
  • 5 lb. pilsner zero malt (Viking)
  • 0.5 lb. crystal 40 malt (Great Western)
  • 0.25 lb. biscuit malt (Dingeman)
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, added to mash
  • 1 oz. Warrior hop pellets (13.4% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1 oz. Lupomax Chinook hop pellets (17.0% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool
  • 1 oz. McKenzie hop pellets (13.0% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool
  • 2 pkg. BRY-97 American ale yeast (Lallemand)
  • 2 oz. Lupmax Amarillo hop pellets (14.0% alpha), dry hop in keg
  • 1 oz. McKenzie hop pellets (13.0% alpha), dry hop in keg

Target Parameters

  • 1.064 s.g., 1.011 f.g., 7.0% abv, 70 IBU, 8 SRM
  • 60 minute infusion mash, full volume, 149°
  • Claremont tap water treated with Campden tablet

Procedure

  • I heated 7.625 gallons of water to 156°, and mashed in with the grains for a target temperature of 149°. I also added 8.8 mL of 88% lactic acid at this time, to hit an estimated mash pH of 5.2. I recirculated for 60 minutes, holding at 149°.
  • Next, I raised the mash to 168°, holding it there for 10 minutes before removing the grains.
  • In total, I collected 7 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.051, for 64% mash efficiency. This was low, so I’m guessing I messed up one of the volume measurements, or perhaps could have mashed a bit longer.
  • I brought the runnings to a boil, and added hops and finings per the schedule, for a 60 minute boil.
  • After the whirlpool, I chilled the wort to 75° and transferred to the fermenter, before chilling the rest of the way down to 65°.
  • I brewed this beer on 1 October 2023, and fermented at 66°. Starting gravity was 1.064.
  • I kegged the beer on 15 October 2023, with hops added loose to the keg. Final gravity was 1.011, for 7.0% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • This beer pours with a persistent white head and a moderate gold color with some haze.
  • Aroma
    • Fresh orange peel aroma, very prominent. It’s nice!
  • Flavor
    • Fairly bitter (but not over the top), with a sweet orange character to the hops–almost like candied orange peel. The malt is definitely in the background, with a light caramel quality. The hop and malt combination give a slightly sweet profile.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, very slightly dry finish.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This is a very drinkable American IPA, and it hits many of the flavor notes I like in a beer of this style. It’s very citrus-forward, and is surprisingly smooth for its strength! I also really like the persistent head on this one. The haze detracts slightly, but other than that it’s an excellent beer. I’m a bit surprised I don’t get more pine/grapefruit on this one, given the hop combination, but I’m guessing it’s the Amarillo that’s really driving orange flavor here.
  • Overall
    • 8/10

Fruit Bowl Session IPA

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A good session IPA is nice to have on hand in the summer months, and also a handy way to burn through my hop stash. For this batch, I aimed for a “short and shoddy” approach, to speed up the brew day during a busy time of year. This meant a 30 minute mash and 30 minute boil, along with Lutra kveik to reduce chill time.

I have a decent variety of hops on-hand from my HOPBOX subscription, and aimed for a very experimental selection. Comet went in for the bittering, with a hefty dose of BRU-1 and Meridian for the dry hop in the keg. BRU-1 is supposed to provide a pineapple and green fruit combo, and Meridian some tropical fruit and berry. So, I’m calling this “Fruit Bowl Session IPA.”

Fruit Bowl Session IPA

  • 9 lb. 7 oz. Lamonta Pale American Barley Malt (Mecca Grade)
  • 8 oz. caramel malt 20L (Briess)
  • 8 oz. Munich I malt (Weyermann)
  • 2 oz. Comet hop pellets (10.4% alpha), 30 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1 pkg. Lutra Kveik (Omega OYL-071; dry)
  • 2 oz. BRU-1 hop pellets (20.0% alpha), dry hop in keg
  • 2 oz. Meridian hop pellets (5.6% alpha), dry hop in keg

Target Parameters

  • 1.046 s.g., 1.011 f.g., 4.6% abv, 59 IBU, 6 SRM
  • Full volume mash, 156° for 60 minutes, 168° mash-out for 10 minutes
  • Claremont tap water treated with 88% lactic acid to neutralize carbonates

Procedure

  • The night before brewing, I collected 7 gallons of Claremont tap water and added 5.84 mL of 88% lactic acid to neutralize the carbonates.
  • I heated the strike water to 162°, adding the grains to hit a mash temperature of 156°. I added 1.5 mL of 88% lactic acid to adjust the pH, and then recirculated for 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, I raised the mash temperature to 168°, and continued recirculation for another 10 minutes before pulling the grains.
  • In total, I collected 6.5 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.041, for 71% mash efficiency.
  • I brought the mash to a boil, adding hops and finings per the recipe. After 30 minutes, I chilled the wort to 82° and transferred to the fermenter.
  • Starting gravity was 1.045. I brewed the beer on 14 May 2023, and fermented at ambient. The fermenter temperature hit between 82° and 85° at the height of fermentation.
  • I kegged the beer on 23 May 2023. Final gravity was 1.012, which works out to 4.4% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • A straw yellow beer, with a pillowy and persistent white head. I’m writing this tasting on the last pour of the keg, which has a fair bit of haze. Even before the final pours and after sitting in the keg for two months, the beer never completely cleared.
  • Aroma
    • Bright citrus and kiwi hop aroma — very nice!
  • Flavor
    • Tropical fruit, fresh pineapple, lemon, and orange — it’s a very fruit-forward hop flavor. Bitterness is moderately high. The malt character is fairly subdued, as expected given the gravity and hoppiness of this beer.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-light body, moderate carbonation. There is a slight hop astringency, which is accentuated in the final glass.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • I’m fairly pleased with this one, especially in the hop combination. If I were to brew this again (or one like it), I would reduce the dry hop load by a bit, to cut the astringency. I would probably increase the mash time to see if that helps with the haze (in case lingering starch was the cause), too. Overall, it’s a pretty decent session IPA!
  • Overall
    • 7/10

Sabrasaic IPA

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My recent Tropical Dream IPA was a big hit, so I wanted to try another recipe in a different vein. This time around, I aimed for a combo of Citra+Mosaic+Sabro, to get a very citrusy, berry-forward blend of hop qualities. I tilted the malt towards the base malt end, with just a touch of crystal 40 to add a some depth and body.

I built this up as a bigger IPA, aiming for around 6.5 to 7.0% abv. It’s almost into double IPA territory (but not quite). It is a deceptively drinkable beer!

Sabrasaic IPA

  • 7.5 lb. 2-row pale malt (Rahr)
  • 6 lb. 7 oz. Golden Promise Malt (Simpsons)
  • 8 oz. caramel 40L (Briess)
  • 1 oz. Sabro hop pellets (14.2% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 1 tsp. BruTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1 oz. Citra hop pellets (13.4% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool
  • 1 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (12.2% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool
  • 2 pkg. BRY-97 ale yeast (Lallemand)
  • 1 oz. Citra hop pellets (13.4% alpha), dry hop in keg
  • 1 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (12.2% alpha), dry hop in keg
  • 1 oz. Sabro hop pellets (14.2% alpha), dry hop in keg

Target Parameters

  • 1.065 o.g., 1.012 f.g., 7.1% abv, 64 IBU, 7 SRM
  • Full volume mash at 149° for 60 minutes and 10 minute mash-out at 168°
  • Claremont tap water with Campden tablet, adjusted with salts to hit 137 ppm Ca, 28 ppm Mg, 84 ppm Na, 156 ppm SO4, 120 ppm Cl.

Procedure

  • I mashed in with 6.25 gallons of water at 157°, to hit a mash temperature of 149°. I adjusted the pH with 88% lactic acid, and then held the mash (with recirculation) at 149° for 60 minutes. Then, I raised the mash temperature to 168° for 10 minutes, and finally pulled the grains.
  • My mash efficiency was pretty awful — a gravity of 1.048 with 6.1 gallons, for only 56%! I have no idea why; I suspect I might have had the “buttons” on the removable bottom for the mash basket upside-down, impeding flow during recirculation. But that’s just a guess. In any case, I added a pound of extra light DME to bring up the gravity.
  • I brought the wort to a boil, adding 2 g of gypsum and 6 g of epsom salts to hit my water target parameters. I added hops and finings per the recipe.
  • After a 60 minute boil, I turned off the heat and cooled slightly before the 15 minute whirlpool. Then, I chilled the wort the rest of the way.
  • I brewed this beer on 4 February 2023, and cooled it overnight after the transfer. I pitched the yeast on 5 February 2023, using three packs because they were on the expired side. I maintained the fermenter at 66°.
  • Fermentation was very vigorous, coming out the top of the fermenter!
  • I kegged the beer on 25 February 2023, adding the dry hops to the keg at that point. Final gravity was 1.010, for 6.8% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Very clear, gold beer, with persistent white head. It pours beautifully! The head creates gorgeous lacing as it settles in the glass.
  • Aroma
    • Very delicious hop aroma! Tangerine, honeydew melon, and mango are all prominent, and incredibly delicious. Clean fermentation profile, and not much for malt character. This is all hops!
  • Flavor
    • Just like with the aroma, hops are at the forefront. It starts with some prominent mandarin orange / tangerine, and then I get cantaloupe and a bit of blueberry. The bitterness is assertive yet smooth, and is right where it should be for an American West Coast IPA.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-light body, moderate carbonation; smooth and very slightly dry finish.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • It took a little bit of time in the keg, but this has turned into one of the best American IPAs I have ever brewed. The hop combination is killer! I’ve been on a good roll lately with my IPA hop combos, especially in the tropical/fruity world. Interestingly, the Sabro hops swamped out the Citra and Mosaic, and after a few weeks, things have fallen into happy (or is that hoppy?) balance.
  • Overall
    • 10/10

Tropical Dream IPA

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I crafted this recipe to be very tropical hop-forward, with Voss kveik to accentuate any citrus qualities. The kveik choice also let me not be so fussy about temperature; in the end, I’m not sure I’m 100% happy with that decision, but even so the beer is pretty darned good. The hops are amazing!

Tropical Dream IPA

  • 12 lb. 2-row malt (Rahr)
  • 0.5 lb. biscuit malt (Dingemans)
  • 5 oz. crystal 15 malt (Great Western)
  • 5 oz. corn sugar, added to boil
  • 1.15 oz. Magnum hop pellets (10.1% alpha), 60 minute boil
  • 1 tsp. BruTanB, 10 minute boil
  • Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1 oz. Enigma hop pellets (19.2% alpha), 10 minute whirlpool
  • 1 oz. HBC 586 hop pellets (11.5% alpha), 10 minute whirlpool
  • 1 oz. Vic Secret hop pellets (18.4% alpha), 10 minute whirlpool
  • 1 pkg. Voss Kveik Ale Yeast (Lallemand)
  • 1 oz. Enigma hop pellets (19.2% alpha), dry hop in keg
  • 1 oz. HBC 586 hop pellets (11.5% alpha), dry hop in keg
  • 1 oz. Vic Secret hop pellets (18.4% alpha), dry hop in keg

Target Parameters

  • 1.060 s.g., 1.010 f.g., 6.6% abv, 67 IBU, 6 SRM
  • Full volume mash at 149° for 60 minutes and 10 minute mash-out at 168°
  • Claremont tap water with Campden tablet, adjusted to hit 113 Ca, 7 ppm Mg, 92 ppm Na, 194 ppm SO4, 110 ppm Cl, 156 ppm HCO3.

Procedure

  • I heated 7.25 gallons of water to 155°, and added the grains along with 8 mL of 88% lactic acid for pH adjustment. I maintained the mash at 149° for 60 minutes, with recirculation, and then raised the mash to 168° for 10 minutes.
  • In total, I collected 6.25 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.045, for only 60% mash efficiency. Awful! I’ve had major issues with my grain mill lately, and this was pretty much the last straw. I added a bit of DME to adjust things.
  • I added 7 g of gypsum to the boil, to hit my water target.
  • I brought the wort to a boil, adding the hops and finings per the recipe.
  • After a 60 minute boil, I chilled the wort slightly (down to around 195°), did the whirlpool, and then did the initial chilling of the wort. I finished the chill overnight at ambient, letting things settle down to around 68°.
  • I brewed this beer on 26 November 2022, pitched the yeast on 27 November 2022, and let the beer ferment at ambient. Starting gravity was 1.055.
  • I kegged the beer on 29 December 2022. Final gravity was 1.012, for 5.6% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • The beer pours relatively clear, with a light-gold appearance and a persistent white head. Overall, it’s a very pretty brew!
  • Aroma
  • Lots of hop aroma–guava, honeydew, and orange; very nice!
  • Flavor
    • The beer has a prominent pithy bitterness, with guava, melon, and bright citrus character. The malt is light, clean, and malty sweet. The yeast quality has a very slight bit of ester character; it’s not bad, but gives some kind of Belgian character to the brew. The yeast holds fairly well against the hops, but as an American IPA it would be better without the kveik.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium-light body, medium carbonation, dry finish with lingering bitterness.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • Yes, but I would likely do it without the kveik; perhaps swap in some American ale yeast instead? There is some type of ester in the background that keeps it from being truly clean. There are no off-flavors; just…something…that clashes a bit. The hop combination is fantastic, though!
  • Overall
    • 7/10

Citrosaic Session IPA

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This summer was incredibly hectic–both in expected and unexpected ways–and thus it was hard to fit in as much brewing as I would like. One of my precious brewdays was set aside for a session IPA…and because things were topsy-turvy, I decided to run with kveik.

The recipe itself isn’t based on anything in particular, beyond past experience. I wanted a beer that was flavorful in hops, highly crushable, and not too over-the-top in alcohol. Thanks to my regular HOPBOX deliveries, I had no shortage of IPA-worthy hops.

I built the recipe with a base of Golden Promise malt, and a touch of light crystal malt to keep things from being too dry or too thin. As I often do with my session beers, I mashed high. Instead of a massive whirlpool addition, I tilted the hops towards the final five minutes of the boil, and loaded in a few ounces of dry hops in the keg. Citra, Mosaic, and Eclipse were a natural combination. I hadn’t brewed with Eclipse before, but the description suggested it would meld well with the other two. As for yeast, Voss Kveik seemed like a good fit. I’ve brewed with it a few times before, and the citrus notes hopefully wouldn’t clash. Plus, I liked the idea of a yeast that I didn’t have to baby too much during summer weather.

Citrosaic Session Ale

  • 10 lb. Golden Promise Finest Pale Ale malt (Simpsons)
  • 0.25 lb. Cara 20 (Dingemans)
  • 0.25 lb. Carahell (Weyermann)
  • 1 oz. Citra hop pellets (12.8% alpha), 30 minute boil
  • 1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1 oz. Citra hop pellets (13.6% alpha), 5 minute boil
  • 1 oz. Eclipse hop pellets (16.8% alpha), 5 minute boil
  • 1 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (11.6% alpha), 5 minute boil
  • Voss kveik (Lallemand), 1 pkg. dry yeast
  • 1 oz. Citra hop pellets (13.6% alpha), dry hop in keg
  • 1 oz. Eclipse hop pellets (16.8% alpha), dry hop in keg
  • 1 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (11.6% alpha), dry hop in keg

Target Parameters

  • 1.046 s.g., 1.013 s.g., 4.4% abv, 66 IBU, 5 SRM
  • Claremont tap water, no adjustments
  • Full-volume mash, no sparge, at 156°

Procedure

  • I mashed in with 7 gallons of water at 162°, to hit a mash temperature of 156°. I held it here with recirculation for 10 minutes. I added ~7 mL of 88% lactic acid at the start of the mash, to adjust pH.
  • After 60 minutes, I raised the mash temperature to 168°, held it here for 10 minutes, and then removed the grains.
  • In total, I collected 6.1 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.043, for 69% mash efficiency.
  • I brought the mash to a boil, adding hops and finings per the recipe. After 60 minutes, I turned off the heat and chilled down to around 90°.
  • I brewed this beer on 11 July 2022. Starting gravity was 1.048.
  • I transferred the wort to my fermenter, pitched the yest, and let things roll at ambient temperature. Everything was rocking within 6 hours, and had slowed down within 18 hours.
  • Although I planned to keg this within a week or so, life got in the way (thanks, COVID), and it wasn’t until 13 August 2022 that I managed to get things transferred. I was a bit worried about flavor damage or oxidation, but it didn’t seem too awful.
  • I added the hops in a bag, at the time of kegging. Final gravity was 1.022, for 3.4% abv.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Medium-gold, fairly hazy, pours with a creamy and persistent white head.
  • Aroma
    • Fresh tangerine is prominent in the hop aroma, with a bit of passion fruit and other tropical notes; there is a touch of dankness as the beer warms up. And of course I get the class blueberry. Fermentation aroma is clean.
  • Flavor
    • Very bitter, with a slight hop “bite” and citrus pithiness. The very prominent hop flavor includes orange/tangerine, grapefruit, and a bit of blueberry. It tastes quite “juicy”! Malt is clean, with a slight hint of light caramel sweetness and graininess.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium dry, with a dry finish. Moderate carbonation.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • Yes! This is just a nice summer IPA, in the tropical/citrus tradition. I don’t want these flavors all the time, but I really liked this particular recipe. The kveik meshes well with the hops, and has a surprisingly clean profile. It just stays out of the way. I wouldn’t mind if the clarity was better (hence my lower rating), but in the end this is a highly crushable IPA, exactly what I wanted.
  • Overall
    • 8/10