Best Brut IPA Recipe?

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Hello All!

I just picked up Sierra Nevada's seasonal Brut IPA and I'm in love... according to their website their recipe consists of Two-row Pale, Acidulated, Wheat, Chinook, Comet, Crystal, Simcoe, and Ale Yeast. While their beer is slightly "watered down" for my liking I'd maybe like to replicate the recipe while adding more hops! Here's their description: "We brewed this new take on IPA with a bone-dry, champagne-style finish in mind. Late hop additions lend a bright pop of citrus flavor and create balanced bitterness. Brut IPA is as intriguing as it is drinkable."

Question 1: What style would I pick on BeerSmith to correctly see if my created recipe matches the style guide sliders?

Question 2: I tried looking on our recipe forum and couldn't find anything that popped out. Anyone know any recipes posted on here that are a stand-out to you? Or maybe one that has won some awards?


Thanks!

Brew on!!
 
It’s not going to fit in a style, but you can use 21B for comps if that matters to you.

I don’t have a recipe posted, but my keys are:

1. Use kveik yeast in the 90s F (really plays well with the style)
2. Keep the abv below 6% (OG in the 1.040s, should be crushable)
3. Fruity hops (basically anything you’d use in a NE IPA)
4. Add the glucoamylase in the fermenter
5. Simple grainbill (2-row and a touch of corn, low SRM and the enzyme will destroy most nuance)

Fast turnaround with the kveik yeast (24 hr ferm time), makes for a great summer beer!
 
It’s not going to fit in a style, but you can use 21B for comps if that matters to you.

I don’t have a recipe posted, but my keys are:

1. Use kveik yeast in the 90s F (really plays well with the style)
2. Keep the abv below 6% (OG in the 1.040s, should be crushable)
3. Fruity hops (basically anything you’d use in a NE IPA)
4. Add the glucoamylase in the fermenter
5. Simple grainbill (2-row and a touch of corn, low SRM and the enzyme will destroy most nuance)

Fast turnaround with the kveik yeast (24 hr ferm time), makes for a great summer beer!

Thanks for the reply!!!!

1. For the glucoamylase - do I add as I pitch the yeast? Practically at the same time?

2. So 2 Row with a touch of corn... got it. What do mean by, “...low SRM and the enzyme will destroy most nuance.”?

3. So you like to use Kveik yeast? I’ve heard Safale05 used a lot. What’s your reasoning on the Kveik?

4. Do you have any percentages on the grain bill?

PS. For others chiming in - what do you think the water profile for this beer should be?
 
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Add the gluco in your whirlpool once under 140, it’ll carry into fermenter but get a good start in WP at the higher temps.

Enzyme breaks unfermentables into fermentables- no point using anything but base malts really.

Most say use neutral yeast to let hops shine. But no reason you cant get yeast esters in there too if they compliment the hops. Could even go easy on hops if yeast is giving you lots of flavor.

Grain can be 100% pils or two row. Light adjuncts like corn, rice, etc up to 20% or 30 sometimes. Rye could be a good mix under 20%.

Just fyi- if you thoughht the sierra brut was watery you’re kinda missing the point of the style. Its like a macro light beer but with nice hop notes. (Minus the ass/piss taste) All about drinkabilty. No body at all except what you get from the alcohol. Like tecate and tecate platinum.
 
+1 to everything @SanPancho wrote!

I love kveik yeasts in this style, but I will say I haven’t tried US-05 in a Brut, so with same process could be just as good.

I feel like the fruity esters and residual body (just enough at bone dry gravity to give the hops a backbone) I get at high ferm temps with the kveik yeasts are my primary benefits.

For water profile, I target mash pH = 5.2 and simple even blend of SO4/Cl around 75 ppm each. Around 50 and 25 for Ca and Na. All built with RO.
 
Just fyi- if you thoughht the sierra brut was watery you’re kinda missing the point of the style. Its like a macro light beer but with nice hop notes. (Minus the ass/piss taste) All about drinkabilty. No body at all except what you get from the alcohol. Like tecate and tecate platinum.

Awesome!! Thanks for the input!

I think watered down was a bad description of what I was thinking in my head... I was looking for more hop flavor. How many IBUs would you say is maximum for this style?
 
Awesome!! Thanks for the input!

I think watered down was a bad description of what I was thinking in my head... I was looking for more hop flavor. How many IBUs would you say is maximum for this style?

I knew I was missing something!

Keep IBUs below 30 imo, with about 20 preferred. This can get tough as it’s hard to standardize Whirlpool IBU pickup across different systems/setups. I have had good luck with 1 oz at 5 min, 3 oz in whirlpool (starting at 170F) and 6 oz dry hop. This is for 6 gal in fermenter to package 5 gal and assumes high alpha hop variety is used.
 
Yeah. Definitely keep it low, like in lager territory. Watch the pickup from your whirlpool/hopstand.

Water profile should be soft in my opinion. You can always add salts to a pint and see if you like more.
 
For the record Sierra Nevada Brut is probably the least fruity Brut IPA I've had (and my favorite as well). If you like that recipe focus on bringing out the pine and citrus hop flavors with the melon and gooseberry notes in the background

I would use a majority of Simcoe with Comet second and Chinook third. I wouldn't add hops any earlier in the boil than 10 mins. I would also bump the IBU up close to 30 since the SN version is pretty bitter compared to most others
 
It’s not going to fit in a style, but you can use 21B for comps if that matters to you.

I don’t have a recipe posted, but my keys are:

1. Use kveik yeast in the 90s F (really plays well with the style)
2. Keep the abv below 6% (OG in the 1.040s, should be crushable)
3. Fruity hops (basically anything you’d use in a NE IPA)
4. Add the glucoamylase in the fermenter
5. Simple grainbill (2-row and a touch of corn, low SRM and the enzyme will destroy most nuance)

Fast turnaround with the kveik yeast (24 hr ferm time), makes for a great summer beer!

I think the above will get you on the ball park. I've brewed a few with different hops and my favourite so far is Vic secret as a single hop. Extra Pale MO is a great be malt for this and it doesn't need much else.

I've used US-05 but will try a kveik next time as I could see it working well.

I've added enzyme in the fermenter and the mash but I prefer adding it to the mash. This tends to finish around 1.002/3 for me whereas with adding in the fermenter I've got 0.997. the small amount of residual sugar helps with the juicy hop flavour in my opinion.
 
I disagree with some of the earlier posts. Most brewers say that adding enzyme in the fermentation mutes hop flavors. If you are doing a big dry hop addition that would be a waste. You will get higher attenuation but I still get mine from 1.070 to below 1.004 by adding in mash. I use BSG amalayze enzyme if that helps. Also used W1056/WL001. The style (though there is no specific guidelines) calls for more malt flavor and less yeast character. I ferment at 66F and fermentation took 10 days. As far as a BeerSmith style I also suggest using 21B for profile.
Here is my recipe it’s like social kitchens
11 lbs Pilsner
1lbs maize
1lbs flaked rice
90 min boil
.5oz Horizon at 60
Irish moss at 15
1oz Vic Secret at 10
Yeast nutrient at 10
2oz Citra at WP
1 min pure oxygen at 68 degrees
W1056
More yeast nutrient at dry hop addition
7oz Citra at dry hop (when gravity is below 1.020.
 
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I disagree with some of the earlier posts. Most brewers say that adding enzyme in the fermentation mutes hop flavors. If you are doing a big dry hop addition that would be a waste. You will get higher attenuation but I still get mine from 1.070 to below 1.004 by adding in mash. I use BSG amalayze enzyme if that helps. Also used W1056/WL001. The style (though there is no specific guidelines) calls for more malt flavor and less yeast character. I ferment at 66F and fermentation took 10 days. As far as a BeerSmith style I also suggest using 21B for profile.
Here is my recipe it’s like social kitchens
11 lbs Pilsner
1lbs maize
1lbs flaked rice
90 min boil
.5oz Horizon at 60
Irish moss at 15
1oz Vic Secret at 10
Yeast nutrient at 10
2oz Citra at WP
1 min pure oxygen at 68 degrees
W1056
More yeast nutrient at dry hop addition
7oz Citra at dry hop (when gravity is below 1.020.

To each their own, but that looks like it’s a 9% ABV beer with 40+ IBUs, so yeah I’d say you disagree haha!

I’m not aware of any recommendation for malty flavor in this style, quite the opposite really (neutral and dry, let the hops shine).

Do you have any reference for the enzyme muting hop flavor? Just curious how that would work, thanks!
 
To each their own, but that looks like it’s a 9% ABV beer with 40+ IBUs, so yeah I’d say you disagree haha!

I’m not aware of any recommendation for malty flavor in this style, quite the opposite really (neutral and dry, let the hops shine).

Do you have any reference for the enzyme muting hop flavor? Just curious how that would work, thanks!

Here is the recipe from the guy who invented the style from an https://www.google.com/amp/s/beerandbrewing.com/amp/social-kitchen-and-brewery-brut-ipa-recipe of Craft Beer and Brewing. My hop schedule is basically the same just replacing Mosiac with Citra.

The IBUs of my recipe are actually only at 13.9 because IBUs added on cold side don’t actually impart bitterness.

Here is the article from three professional brewers that notes for one of them, in their experience, adding the enzyme to the fermentation mutes hop flavor. https://www.morebeer.com/articles/a_brut_ipa_tale

The best thing about being a homebrewer is that we can all make our own interpretations of each recipe. My only advice to the OP is do what YOU want to.
 
You can also make your own style in BeerSmith... I created one for Brut IPA based on the averages (as far as I could tell) on the big Brut IPA thread
 
Here is the recipe from the guy who invented the style from an https://www.google.com/amp/s/beerandbrewing.com/amp/social-kitchen-and-brewery-brut-ipa-recipe of Craft Beer and Brewing. My hop schedule is basically the same just replacing Mosiac with Citra.

The IBUs of my recipe are actually only at 13.9 because IBUs added on cold side don’t actually impart bitterness.

Here is the article from three professional brewers that notes for one of them, in their experience, adding the enzyme to the fermentation mutes hop flavor. https://www.morebeer.com/articles/a_brut_ipa_tale

The best thing about being a homebrewer is that we can all make our own interpretations of each recipe. My only advice to the OP is do what YOU want to.

I’m all for people brewing what they want to brew!

What I’m not all in on is people providing (imo) confusing advice. For example, the morebeer article says:

“A crisp and clean finish shines through without any interference or presence of caramel or overt maltiness.“

This contradicts your suggestion that the style should be malty. Further reinforced later on by Kim’s comments.

You also added 3 lb of base malt to Kim’s recipe, which is a pretty substantial difference imo.

I got 40 IBUs from the Horizon and Vic Secret BK additions, how are you calculating 13.9?

Finally, I have had great luck pitching the glucoamylase with yeast, so maybe that’s key to avoiding diacetyl and any possible negative hop oil interaction.
 
I know this is an old thread but trying to get some input on brewing an Ommegang Brut IPA. I've been researching and I'm planning on using Belgium Pils, Flaked corn and rice then Mandarina Bavaria, Calypso and Citra hops. Going to bottle harvest my yeast from their Wit beer.
 
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