Hazy IPA with lager yeast?

[dolanrolan]

I make a lot of Hazy IPAs and I'm always looking to try different things. I'm also not typically a big lager fan. So I thought what would happen if you made a Hazy IPA, but used lager yeast? There are a bunch of tests on Brulosophy that indicate many lager strains can ferment perfectly fine at ale temps, so I figured I might as well do that as well. Has anybody tried this before? Is there any reason it wouldn't come out tasting good?

 

[yowzers]

I don't make hazy beers on purpose, but I use 34/70 all the time and it works fine if you can keep it around 65 F. Great, clean yeast. I don't know if it would make the fruity flavors you are seeking.

 

[dolanrolan]

34/70 was high on my list of yeasts to try for this. I typically use a pretty neutral american ale yeast (Imperial Flagship) so I don't anticipate 34/70 would be all that different.

 

[Dgallo]

Yeah. It’s an IPL. Jacks Abby brewing makes plenty of them. The lager yeast let the hops themselves shine

 

[dchmela]

I have 2 IPL's on tap right now, one with 34/70 and another with S-23. I fermented the 34/70 at 58-60 and it has Azzaca and Strata hops. Really nice and clean. The S-23 I fermented at 52 to keep down the fruitiness. This one has HBC 586 and Talus and the hops really pop. I would totally try a hazy with either, I would think the 34/70 would be the most flexible.

 

[couchsending]

I make a lot of Hazy IPAs and I'm always looking to try different things. I'm also not typically a big lager fan. So I thought what would happen if you made a Hazy IPA, but used lager yeast? There are a bunch of tests on Brulosophy that indicate many lager strains can ferment perfectly fine at ale temps, so I figured I might as well do that as well. Has anybody tried this before? Is there any reason it wouldn't come out tasting good?

No reason you can’t.. but really no reason to do it honestly.

If you want to do something different I’d suggest a Kolsch yeast at 70. They can do interesting things to hops and create some cool esters on their own (and also don’t produce diacetyl). There are a bunch of professional breweries that do this.

1007 or 2565 fermented at 70. Don’t bother with wlp029.

 

[monkeymath]

For me, flavours of tropical fruit don't pair well with "classic lager flavours" and that whiff of musty basement.
I think the best you can do here is brew a lager that doesn't taste like a lager - which begs the question why you'd try and do it in the first place (except for "the lulz").

 

[couchsending]

For me, flavours of tropical fruit don't pair well with "classic lager flavours" and that whiff of musty basement.
I think the best you can do here is brew a lager that doesn't taste like a lager - which begs the question why you'd try and do it in the first place (except for "the lulz").

I’d disagree. Most unbelievable beer I had in 2019 was Timbo Pils from Highland Park. And that’s compared to many beers from HF, Monkish, Treehouse, Trillium, Cellarmaker, Alvarado St, et

I have never smelled a heavily mosaic/Citra Dry hopped beer that smelled like that! The most intense clean fruit. You can fine tune a lager yeast to not produce much sulfur and really just be a super clean ferment for the hops to shine.

34/70 at 53 for 3 days then let it climb to 60 will be pretty darn clean and virtually no sulfur. A little copper in the kettle can help with the sulfur as well.

 

[monkeymath]

You can fine tune a lager yeast to not produce much sulfur and really just be a super clean ferment for the hops to shine.

I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but "a super clean ferment for the hops to shine" is pretty much what you get out-of-the-box with US-05 or a similarly boring ale yeast. So why bother with a lager yeast if you do not actually want a lager?!

 

[dolanrolan]

My primary reason for doing this is to better understand the lines between styles and ingredients. Just exploring ingredient combinations to inspire myself to create new beers and maybe someday I'll come upon something that tastes unique and great.

 

[firerat]

My primary reason for doing this is to better understand the lines between styles and ingredients. Just exploring ingredient combinations to inspire myself to create new beers and maybe someday I'll come upon something that tastes unique and great.

Well that's about as good of a reason as any then.

 

[DuncB]

White labs high pressure lager yeast was a bugger to get clear so that should help your haze. I Fermented warm under pressure, but I'd hold off the pressure at the start to get a few funky esters if fermenting warm for a hazy ipa. I was doing a pilsner so wanted to crush any esters with the pressure and it worked

 

[Dgallo]

I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but "a super clean ferment for the hops to shine" is pretty much what you get out-of-the-box with US-05 or a similarly boring ale yeast. So why bother with a lager yeast if you do not actually want a lager?!

Slower fermentation of lager yeast can possibly preserve more flavor and aroma compounds. There is also some new science/studies being done to examine what conversions certain lager yeast can do to hop compounds. It’s in my experience that hop presence is much greater with lager yeast. For example, my most recent NZ Pilsner only utilized 3.75 oz of hops in total, with a small .75oz of that as the dryhop and its so expressive it rivals the hop presence of ales I use 10 oz in. OP, I def think it is worth exploring