Making clear IPA again

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Second bottle of my latest using S33. Centennial, mosaic, Idaho 7. Some nice fruit from the mosaic and I7, but heavier pine and citrus (which I like). Shocked that S33 dropped this clear with whirlfloc being my only fining. I also usually have chill haze but this is after maybe 2-3 days in the fridge.

Interesting. With my split batch of US-05 vs S-33, the US-05 batch was pretty clear at maybe 10 days in the keg, where the S-33 had a bit of a powdery haze for about 14 days. Now at 18 days in the keg they both have dropped very clear. This is just a Pale Ale - 93% Pale + 7% C-40, hopped with Amarillo.

Edit to add Tasting Notes: US-05 hit 78% attenuation (1.012) and is a typical clean American yeast character that lets the hops and grain shine. It is what I have grown to expect in an American Pale Ale (though it came in at around 6.1% which is bigger than I like a Pale Ale). The S-33 hit 68% attenuation (1.018) and has more yeast character that I would describe as fruity with an apricot note. It has a touch more sweetness. Drinking a pint of this beer is rather filling. I am not a huge fan of S-33 in this specific beer, but I could see it in a lower gravity beer to retain some body or maybe with some recipe tweaks to boost the "digestibility" (maybe a lower mash temp and/or swapping the Crystal for something else). I could see why people list this as a good NEIPA yeast.

US-05 vs S-33.jpg
 
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Sure! It was pretty basic. I'm one of those guys that still likes crystal malts, and 40L is my go-to. I'm not a fan of pushing all hop additions to after the boil and have sorta landed on 15/5m addition while still using a hopstand
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I undershot my OG for about 4points and ended up at 1.060. FG 1.015. Mashed at 150 for a full hour. I use a tilt and dry hopped when it showed about 80-90% done. There was definitely still fermentation taking place, and the hops stayed in the fermenter for 7-8 days before I bottled. I'm still working out kinks in that process for myself, but that seems to be working so far.

Thanks! I too like a little crystal in my IPAs. Celebration by Sierra Nevada will always be one of my favorites.
 
Thanks! I too like a little crystal in my IPAs. Celebration by Sierra Nevada will always be one of my favorites.
Mine too. And I like color. Shrug.
I might be a bit light on IBU for some folks, but 50-60 is generally enough for me. I'm not completely sure how accurate beersmith is at calculating the additions after the boil, so I just roll with it.

Interesting. With my split batch of US-05 vs S-33, the US-05 batch was pretty clear at maybe 10 days in the keg, where the S-33 had a bit of a powdery haze for about 14 days. Now at 18 days in the keg they both have dropped very clear. This is just a Pale Ale - 93% Pale + 7% C-40, hopped with Amarillo.

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Looks nice. Seems like you'd be hard pressed to tell one from the other. I think I will be taking a little break from brewing IPAs for a couple months to sneak in some other styles, but I think verdant IPA yeast is next on the list. I have a packet of K97 toiling away in the fridge that I keep meaning to use in an alt, but that might get used up too.
 
Here is a Yellow Rose Clone (Pilsner/mosaic SMaSH) that is coming around nicely. I bottled it one month ago. There is a little haze from the dryhop but this is a nice easy one that tastes great. Recipe Here

My hop (all Yakima Valley 2020 Mosaic) schedule was slightly different. For 3.5 gallons:
10g 60 min
20g 20 min
25g 5 min
28g 20 steep/whirlpool starting at 170
35g 2 day dryhop after cold crash and raised back up to 55
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I’ll bump this thread again.
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I’m not super great at beer pics. New ipa with galaxy, Amarillo, and el dorado(lupomax). Around 60-65ibu and used s04 yeast. S04 might replace notty in a lot of instances at this point, but I still have verdant ipa dry yeast to test out. It’s my favorite to date and clearing beautifully. Fruity on the nose and starts with a tropical taste but I love the bitterness it also brings. :ban:

I put a gallon into my ukeg and bottled the rest. The bottles are a few days out from getting out in the fridge but are crystal clear. The pics are from a week in the ukeg.
 
I’ll bump this thread again.
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I’m not super great at beer pics. New ipa with galaxy, Amarillo, and el dorado(lupomax). Around 60-65ibu and used s04 yeast. S04 might replace notty in a lot of instances at this point, but I still have verdant ipa dry yeast to test out. It’s my favorite to date and clearing beautifully. Fruity on the nose and starts with a tropical taste but I love the bitterness it also brings. :ban:

I put a gallon into my ukeg and bottled the rest. The bottles are a few days out from getting out in the fridge but are crystal clear. The pics are from a week in the ukeg.

I am all about clear IPA. I know S04 drops clear very easily. I need to try that on my next IPA. What’s your grain bill? It looks like something I’d be interested in.
 
I am all about clear IPA. I know S04 drops clear very easily. I need to try that on my next IPA. What’s your grain bill? It looks like something I’d be interested in.
Sure thing. I've only used S04 a few times here and there and never had it drop as clearly as notty, but it appears it will get pretty close to it. Plus I think it gave it a little something extra that may have been missing in some of my IPAs. Im slowly getting there, haha. But i'm very curious about that verdant IPA dry yeast ( I nearly only use dry).

Grain bill is simple. And I cant take credit for it, because I used a recipe from the site here from @Dgallo and reworked the hop schedule with multiple additions.
My only fining agent is whirlfloc tab between 10-15m left into the boil. Next go around I might toss in a smidge of C40 and up the IBU closer to 70 since this beer finished out just over 7%.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/base-pale-ale-recipe-for-single-hop-beers.673718/
90% rahr 2 row
6% white wheat
4% biscuit
 
I really really wonder lupomax hop varieties can work wonders on this. I might have been a bit heavy handed with the el dorado, and it would make it possible to keep in less hop haziness into the finished product.
 
Interesting that this thread should get bumped just now. My last couple brews have been hazys. 2 days ago I put a variation of @TimBrewz IRA in the fermentor. It's a great red IPA that has always cleared nicely. I used a more modern hopping schedule this time with a lot of later addition and whirlpool hops. I'll dry hop also but at about half the rate or less than the typical NE dry hop. I used whirlfloc and I will also cold crash and use gelatin. It will be interesting to see how this one clears.

I'm using a new yeast from Berkley Yeast they call London Ale DF. It is supposed to be the LA III strain engineered to produce no diacetyl. I proped it up from can dregs from Moonraker in Auburn, CA. It has a nice thick krausen but not nearly the volume I have gotten from A38 in the past.

I still find it funny that the HBT text editor thinks fermentor and fermenter are both spelled wrong.
 
So the red IPA with the LA III strain and a good dose of dry hops turned out kind of hazy and was just odd. I liked it but it struggled for an identity with the LA III esters. I'll go back to a cleaner yeast and less dry hops next time I make it .

I'm very happy with my current clear IPA. I call it Lockdown 2020 Double IPA. It was a recipe I came up with in March 2020 using up grains I had in stock. The grain bill is similar to the Two Hearted Ale clone thread here on HBT.

74% Two row
16% Vienna
5% Crystal 15
3.5% Carapils
1.5% flaked wheat (subbed for 2 row because I was short a little) Maybe this helps the nice head retention.

I added 6 oz table sugar in this 4 gallon batch to get to 1.074 OG that is not included in the percentages above.

I like this hop bill a lot (4 gallon recipe, 60 minute boil).
Hops Time IBUs
15g CTZ 15 AA 30 min 24.3
15g Azacca 14 AA 10 min 10.7
20g Mosaic 13.5 10 min 13.76
20g Azacca 14 AA 5 min 7.28
20g Mosaic 14AA 5 min 7.56
Total IBU 63.68

15g Vic Secret 20 min WP, 170° and falling
28g Mosaic 20 min WP, 170° and falling
56g Vic Secret 2 day Dry Hop @ 70F
62g Mosaic 2 day Dry Hop @ 70F

Bell's house yeast starting at 68F going up to 72F over 4 days.
Dry hop at end of day 4 at 70F for 1 day then cold crashed for 3 days to mid 30s, then added gelatin. Sat cold for another 36 hours. Raised back to 70F and bottled.
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Bump. Because I will be rattling off a string of IPAs as the bulk of my next brews. And because I like this thread. My Vienna/amarillo smash was a disappointment, taste and clarity wise so I didnt bother updating with that one earlier this year. I know we have been trying to utilize mostly fruity and fancy 'newer' hops, but I have an IPA mashing right now with mostly C hops + simcoe. A simple grain bill, no whirlpool, just a ton of late additions from 15m down to FO, and a nice dry hop charge with some lupomax Columbus, cent, and more simcoe. Will update when it goes into the keg in 10-14 days, or whenever my next day off from work. Going forward from there is a few session pale ales/ipas using verdant, and a big IPA going onto a verdant yeast cake. After that I think I can buy more hops again! yay!
 
Latest batch.
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Third glass of this keg. Color is brighter than it looks, it’s a dim basement. I went a bit high on the Columbus lupomax but I’m digging it. It’s not as fruit forward as other brews, but those will be coming later this month.
 
Latest batch.
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Third glass of this keg. Color is brighter than it looks, it’s a dim basement. I went a bit high on the Columbus lupomax but I’m digging it. It’s not as fruit forward as other brews, but those will be coming later this month.
Sweet!

Even though my 'jam' tends toward Continental lagers, I'm still a sucker for a good, clear, hoppy WCIPA. The last year for me has been a return to brewing traditional style beers utilizing more basic ingredients and simpler recipes.

At the same time I've focused on process and brew day consistency rather than chasing every new trend or shiny ingredient. It seems to be paying off in better finished beers that I'm quite proud of.

There's six kegged beers downstairs ready for the Fall competitions, but none looks better than the one you brewed in that picture. Getting back to basics is good. Perfecting one's process makes it better.
 
Sweet!

Even though my 'jam' tends toward Continental lagers, I'm still a sucker for a good, clear, hoppy WCIPA. The last year for me has been a return to brewing traditional style beers utilizing more basic ingredients and simpler recipes.

At the same time I've focused on process and brew day consistency rather than chasing every new trend or shiny ingredient. It seems to be paying off in better finished beers that I'm quite proud of.

There's six kegged beers downstairs ready for the Fall competitions, but none looks better than the one you brewed in that picture. Getting back to basics is good. Perfecting one's process makes it better.
Thanks!
Im not a huge IPA guy either. Or at least what is generally marketed as an IPA these days. I generally stick with lagers, both light and dark, cream ales, and basic pale ales. A good, solid clear IPA has been a bit of a white whale, and im slowly making progress. It's so much more than just throwing a ton of hops in at brew day. Each attempt gets better, so it keeps me brewing them. I really am curious what my results will be in a later brew that has a much, much bigger hop schedule and more intense dry hop. But I am 100% sold on the lupomax hops from YVH being a huge difference making in have a fruity, juicy forward beer, that doesn't look as unappetizing to me as some hazy beers do.
 
Thanks!
Im not a huge IPA guy either. Or at least what is generally marketed as an IPA these days. I generally stick with lagers, both light and dark, cream ales, and basic pale ales. A good, solid clear IPA has been a bit of a white whale, and im slowly making progress. It's so much more than just throwing a ton of hops in at brew day. Each attempt gets better, so it keeps me brewing them. I really am curious what my results will be in a later brew that has a much, much bigger hop schedule and more intense dry hop. But I am 100% sold on the lupomax hops from YVH being a huge difference making in have a fruity, juicy forward beer, that doesn't look as unappetizing to me as some hazy beers do.
Totally agree on beer clarity and the cryo/lupomax hops. I try not to be too hidebound or old school with regard to 'hazy' beers but I just get a visceral negative reaction at the sight of a less than clear beer. Not a fan of wheat beers for the same reason.

It's not the taste that turns me off. Some hazies taste O.K. when I close my eyes, but any chef will tell you that we taste with our eyes as much as our mouths. And I know that appearance is only worth 5 points on a score sheet. It just my irrational preference for crystal clear beer.
 
Latest batch.
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Third glass of this keg. Color is brighter than it looks, it’s a dim basement. I went a bit high on the Columbus lupomax but I’m digging it. It’s not as fruit forward as other brews, but those will be coming later this month.

Obviously, I can’t taste it from here, but that looks exactly like the type of IPA I enjoy.

I’m hoping to get started on my WC IPA “journey” soon now that I’ve got my kegging set up sorted out.
 
Totally agree on beer clarity and the cryo/lupomax hops. I try not to be too hidebound or old school with regard to 'hazy' beers but I just get a visceral negative reaction at the sight of a less than clear beer. Not a fan of wheat beers for the same reason.

It's not the taste that turns me off. Some hazies taste O.K. when I close my eyes, but any chef will tell you that we taste with our eyes as much as our mouths. And I know that appearance is only worth 5 points on a score sheet. It just my irrational preference for crystal clear beer.

I’m pretty much opposite of you. I don’t mind a hazy beer one bit just at sight. It’s just every single hazy IPA I’ve tried tastes the same. Nice mouthfeel, but I always feel like their FGs are too high as I find them sort of sticky.

I much prefer dryer beers with a solid bitterness. I welcome some fruitiness to complement the bitterness, but not too much.

Somewhere between hazies and contemporary WCIPA lands the “old school” IPA that has plenty of crystal malt, a la Sierra Nevada Torpedo. I can handle these a couple at a time with the bitterness helping out but after a couple the Crystal turns cloying to me.
 
Obviously, I can’t taste it from here, but that looks exactly like the type of IPA I enjoy.

I’m hoping to get started on my WC IPA “journey” soon now that I’ve got my kegging set up sorted out.
I've come to the conclusion that a good WCIPA is a unicorn. Hopping usually includes/requires dry hopping to provide enough 'oomph' from the hops. Add them too early and much of the aroma will get blown out with the CO2 bubbles. Plus, many of the 'new' hops result in biotransformation which produce a permanent haze: ergo, haziness or the opposite of clarity. Add hops too late and the particulates stay suspended until time and temperature take over and the haze settles out, but that strips out the flavor and aroma that you sought by dry hopping.

My thoughts are that WCIPAs need to avoid many of the New World hops that produce the juicy, fruity flavors that are currently so popular since those are the hops that seem to be the ones that biotransform more successfully.

My (unproven) thesis is that clear, hoppy WCIPAs need quality 2-row, a small amount of light crystal, and possibly a TINY amount of adjunct like rice and maybe corn. Mash low or use a Hoch-Kurz step mash that favors dryness.

Hops should favor dank for bittering and C-types for flavor and aroma. Chico yeast. Boom! Done.
 
I've come to the conclusion that a good WCIPA is a unicorn. Hopping usually includes/requires dry hopping to provide enough 'oomph' from the hops. Add them too early and much of the aroma will get blown out with the CO2 bubbles. Plus, many of the 'new' hops result in biotransformation which produce a permanent haze: ergo, haziness or the opposite of clarity. Add hops too late and the particulates stay suspended until time and temperature take over and the haze settles out, but that strips out the flavor and aroma that you sought by dry hopping.

My thoughts are that WCIPAs need to avoid many of the New World hops that produce the juicy, fruity flavors that are currently so popular since those are the hops that seem to be the ones that biotransform more successfully.

My (unproven) thesis is that clear, hoppy WCIPAs need quality 2-row, a small amount of light crystal, and possibly a TINY amount of adjunct like rice and maybe corn. Mash low or use a Hoch-Kurz step mash that favors dryness.

Hops should favor dank for bittering and C-types for flavor and aroma. Chico yeast. Boom! Done.

My first recipe is going to include mostly C hops except I think I’m going to dry hop with Mosaic. Quite possibly my favorite IPA of all time is Beachwood Amalgamator and I believe it is all Mosaic.

I plan to mitigate dry hopping issues by fermenting and serving from the same keg. I have magnets that I intend to suspend the dry hops with until time to dry hop and after dropping them the hop matter shouldn’t be a problem as they will be in a nylon bag.

Anywho, that’s my plan and I’m sure we all know how easily that can get turned upside down.
 
I recently dropped all Crystal from my Pale ale recipe, and I feel it's much better. Best Pale I've made to date. Strikingly clean for a short fermentation. You could go more bitter if you want to get into the IPA range, but it's a damn fine Pale. Crystal clear with Biofine Clear in keg. Haven't exbeerimented with dry hopping this beer yet.

77% 2 Row
16% Munich
7% Carafoam
US05 68F for 14 days
60IBU
Magnum bittering
Citra Mosaic flavor/aroma hops

Can't wait to brew this with Cascade, Centennial, CTZ, Chinook etc
 
I recently dropped all Crystal from my Pale ale recipe, and I feel it's much better. Best Pale I've made to date. Strikingly clean for a short fermentation. You could go more bitter if you want to get into the IPA range, but it's a damn fine Pale. Crystal clear with Biofine Clear in keg. Haven't exbeerimented with dry hopping this beer yet.

77% 2 Row
16% Munich
7% Carafoam
US05 68F for 14 days
60IBU
Magnum bittering
Citra Mosaic flavor/aroma hops

Can't wait to brew this with Cascade, Centennial, CTZ, Chinook etc
CaraPils and CaraFoam are technically 'crystal', but I get your point. I've done like you in greatly reducing crystal malts, except for 'pils' and 'foam' and 10L-20L in only small quantities. If I need color I go with <2 oz of Blackprinze (500L) which lends much color with virtually no additional bitterness or roastiness. Much better than the usual dehusked Carafa.

Anymore, I get turned off by anything with crystal any darker than 40L, even Bell's Two Hearted which used to be a real go-to for me.

I'm trying hard to warm up to the new wave hops, but your Hall Magnum, Citra, Mosaic combo sounds delicious. My "on deck" IPA is Simco, Citra, Mosaic, which I heard is referred to as the Holy Trinity of hops. Simco might bring more dank than the clean, neutral Magnum and play well in a WCIPA.
 
CaraPils and CaraFoam are technically 'crystal', but I get your point. I've done like you in greatly reducing crystal malts, except for 'pils' and 'foam' and 10L-20L in only small quantities. If I need color I go with <2 oz of Blackprinze (500L) which lends much color with virtually no additional bitterness or roastiness. Much better than the usual dehusked Carafa.

Anymore, I get turned off by anything with crystal any darker than 40L, even Bell's Two Hearted which used to be a real go-to for me.

I'm trying hard to warm up to the new wave hops, but your Hall Magnum, Citra, Mosaic combo sounds delicious. My "on deck" IPA is Simco, Citra, Mosaic, which I heard is referred to as the Holy Trinity of hops. Simco might bring more dank than the clean, neutral Magnum and play well in a WCIPA.
Not the 3 "C's" as the the holy trinity of IPA - Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial ?
 
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3G batch 1.061 OG down to 1.010 FG
I'm still a fan of a bit of crystal in these IPAs. I would normally have just used 2 row and a little crystal, or 2 row with Vienna and a little crystal, but I had some left golden promise to use up. I do agree that 40L is about my limit. I used to use 60L, but I cut that down to 40 about a year or so ago. My next brews will switch up yeasts as well, as im bored with Nottingham. I had a lot going on with a few things here, but it was a way to use up my last bits of simcoe and cascade in one shot. Whirlfloc is my only fining and i'm unable to cold crash, but I am started to be more patient about chilling and transferring wort into the fermenter

Next rounds are a small, sessiony IPA, and a big juicier IPA with amarillo and mosaic, and probably a little centennial because I love it and why not?

Edit: the recipe shows a 3 day dry hop. my notes show I dry hopped for 5-6 days and I kegged this beer after 8 days, which is definitely my quickest turnaround
 
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Obviously, I can’t taste it from here, but that looks exactly like the type of IPA I enjoy.

I’m hoping to get started on my WC IPA “journey” soon now that I’ve got my kegging set up sorted out.
Kegging made an absolutely huge difference for me. I was getting so frustrated by how often I would sample a beer out of the fermenter and be so excited, but then two weeks later crack a bottle and notice the degradation. And then a month later notice it wasn't even close. Im still working on getting things completely closed, but my processes are always juuuust a little sketchy.

Not the 3 "C's" as the the holy trinity of IPA - Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial ?
I absolutely love the C hops in an IPA, but I think early on in this thread, it was more aimed at getting some of the NEIPA juiciness with the new world hops, but keeping the beer in a clearer, more traditional state. I might have derailed that a bit because I got excited about this brew, haha. I think that citra/mosaic/simcoe combination that he mentioned is the newer trinity, and the C hops being old school (and for me, preferred!)

I plan to mitigate dry hopping issues by fermenting and serving from the same keg. I have magnets that I intend to suspend the dry hops with until time to dry hop and after dropping them the hop matter shouldn’t be a problem as they will be in a nylon bag.
I should try something like that sometime. I use a tilt in my brews and when I feel like its at the point where it has 3-5 points of gravity left, I dry hop. So im sure I lose some hop punch to that, plus im forced to keep my dry hops in for a bit longer than prescribed. Usually at least a week, instead of the few days most folks recommend
 
Hello, old thread.
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Latest IPA did not drop as clear as my previous batches. I had a feeling it wouldn't, as it looked pretty suspect in the fermenter when I begged. This shot is the second or third pour of my keg, in the fridge for a shade under 2 weeks.

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I used S04 this time around, which I havent used in quite awhile, and im not sure if I have ever used it in anything pale. The flavor is very close to where I wanted it, as this is one of my fruitier, but still bitter IPAs. I will always favor those C hops over the fruit, because just that charge of mosaic in the hop steep has overtaken this beer more than I'd have expected. And because I just prefer that pine/resin/bitterness over fruitbowls. I love love love the lupomax hops though and wish I'd had more to toss into this one. Or at least have moved the Columbus to a longer boil. Still dry hopping for 6-7 days to catch the end of fermentation (and my work schedule permits). Also not sure why I boil for 60m instead of my usual 45m or so. Probably because that was all the magnum I had on hand.

I'll be in lager mode for a couple months here but hoping to get back into these this spring when the basement warms up again. By then I'll be ready to buy more hops and keep searching for the perfect combo that still gives me a warm fuzzy when I can see through the glass, hah.
 
I like updating this thread every so often. Newest ipa isn’t as clear as it could be, but I’m okay with it and enjoy the golden color. Verdant yeast, a little mosaic a dash of Amarillo and a boatload of citra.

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I find myself going back to more classic hop additions lately. I have a few NZ varieties coming up in a couple weeks but I like where this one landed. It’s a tad thin, but I can work with that. (Plus I majorly mashed too low by mistake….)
Kegging and attempting more closed transfers made such a difference, wow.
 
I've got what I'm hoping will be a crystal clear DIPA. GP and Pilsner base with 8% Munich II, 4% Golden Naked Oats and a touch of Crystal 100 EBC. Centennial and Mosaic hot side, Mosaic and Amarillo cold side, 65 IBU, and a split of Cryo and Incognito.
 
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