New England IPA "Northeast" style IPA

[beervoid]

What's the consensus on Pomona yeast? Planning a beer soon and have that and cellar science hazy on hand. Enjoyed the c.s yeast but it was on a 4.5% hazy pale and want this one around the 7% range.

Also picking up on the above - Superdelic is very good. Comes through nicely alongside some big hitters and I've yet to get the diesel note from it. Just kegged up a citra, krush, Superdelic west coast pilsner which is a pretty promising combo.

Finally I would suggest a fermzilla conical as a good fermenter for hoppy beers (no affiliation except they are my local homebrew store). When I brew I am able to drop the yeast out the bottom (and save it if I want) meaning dry hopping yeast free beer. I can then do 02 free dry hopping and pressure transfer to my purged keg. I have a little filter inside the fermenter which stops any really large particles from blocking my kegs too. Having tried a lot of other methods this gear is as stress free as you can get with the ability to see inside the fermenter too. My 2c.

Pomona's ester profile is very overpowering ime, totally thrashes the hop profile

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Pomona's ester profile is very overpowering ime, totally thrashes the hop profile

I have seen some notes about being too much peach. Is that what you experience? I wonder if it would work better with some hop combos. Reports seem to show Pomona beers don't have the haze level of Verdant/LAIII. I just ordered my first pack of Pomona.

 

[LCBA]

Thanks, that was my next question. Putting the poppet back in place seems like it would be an oxygen inducing deal but obviously better than siphon transfer. I've always avoided in line filters because I thought they would clog with these beers. Sounds like good clear wort into the kettle, cold crash, floating dip tube, and filter is probably the best answer.

I had the same issue with clogging poppets. I tried using one of those tri clamp gaskets that has a filter, which worked but clogged quickly. In December I moved over to this massive filter, which has made the process a lot smoother. My only issue is that I don't like all that weight hanging off the racking arm tri clamp port on my conical. Next time I keg I think I'm going to run the beer from the conical racking arm, through 1/2in silicone tubing to the filter on the ground. My goal is just to not have to directly hang that filter off the fermenter. Open to other ideas if anyone has any.

 

[LumberZach]

Has anyone used S-33 lately? If so, how'd you like it?

 

[anteater8]

Going back to #6923, a YouTube where John Kimmich says:
"I tried it every day for 10 weeks, and I felt that Heady Topper is at it's best at 10 weeks" [they release at 28 days]

Also Kimmich :
When you put it in a can, I swear that day I take it home it’s good, it’s really good. But the next day, the day after that, days five, seven, 14 days go by it has a chance to evolve and come into its own in the can. With it being unfiltered and unpasteurized, that’s essentially your 16-ounce little keg-conditioned beautiful beer that will evolve and change. Over time there’s all sorts of things that happen in that can. With that said, it’s also very volatile in the same sense. If you let it warm up, well, not all yeasts are the same, but I find that our yeast is very sensitive to temperature change. It doesn’t like to warm up and get cold again, and that changes the character of the beer. I can tell if a can of Heady has ever been warmed up and re-chilled.

I tried a 6 month old Heady vs. a pretty fresh one once. The 6 month old one was absolutely fantastic, and the fresh one was slightly better still. I don't know of any other brewery that I'd gladly have a 6 month old IPA from.

 

[DevilsCups]

I tried a 6 month old Heady vs. a pretty fresh one once. The 6 month old one was absolutely fantastic, and the fresh one was slightly better still. I don't know of any other brewery that I'd gladly have a 6 month old IPA from.

When we bought out Anton-Parr DO meter at the brewery I worked at, we chatted with the rep who helped get Alchemist set up. They said the DO was so low there they thought their equipment was faulty. It was almost unbelievable.

 

[jordanfrenzy]

I tried a 6 month old Heady vs. a pretty fresh one once. The 6 month old one was absolutely fantastic, and the fresh one was slightly better still. I don't know of any other brewery that I'd gladly have a 6 month old IPA from.

I traded for some Heady and Focal Banger ages ago... probably 2014-15 and thought it was great. Not sure if something has changed with my palate or it's a canning/geographic thing. We get it once a quarter now in Denver and I don't think I've ever had an IPA with so much green onion and garlic. I think I had it for the second time in 2020/21 when Citra was not great and just chalked it up to that, but having had it at least once or twice a year since then, I'm always overwhelmed by dank onion and garlic.

 

[anteater8]

I traded for some Heady and Focal Banger ages ago... probably 2014-15 and thought it was great. Not sure if something has changed with my palate or it's a canning/geographic thing. We get it once a quarter now in Denver and I don't think I've ever had an IPA with so much green onion and garlic. I think I had it for the second time in 2020/21 when Citra was not great and just chalked it up to that, but having had it at least once or twice a year since then, I'm always overwhelmed by dank onion and garlic.

I heard similar stories from others, so I don't think your alone. For whatever reason, I still think Heady is one of the best beers on the planet. I also have a hard time describing it as an NEIPA.

 

[DevilsCups]

Yeah, Heady is decidedly not an NEIPA anymore IMO. I say anymore, because it definitely used to be many years ago. Late 2000's to early 2010's it was a wildly different brew.

 

[secretlevel]

I've seen "Vermont style IPA" term used to describe it that I like. What's interesting about Heady is that it has lots of Simcoe in it and I've never seen anyone describe it as catty! Even though other Simcoe beers get the catty descriptor all the time. I wonder if they select specifically to avoid this.

 

[TwitchellBrew]

Some of that Riwaka is starting to poke its head out with that distinctive profile. I think that Nelson from YVH was kinda trashy though. Reading back, it seems like people have not had luck with that 2023 Nelson from YVH in here.

I had some crappy Nelson previously. I think it was 23. But I just brewed a west coast with 23 Nelson that I bought on closeout from YVH and this bag is killer.

 

[TwitchellBrew]

Has anyone used S-33 lately? If so, how'd you like it?

I’ve used it twice. Both times blended 50/50 with s04. Both times it dropped clear after a few weeks. I maintain perfect haze with s04 and my suspicion is that it’s because s33 is a lousy flocculator. So I think that even with a soft crash, it stays in suspension and then drops out later taking the haze with it. It’s unfortunate because the beers were initially very good.

 

[Dgallo]

I had some crappy Nelson previously. I think it was 23. But I just brewed a west coast with 23 Nelson that I bought on closeout from YVH and this bag is killer.

Big fan of Nelson in west coast IPAs. I’m brewing a double west coast this week that’s strata Nelson and mosaic

 

[TwitchellBrew]

Big fan of Nelson in west coast IPAs. I’m brewing a double west coast this week that’s strata Nelson and mosaic

If I had strata on hand, I probably would have done that exact combo but I went with just Nelson and mosaic and it’s pretty fire. I actually think I like both hops a little more in west coast.

 

[Dgallo]

If I had strata on hand, I probably would have done that exact combo but I went with just Nelson and mosaic and it’s pretty fire. I actually think I like both hops a little more in west coast.

I def think mosaic lends itsself better to west coast but Good Nelson I love in both. Probably my favorite hop.

this next westy I’m going 100% proximity 2row and running 34/70 at 64*f to keep it super clean

 

[Dwaynehaze]

I def think mosaic lends itsself better to west coast but Good Nelson I love in both. Probably my favorite hop.

this next westy I’m going 100% proximity 2row and running 34/70 at 64*f to keep it super clean

I still need to get around to doing a West Coast myself. Have some great smelling ctz I've been waiting to throw in one for a bit here

 

[t^3]

Big fan of Nelson in west coast IPAs. I’m brewing a double west coast this week that’s strata Nelson and mosaic

My YVH package just arrived today. Planning to do same hops. What kind of ratios are you using?

 

[wepeeler]

I've seen "Vermont style IPA" term used to describe it that I like. What's interesting about Heady is that it has lots of Simcoe in it and I've never seen anyone describe it as catty! Even though other Simcoe beers get the catty descriptor all the time. I wonder if they select specifically to avoid this.

Never gotten catty from Heady. I actually get Peanut Butter flavor from super fresh Heady. It's an amazing beer, and I'd even venture to say it might be the most unique IPA ever. I've never had a beer taste remotely close to a Heady Topper, whereas I've had plenty of beers that taste like TH, OH, Trillium etc

I heard similar stories from others, so I don't think your alone. For whatever reason, I still think Heady is one of the best beers on the planet. I also have a hard time describing it as an NEIPA.

Same. I remember having it maybe 2006ish from a Keezer in the small location they had next to Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. I HATED it. I thought it tasted like battery acid. Although, I was a big Long Trail ale and Boston Lager guy at the time. My how times have changed.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I've never had a beer taste remotely close to a Heady Topper, whereas I've had plenty of beers that taste like TH, OH, Trillium etc

This I agree with.. I don't get heady topper enough to say I'm some kind of alchemist guru. Maybe twice to 4 times a year, but every time I have that, and focal banger, I'm blown away by how good and unique they are. Time to go hunting for one.

 

[x22n]

What ratio would you guys recommend for trying for the first time 1019 and Krush (586) in a hazy

I was planning on doing 2 beers, one with 1019/Citra and one with 586/Citra

 

[jordanfrenzy]

What ratio would you guys recommend for trying for the first time 1019 and Krush (586) in a hazy

I was planning on doing 2 beers, one with 1019/Citra and one with 586/Citra

I've never used a hop that dominates like 1019 does. I have very limited experience, but I did one batch with 2 oz T90 in WP and 2 oz Cryo 1019 in the dry hop (5.5g batch size). I've had commercial examples with 1019 that had a great candied orange flavor, but in large quantities to me it tasted kind of artificial. It's an awesome hop but to me it's the definition of an accent hop.

I've got a bunch of T90 and Cryo left so I'm going to get back on that horse eventually but the beer I made with it wasn't my favorite.

 

[Dgallo]

Same. I remember having it maybe 2006ish from a Keezer in the small location they had next to Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. I HATED it.

This was my first experience with it… we went one a beer trip up through Vermont, through the white mountains out to Portland Maine. This was when they were closed to the public and self distributed only in the city of Burlington. You had to follow this damn Social Media account called HeadySPOTTER and people would post if they saw the van or if they saw 4 packs in stores coolers lol

We convinced the guy at a place called Pine St Deli to let us each(my wife, but then girlfriend) get 2, 4 packs lol

Loved the beer then, enjoy it now. I’m def team Focal Banger.

 

[Dgallo]

My YVH package just arrived today. Planning to do same hops. What kind of ratios are you using?

Not quite sure exactly yet, it’s a new bag of mosaic, so it will depend on how good it smells but my loose plan is strata and mosaic hotside 1:1 and then hop 2:1:1 mosaic/nelson/strata. I have some ridiculous freestyle Nelson right now and that ratio will still have Nelson take center stage. My goal is a nelson forward beer supported by dank berries

 

[DevilsCups]

Guys - My Riwaka heavy beer is starting to smell like Riwaka. I'm so happy I could almost cry, but I'm going to see how it progresses from here.

For those following my troubles, the two things I changed this go around was giving a bit more time at stable FG before moving forward with dry-hop, and absolutely effing NUKING my kegs with a cleaning procedure. I hit them with PBW and boiling water this time, followed by Iodophor (I've never used it), followed by SaniClean. (I think it was the kegs, personally....)

So far, no odd pencil-shaving, ambiguous aroma on this batch. Things are looking up, but I don't want to count my eggs just yet. @Dgallo - I just received my second fermenting keg from Bobby @ BrewHardware. Same mods as my first one, with a welded 2" ferrule and thermowell. I'll experiment with my next NE batch with dry-hopping in a second keg with agitation.

Thanks all for listening to me moan about sucking at home and not at the brewery. Keep them fingers crossed for me, but I might be back in the game.

edit - I think it's appropriate to send a shoutout to @Bobby_M @ BrewHardware. This guy is a stalwart in the community, and if anyone is looking for custom work, ingredients or anything homebrew, and you usually order online, give him a look/shot. The guy really cares and the shop is excellent.

 

[DrGMG]

Guys - My Riwaka heavy beer is starting to smell like Riwaka. I'm so happy I could almost cry, but I'm going to see how it progresses from here.

For those following my troubles, the two things I changed this go around was giving a bit more time at stable FG before moving forward with dry-hop, and absolutely effing NUKING my kegs with a cleaning procedure. I hit them with PBW and boiling water this time, followed by Iodophor (I've never used it), followed by SaniClean. (I think it was the kegs, personally....)

So far, no odd pencil-shaving, ambiguous aroma on this batch. Things are looking up, but I don't want to count my eggs just yet. @Dgallo - I just received my second fermenting keg from Bobby @ BrewHardware. Same mods as my first one, with a welded 2" ferrule and thermowell. I'll experiment with my next NE batch with dry-hopping in a second keg with agitation.

Thanks all for listening to me moan about sucking at home and not at the brewery. Keep them fingers crossed for me, but I might be back in the game.

edit - I think it's appropriate to send a shoutout to @Bobby_M @ BrewHardware. This guy is a stalwart in the community, and if anyone is looking for custom work, ingredients or anything homebrew, and you usually order online, give him a look/shot. The guy really cares and the shop is excellent.

Not sure why but Riwaka tastes like oregano to me.

 

[Dgallo]

Not sure why but Riwaka tastes like oregano to me.

Idk what crop year you’re talking about but in 22-23’ a lot of nz hops came out very herbaceous. I had a lot of Nelson that really tasted like over cooked basil. Like that licorice kind of basil flavor. It wasn’t like bam in your face but it was there at the tail end. Very similar to one of the bags of Waimea I had, not quite basil but herby.

I don’t know if you ever had double riwaka from hill farmstead, but that beer is an amazing showcase of good riwaka. Big pineapple and tropical fruits, and a touch of earthy nz hop but no herb notes at all. Pretty sure they just recently released it again

 

[DrGMG]

Idk what crop year you’re talking about but in 22-23’ a lot of nz hops came out very herbaceous. I had a lot of Nelson that really tasted like over cooked basil. Like that licorice kind of basil flavor. It wasn’t like bam in your face but it at the tail end. Very similar to one of the bags of Waimea I had, not quite basil but herby.

I don’t know if you ever had double riwaka from hill farmstead, but that beer is amazing showcase of good riwaka. Big pineapple and tropical fruits, and a touch of earthy nz hop but no herb notes at all. Pretty sure they just recently released it again

Only decent riwaka beer I've had was made by Cycle.

 

[LCBA]

Not quite sure exactly yet, it’s a new bag of mosaic, so it will depend on how good it smells but my loose plan is strata and mosaic hotside 1:1 and then hop 2:1:1 mosaic/nelson/strata. I have some ridiculous freestyle Nelson right now and that ratio will still have Nelson take center stage. My goal is a nelson forward beer supported by dank berries

How did you come across the freestyle hops? I've looked on their website and they don't nickel and dime, only 20kg bags! That's a bit more that I need at the moment

 

[Dgallo]

How did you come across the freestyle hops? I've looked on their website and they don't nickel and dime, only 20kg bags! That's a bit more that I need at the moment

I’m in a discord group with a few competitive homebrewers, it’s kinda like an online hb club we all more or less have connections with breweries contracted or that buy from Freestyle. So we do a group buy and then someone will packaged them up and ship them out.

I currently have/will have by next week Nelson, Rakau, and Motueka.

 

[balrog]

I’m in a discord group with a few competitive homebrewers, it’s kinda like an online hb club we all more or less have connections with breweries contracted or that buy from Freestyle. So we do a group buy and then someone will packaged them up and ship them out.

I currently have/will have by next week Nelson, Rakau, and Motueka.

I *really* have GOT to drop by on my way through to Syracuse sometime.