Not so hazy IPA report:
9 lb 2 row
5 lb pils
3 lb flaked wheat
0.75 lb wheat
0.25 lb honey malt
1 oz Amarillo 15 min (13 IBU)
1 oz Strata 5 min (7 IBU)
1 oz Amarillo whirlpool (175 for 30 min)
1 oz Strata whirlpool (175 for 30 min)
2 oz El Dorado whirlpool (175 for 30 min)
4 oz Strata dry hop
2 oz El Dorado dry hop
4 oz El Dorado lupomax dry hop
2 oz Amarillo dry hop
2 oz Amarillo lupomax dry hop
Whirlfoc 10 min
Yeast nutrient 10 min
Imperial Juice gen 1
75:225 sulfate chloride
O.G. = 1.070
F.G. = 1.019
ABV = 6.7%
View attachment 826700
I decided to try a few newish things on this batch.
1. later boil additions
2. reduce WP to 4 oz and increase DH to 14 oz
3. dry hop after soft crashing without raising temp back up
4. using whirlfloc and gelatin to reduce hop burn
5. bump CaCL up to 225
Clearest NEIPA I’ve ever brewed, probably not passable for a hazy. Pineapple, strawberry, and melon aroma. Pine, strawberry, pineapple, mango taste. Finishes just slightly bitter. The flavors are definitely pretty cool and kind of unique. Mouthfeel is medium but comes across crisp and almost slightly drying. Overall its decent and interesting IPA but I wouldn't call it a NEIPA, more like a fuller bodied modern west coast IPA.
For what its worth I've brewed probably 30 or 40 of these and have gotten medals for 6 of them, but most of those medals were for recipes that used way less hops and no soft crashing or fining agents. Those NEIPAs were really good but not perfect so I've been putting a lot of time into experimenting on how to make them better. It seems like every new technique I try makes no difference or even sends me in the wrong direction. Bit of a rant, sorry. I still wonder what I can actually do to improve, but my next batch is definitely going to be a 'back to basics' NEIPA.