New England IPA "Northeast" style IPA

[Noob_Brewer]

Did anyone grab any 2021 Strata from YVH? Just brewed my first batch with this Wednesday and it smelled amazing. Out of the bag it was big citrus/cannabis with some pure hoppyness character. The blow off smells ridiculous right now. I went with;

Grains:
62.5 % - 2row
25 % - Spelt malt
12.5 % - Malted Oats

Yeast:
Imperial a24 - Dryhop

Hops:
- 0.5 oz magnum @ 60
- 1.0 oz Galaxy @ 10
- 1.0 oz Strata @ 10

Whirlpool @ 160 for 30 mins
3:1 ratio
Strata/Galaxy

Dryhop
3:2:1 ratio
Cashmere LUPOMAX/Galaxy/Strata

Og - 1.076

I don't have any 2021 Strata myself but by the sounds of it, it seems this years crop may be better than last years. Keep us posted!

 

[Noob_Brewer]

I was thinking of adding "thx for Dgallo & everyone who has contributed to this thread" but hats off to Noob_Brewer also. I also saw the Janish post but for some reason I didn't pay much attention to it.

I have to admit that I was completely fixated to using oats with this style. The mouthfeel is really something else. Sipping the beer atm and I still can't believe how smooth and soft the mouthfeel is. This is a complete game changer for me with this beer style. Might try spelt with sours also

Glad your beer came out great man! Yes, some time ago, I was also fixated thinking you needed lots of oats in these NEIPAs. I was typically doing an even combo of flaked/malted oats (15-20% total) and white wheat (15-20% total) and my oats/wheat combo were typically around 35%. Beers were good to my liking. So when I tried spelt I wanted to try it on its own and went with 75% 2row, 20% spelt, and 5% carafoam. I really liked it and the descriptions of smooth/silky/pillowy are dead on target. But since I haven't brewed any NEIPAs without oats, my next beer I went with 75% 2row, 20% white wheat, and 5% carafoam. These were back to back NEIPAs with A24 yeast and same water profile but hopped differently. I'm pretty sure I posted my thoughts on these two back-to-back beers somewhere in this dang thread but from memory and my notes I did notice that spelt was indeed softer/pillowy than white wheat. Both had a nice round, medium mouthfeel but the white wheat one was a bit heavier and a little "chewy". Again, both beers were great but I could definitely tell the difference in terms of mouthfeel. Supposedly spelt has a little unique flavor including some "spice" character but with these hopped NEIPAs, I didn't get any flavor difference that I could detect. So I do like spelt in that you can get a nice soft mouthfeel that is silky without the slight heaviness/cheweyness that white wheat can carry when used at 20%. For my NEIPAs, I have now ditched flaked oats and Im using a combo of spelt and malted oats = ~30-35% of the total grain bill. Really like the mouthfeel when going with spelt at about 17-20% and malted oats at 10-15%. Still tinkering though.

 

[Dgallo]

So I don’t know if it’s lame to tell you guys this or not (I’m not versed in the social media etiquette) but my wife suggested I start am Instagram account for my home brewing. Anyway she helped me create one over the past two days. If your on Instagram my account is;

bantam_brews

Just figured I’d let you guys know since HBT is really the only thing I use other than Facebook

 

[Noob_Brewer]

I currently have two beers on tap with significant percentages of spelt, (30%) and id be lying if I said I could notice any difference from white wheat. Spelt is in fact wheat, with slightly higher protein levels.

I have to assume that if it really, truly, brought something different to the table…you’d see it in more beers. Why aren’t more breweries catching on to the magic of spelt?

I’m not saying it’s not useful, but it’s really not thaaat special. It’s fun to think you’ve stumbled upon something great, but spelt really isn’t all that amazing.

It’s extra expensive wheat.

When was the last time you saw an other half, treehouse, trillium, equilibrium, troon, fidens, monkish…etc…feature spelt? I’m pretty sure they know it exists.

Just an honest unbiased opinion.

Im actually a bit surprised that you didn't notice a difference with spelt compared to white wheat at that high of a percentage. my own (unscientific) comparison of spelt vs white wheat on back to back beers, each comprising 20% of the grain bill showed some definite differences IMO. But opinions matter for sure and vary across individuals so I respect that. As Ive said before, both will make good or great additions to any NEIPA. While I don't think spelt is a "magic" bullet for achieving a smooth and silky and medium-full mouthfeel for NEIPAs and I acknowledge there are MANY variables that can contribute to this mouthfeel that many of us are trying to capture, I do think more and more breweries are starting to feature it in their NEIPAs. My first experience with Spelt in an NEIPA was from Almanac's Loud beer with mosaic and Denali hops and they listed 2 row and spelt as the grains. That was in 2018, two years before I started brewing. I distinctly remember loving the mouthfeel of that one and kind of forgot about spelt until well after I started brewing in early 2020. For me, after going down the OH daydream thread on this HBT forum and brewing beers with ~50% flaked and malted oats, the take home message was that spelt can achieve a similar silky pillow soft mouthfeel. For me, too much flaked oats or white wheat can get heavy on the mouthfeel. But spelt can give a nice medium-full body without feeling heavy which I like. But again, everyone has their own takes. Soooo many variables that contribute to mouthfeel as well, its no wonder that other big name breweries can still achieve similar mouthfeels through other means. FWIW, I was in Charleston, SC this past holiday and paid a visit to Charles Towne Fermentory which is my favorite brewery out of the Charleston area. They actually put out a spelt pale ale called Beagle Lander. It was really good IMO and I was hoping to chat with the head brewer/owner about it but he wasn't around when I went there the day before thanksgiving. Nevertheless, I do think more and more peeps are beginning to at least "feature" it. Its not a new grain for sure but seems to be "newer" for the NEIPA style.

Cheers!

 

[The M]

I currently have two beers on tap with significant percentages of spelt, (30%) and id be lying if I said I could notice any difference from white wheat. Spelt is in fact wheat, with slightly higher protein levels.

I have to assume that if it really, truly, brought something different to the table…you’d see it in more beers. Why aren’t more breweries catching on to the magic of spelt?

I’m not saying it’s not useful, but it’s really not thaaat special. It’s fun to think you’ve stumbled upon something great, but spelt really isn’t all that amazing.

It’s extra expensive wheat.

When was the last time you saw an other half, treehouse, trillium, equilibrium, troon, fidens, monkish…etc…feature spelt? I’m pretty sure they know it exists.

Just an honest unbiased opinion.

Appreciate your reply. I have tinkered with white wheat, flaked oats, malted oats etc. but this is the first time I truly noticed the super soft mouthfeel. And you are right, I know that spelt is wheat and it costs double what the white wheat costs here. But it just brought something else to the mix. I don't know if there's a quality differencies with North American white wheat vs. European white wheat but I really noticed the difference between spelt and white wheat I've been using. That said I know that we all have unique sensory system so I don't want to argue against that.

What comes to breweries you mentioned using spelt, well I haven't seen them listing spelt as their ingredients. On the other hand I know that I'm just brewing a homebrew. It's never going to be as clean, smooth or top quality as Other Half, Trillium & co are brewing because it's just homebrew.

This was my first batch using spelt and the second one is going into the keg in couple of days. I know spelt might not be the silver bullet when trying to achieve smooth & pillowy mouthfeel but it might be the answer for me. At least it worked when I used it for first time. I'm planning to add malted oats / white wheat / flaked oats with spelt to my future NEIPA grain bill just to see how the mouthfeel changes.

I'm definitely going to use spelt in my future NEIPA brews and I'm planning to try it with sours too. I don't know if it's amazing ingredient but at least I enjoyed my latest NEIPA very much. It's the best one so far what I have been able to produce.

Cheers!

 

[Noob_Brewer]

So I don’t know if it’s lame to tell you guys this or not (I’m not versed in the social media etiquette) but my wife suggested I start am Instagram account for my home brewing. Anyway she helped me create one over the past two days. If your on Instagram my account is;

bantam_brews

Just figured I’d let you guys know since HBT is really the only thing I use other than Facebook

Thanks for letting us know! I will be sure to look for your next beer "release" post on the 'gram and make the drive up the east coast to Fiden's and then your place!

 

[Frieds]

So I don’t know if it’s lame to tell you guys this or not (I’m not versed in the social media etiquette) but my wife suggested I start am Instagram account for my home brewing. Anyway she helped me create one over the past two days. If your on Instagram my account is;

bantam_brews

Just figured I’d let you guys know since HBT is really the only thing I use other than Facebook

Gave you a follow. You won’t find a lamer homebrew gram than mine. I do can mock ups on my phone and post them like they’re real life releases.

I know secretlevel and Pratt are pretty active on the gram from this thread.

 

[beervoid]

Is spelt also high in the 4vg precursor?

 

[Noob_Brewer]

Is spelt also high in the 4vg precursor?

No clue lol. 4vg? ok you've sent me down a rabbit hole of reading lol. What is 4vg from wheat malts suppose to do/add to the beer?

 

[beervoid]

No clue lol. 4vg? ok you've sent me down a rabbit hole of reading lol. What is 4vg from wheat malts suppose to do/add to the beer?

Actually it is, but barley malt seems to be higher. It's the precursor to clove like esters

 

[Taket_al_Tauro]

I must admit that I was initially pretty skeptical about the benefits of spelt over, say, oats or common wheat, but since more and more posts keep popping up on this subject, you have me definitely intrigued.

I am a wheat breeder by trade so here my 2 cents on the spelt/wheat discussion:
It is true that the two crops are very, very closely related. You can actually intercross them without problems and the progeny will be perfectly fertile. So yes, they are basically the same species.
Analyses of their DNA profiles revealed a rich history of interbreeding, and it is definitely not possible to draw a clear separation line.

That said, at least on an average level there are some notable differences between the two.
For instance, even though spelt has a generally higher protein content, the protein composition is different than that of wheat, and it is difficult to get a satisfactory bread making quality out of pure spelt flour. There are differences related to other grain components as well, that I am much less familiar with...
So it is not unreasonable to believe that it may also impart different qualities to beer, as compared to wheat.
As said I was skeptical at first, because often times one has trouble detecting differences between grains that are much farther apart, e.g. barley/oats, wheat/oats and so on. But after reading these last posts I have now included spelt in my next NEIPA grain bill too.

@Dgallo , @Noob_Brewer and others spelt users, do you use malted or raw spelt? (Did not see it explicitly mentioned if I am not mistaken).
Thanks!

 

[Noob_Brewer]

I must admit that I was initially pretty skeptical about the benefits of spelt over, say, oats or common wheat, but since more and more posts keep popping up on this subject, you have me definitely intrigued.

I am a wheat breeder by trade so here my 2 cents on the spelt/wheat discussion:
It is true that the two crops are very, very closely related. You can actually intercross them without problems and the progeny will be perfectly fertile. So yes, they are basically the same species.
Analyses of their DNA profiles revealed a rich history of interbreeding, and it is definitely not possible to draw a clear separation line.

That said, at least on an average level there are some notable differences between the two.
For instance, even though spelt has a generally higher protein content, the protein composition is different than that of wheat, and it is difficult to get a satisfactory bread making quality out of pure spelt flour. There are differences related to other grain components as well, that I am much less familiar with...
So it is not unreasonable to believe that it may also impart different qualities to beer, as compared to wheat.
As said I was skeptical at first, because often times one has trouble detecting differences between grains that are much farther apart, e.g. barley/oats, wheat/oats and so on. But after reading these last posts I have now included spelt in my next NEIPA grain bill too.

@Dgallo , @Noob_Brewer and others spelt users, do you use malted or raw spelt? (Did not see it explicitly mentioned if I am not mistaken).
Thanks!

interesting post!

I use BestMaltz spelt malt

 

[Dgallo]

I must admit that I was initially pretty skeptical about the benefits of spelt over, say, oats or common wheat, but since more and more posts keep popping up on this subject, you have me definitely intrigued.

I am a wheat breeder by trade so here my 2 cents on the spelt/wheat discussion:
It is true that the two crops are very, very closely related. You can actually intercross them without problems and the progeny will be perfectly fertile. So yes, they are basically the same species.
Analyses of their DNA profiles revealed a rich history of interbreeding, and it is definitely not possible to draw a clear separation line.

That said, at least on an average level there are some notable differences between the two.
For instance, even though spelt has a generally higher protein content, the protein composition is different than that of wheat, and it is difficult to get a satisfactory bread making quality out of pure spelt flour. There are differences related to other grain components as well, that I am much less familiar with...
So it is not unreasonable to believe that it may also impart different qualities to beer, as compared to wheat.
As said I was skeptical at first, because often times one has trouble detecting differences between grains that are much farther apart, e.g. barley/oats, wheat/oats and so on. But after reading these last posts I have now included spelt in my next NEIPA grain bill too.

@Dgallo , @Noob_Brewer and others spelt users, do you use malted or raw spelt? (Did not see it explicitly mentioned if I am not mistaken).
Thanks!

Thanks for the info. I use Bestmaltz Malted Spelt

 

[Taket_al_Tauro]

interesting post!

I use BestMaltz spelt malt

Thanks for the info. I use Bestmaltz Malted Spelt

Thank you for confirming! I was also tending towards malted spelt, should definitely be easier to work with than raw...

 

[nebulabrewing]

I sold off my ten gallon g1 kettles over summer and upgraded to twenty gallon kettles so I could brew ten gallon batches. My first brew was trying to scale up my usual recipe and I think I nailed it. It's been in the keg for about ten days, so I'm going to give it until the week and pull another sample. But, I pulled a few over the weekend and it's delicious. This was also my first time doing a complete brew using Brewfather and it's great. Now I don't have to bounce back and forth between Bru'n water and other software.

Batch volume: 12.25gal
ABV: 6.7%
OG: 1.063
FG: 1.012
Mash: 153
IBUs: 52

Hops:

• 67.9% Golden Promise
• 17.9% White Wheat
• 14.3% Oats

Yeasts:

• Lutra
• Verdant

Hops:

• Whirpool at 180°F: 6oz Citra, 6oz Mosaic, 2.38oz Bru-1, 1oz Simcoe

Dryhop:

• Verdant (55°F): 4oz Euakanot, 1.75oz Citra, 1oz Sabro
• Lutra: 3oz Huell Melon, 2oz Rakau, 1 3/8 oz Galaxy

Water:
Ca: 104 Mg: 15 Na: 8 Cl: 162 So: 94


Aroma smells of apricot, berries, and stone fruit.
Tastes like melon, papaya, pineapple, and tangerine.

Verdant is the sample in the pic. As someone who uses 1318, Verdant is a nice sub, but I think I still prefer 1318 if I had the choose between the two. My local shop carries Verdant, but not 1318, so it's just convenient to grab.

 

[Shenanigans]

I sold off my ten gallon g1 kettles over summer and upgraded to twenty gallon kettles so I could brew ten gallon batches. My first brew was trying to scale up my usual recipe and I think I nailed it. It's been in the keg for about ten days, so I'm going to give it until the week and pull another sample. But, I pulled a few over the weekend and it's delicious. This was also my first time doing a complete brew using Brewfather and it's great. Now I don't have to bounce back and forth between Bru'n water and other software.

Batch volume: 12.25gal
ABV: 6.7%
OG: 1.063
FG: 1.012
Mash: 153
IBUs: 52

Hops:

• 67.9% Golden Promise
• 17.9% White Wheat
• 14.3% Oats

Yeasts:

• Lutra
• Verdant

Hops:

• Whirpool at 180°F: 6oz Citra, 6oz Mosaic, 2.38oz Bru-1, 1oz Simcoe

Dryhop:

• Verdant (55°F): 4oz Euakanot, 1.75oz Citra, 1oz Sabro
• Lutra: 3oz Huell Melon, 2oz Rakau, 1 3/8 oz Galaxy

Water:
Ca: 104 Mg: 15 Na: 8 Cl: 162 So: 94


Aroma smells of apricot, berries, and stone fruit.
Tastes like melon, papaya, pineapple, and tangerine.

Verdant is the sample in the pic. As someone who uses 1318, Verdant is a nice sub, but I think I still prefer 1318 if I had the choose between the two. My local shop carries Verdant, but not 1318, so it's just convenient to grab.View attachment 750730

Looks good.
Are you using flaked or malted oats?

I'm looking into splitting a batch too but will use Voss instead of Lutra.
I have a 15 and a 10 gallon pot with two 3500 w induction cooking plates.
So I can potentially brew three 5 gallon batches if I split the wort from the 10 gallon pot in two.
I also have 3 kegs but the problem is I only have space in my kegerator for two kegs.

My plan is to force carbonate two kegs and do natural carbonation in the keg with the third batch at about 60 F in the basement.
The idea is that at high pressure I can have the ones in the kegerator ready to drink in a few days (I'm not into rolling) and let the other keg carb naturally over 2 or 3 weeks. That would give me time to drink one of the other kegs before putting the naturally carbed one on tap.

Anyone here with experience of naturally carbing NEIPA's - any advice?
I have a spund for measuring the pressure but I won't be transferring to a new keg; I'll just accept that the first few pulls will be full of trub.

Thanks

 

[nebulabrewing]

Looks good.
Are you using flaked or malted oats?

Thanks! I'm using flaked oats. I may switch it up next batch.

 

[kingmatt]

Did anyone grab any 2021 Strata from YVH? Just brewed my first batch with this Wednesday and it smelled amazing. Out of the bag it was big citrus/cannabis with some pure hoppyness character. The blow off smells ridiculous right now. I went with;

Grains:
62.5 % - 2row
25 % - Spelt malt
12.5 % - Malted Oats

Yeast:
Imperial a24 - Dryhop

Hops:
- 0.5 oz magnum @ 60
- 1.0 oz Galaxy @ 10
- 1.0 oz Strata @ 10

Whirlpool @ 160 for 30 mins
3:1 ratio
Strata/Galaxy

Dryhop
3:2:1 ratio
Cashmere LUPOMAX/Galaxy/Strata

Og - 1.076

Good to hear about the Strata. I'm ordering another pound of the 2021 Nelson because it was fantastic so I will add Strata to the mix. I'll probably grab another lb of HBC586 because I am starting to fall in love with that hop.

 

[beervoid]

Good to hear about the Strata. I'm ordering another pound of the 2021 Nelson because it was fantastic so I will add Strata to the mix. I'll probably grab another lb of HBC586 because I am starting to fall in love with that hop.

What is it stands out flavor wise for the hbc586?

 

[The M]

I must admit that I was initially pretty skeptical about the benefits of spelt over, say, oats or common wheat, but since more and more posts keep popping up on this subject, you have me definitely intrigued.

I am a wheat breeder by trade so here my 2 cents on the spelt/wheat discussion:
It is true that the two crops are very, very closely related. You can actually intercross them without problems and the progeny will be perfectly fertile. So yes, they are basically the same species.
Analyses of their DNA profiles revealed a rich history of interbreeding, and it is definitely not possible to draw a clear separation line.

That said, at least on an average level there are some notable differences between the two.
For instance, even though spelt has a generally higher protein content, the protein composition is different than that of wheat, and it is difficult to get a satisfactory bread making quality out of pure spelt flour. There are differences related to other grain components as well, that I am much less familiar with...
So it is not unreasonable to believe that it may also impart different qualities to beer, as compared to wheat.
As said I was skeptical at first, because often times one has trouble detecting differences between grains that are much farther apart, e.g. barley/oats, wheat/oats and so on. But after reading these last posts I have now included spelt in my next NEIPA grain bill too.

@Dgallo , @Noob_Brewer and others spelt users, do you use malted or raw spelt? (Did not see it explicitly mentioned if I am not mistaken).
Thanks!

Very interesting post, thank you. I have used Weyermann malted spelt

 

[kingmatt]

What is it stands out flavor wise for the hbc586?

Hard to describe. I get a lot of overripe mango and melon but there is also a slight sulfur and earthy component that makes it really unique.

 

[anteater8]

Here's the plan for tomorrow's NEIPA brew day. I used this grain bill once before and really loved it, this time will be a bit stronger. New hop combo for me, I've used El Dorado and Vic Secret before once each but never together.

12 lb 2 row
3 lb Malted oats
3 lb Flaked oats
0.5 Wheat
1 lb Lactose

1 oz CTZ 15 min (19 IBU)
2 oz Citra whirlpool
2 oz El Dorado whirlpool
2 oz Vic Secret whirlpool
2 oz Citra Lupomax dry hop #1
2 oz El Dorado dry hop #1
4 oz Vic Secret dry hop #2
1 vanilla bean dry hop #2

Imperial Juice

Target O.G. = 1.076

 

[ThatVideoKid]

Actually it is, but barley malt seems to be higher. It's the precursor to clove like esters

Phenol*

 

[wepeeler]

I've really been digging Mecca Shaniko in place of regular white wheat, and malted oats in place of flaked oats lately. Permahaze, great mouthfeel, and I feel like it slows oxidation. I've used up to 20% flaked wheat and 20% flaked oats in past grists, but I feel like they lacked malt complexity along side just standard 2 Row. Plus they dropped clearer faster.

Also, White Labs London Fog doesn't get enough love for Neipas. It's absolutely fantastic for bringing fruit forward esters, and it CHUGS. 4L starter, and it was bubbling 4 hours post pitch. Going bananas 15 hours post pitch!

64.3% 2 Row
14.3% Oat Malt
14.3% Shaniko
7.1% Carafoam
London Fog
Mashed 152 60 min
Citra Mosaic Idaho Gem 1:1:1 10 min and WP 170 for 20 minutes. Planning on 1 large 1:1:1 DH 48 hours before kegging.

Already have the next Neipa lined up, and I'm going to try Mecca's Lamonta, Shaniko and carafoam. Never used their 2 Row, only their Pilsner malt, and it was quite good.

 

[secretlevel]

I've really been digging Mecca Shaniko in place of regular white wheat, and malted oats in place of flaked oats lately. Permahaze, great mouthfeel, and I feel like it slows oxidation. I've used up to 20% flaked wheat and 20% flaked oats in past grists, but I feel like they lacked malt complexity along side just standard 2 Row. Plus they dropped clearer faster.

Also, White Labs London Fog doesn't get enough love for Neipas. It's absolutely fantastic for bringing fruit forward esters, and it CHUGS. 4L starter, and it was bubbling 4 hours post pitch. Going bananas 15 hours post pitch!

64.3% 2 Row
14.3% Oat Malt
14.3% Shaniko
7.1% Carafoam
London Fog
Mashed 152 60 min
Citra Mosaic Idaho Gem 1:1:1 10 min and WP 170 for 20 minutes. Planning on 1 large 1:1:1 DH 48 hours before kegging.

Already have the next Neipa lined up, and I'm going to try Mecca's Lamonta, Shaniko and carafoam. Never used their 2 Row, only their Pilsner malt, and it was quite good.

I'll have to give it a shot! I think White Wheat is generally very good for foam retention, so can't see any negatives here outside of the price.

So I thought London Fog is the same as 1318, which generally starts off well, but doesn't always attenuate very well in 1.070+ gravity worts. 4L starter for 5 gallons is pretty intense, I think most yeasts would kick off pretty fast in that scenario lol. I pitch 2L starters for lagers...

 

[aaronm13]

I'll have to give it a shot! I think White Wheat is generally very good for foam retention, so can't see any negatives here outside of the price.

So I thought London Fog is the same as 1318, which generally starts off well, but doesn't always attenuate very well in 1.070+ gravity worts. 4L starter for 5 gallons is pretty intense, I think most yeasts would kick off pretty fast in that scenario lol. I pitch 2L starters for lagers...

I use London Fog a lot and can't get it past 1.020 no matter what I do. On my last brew which was a failed TIPA attempt, started at 1.082 and only got to 1.020 again. That's even with a low mash temperature of 147F and possibly a yeast over pitch as I built the starter for 1.094 OG. Nice strain but going to try Omega DIPA strain again as I remember this is better at getting higher gravities that bit lower.

 

[Noob_Brewer]

I use London Fog a lot and can't get it past 1.020 no matter what I do. On my last brew which was a failed TIPA attempt, started at 1.082 and only got to 1.020 again. That's even with a low mash temperature of 147F and possibly a yeast over pitch as I built the starter for 1.094 OG. Nice strain but going to try Omega DIPA strain again as I remember this is better at getting higher gravities that bit lower.

I haven't used London Fog or Omegas DIPA strain. For me, both Juice and Cosmic Punch land at 1.015 for OG of 1.074-76. But A24 Dry Hop is a beast and always finishes around 1.012-1.014 given similar starting OGs.

 

[wepeeler]

I'll have to give it a shot! I think White Wheat is generally very good for foam retention, so can't see any negatives here outside of the price.

So I thought London Fog is the same as 1318, which generally starts off well, but doesn't always attenuate very well in 1.070+ gravity worts. 4L starter for 5 gallons is pretty intense, I think most yeasts would kick off pretty fast in that scenario lol. I pitch 2L starters for lagers...

I overbuilt so I could harvest some. I usually overshoot anyway, because I'm sure I'm dumping some good yeast down the drain when I decant the top. For 6 gallons going into the fermentor for an OG of 1.070, the online calculator calls for 4L, while harvesting 0.6L for future use. I cold crash, then decant almost all the liquid. Just enough to swirl the flask and pick up the yeast off the bottom. (If you're doing 2L starters for lagers, I believe that's wildly underpitching...)

I much prefer LF to 1318. They don't act the same in my experience. LF is much more aggressive. I almost had a blowout in the starter after 24 hours. LF never does that for me. It also smells differently in the flask and while fermenting. I used 1318 for about 3 years, and I much prefer both White Labs London Fog and Coastal Haze. Had good luck with Imperial Juice and Dry Hop as well.

 

[ThatVideoKid]

I use London Fog a lot and can't get it past 1.020 no matter what I do. On my last brew which was a failed TIPA attempt, started at 1.082 and only got to 1.020 again. That's even with a low mash temperature of 147F and possibly a yeast over pitch as I built the starter for 1.094 OG. Nice strain but going to try Omega DIPA strain again as I remember this is better at getting higher gravities that bit lower.

For big IPAs I prefer to use Conan over the 1318 family of yeasts due to the much better attenuation.

 

[Dgallo]

I use London Fog a lot and can't get it past 1.020 no matter what I do. On my last brew which was a failed TIPA attempt, started at 1.082 and only got to 1.020 again. That's even with a low mash temperature of 147F and possibly a yeast over pitch as I built the starter for 1.094 OG. Nice strain but going to try Omega DIPA strain again as I remember this is better at getting higher gravities that bit lower.

Like @Noob_Brewer suggested, you can always try a24 - dryhop. It’s my preferred yeast for ipas. I routinely get 80% attenuation