Evan!
Well-Known Member
So, at a mere four days post-bottling, I decided to try my Citrus IPA. I used heading powder, so I thought that it might carbonate faster. So I cracked open a bottle last night. Damnit, that stuff is awesome! Truly great. A little wierd, not something that everyone will appreciate, but I was floored by how unique and interesting it is.
Basically, I took Papazian's "Palilalia IPA" recipe, and added lime-basil (not much basil/licorice character, mostly just lime/citrus) and a small amount of lemon verbena to the boil. I then dry-hopped for 11 days with cascade and more lime-basil & lemon verbena.
Like nothing, nothing I've ever had. Very citrussy, not altogether "limey", but the bitterness and acidity is acute and precise, laser-like, as with a well-made German/Alsatian Reisling. The bitterness is still slightly clumsy, but it's only been in bottle 4 days, so I'm not worried. Well-balanced, much moreso than when I tasted at bottling. And the kicker: after 4 days, carbonation was great.
This is why I homebrew!
Basically, I took Papazian's "Palilalia IPA" recipe, and added lime-basil (not much basil/licorice character, mostly just lime/citrus) and a small amount of lemon verbena to the boil. I then dry-hopped for 11 days with cascade and more lime-basil & lemon verbena.
Like nothing, nothing I've ever had. Very citrussy, not altogether "limey", but the bitterness and acidity is acute and precise, laser-like, as with a well-made German/Alsatian Reisling. The bitterness is still slightly clumsy, but it's only been in bottle 4 days, so I'm not worried. Well-balanced, much moreso than when I tasted at bottling. And the kicker: after 4 days, carbonation was great.
This is why I homebrew!
