Homebrewing 21B. Specialty IPA
Pinus Ananus Comosus IPA
Recipe: Cold IPA. Malts: Canadian Pilsner, Flaked Corn, Carapils. Hops: Columbus (0.5oz), Sabro (4oz), Cryo-pop (2oz). Yeast: Imperial L17. BJCP Style: 21B. Specialty IPA.
I’m not big on IPAs, especially the newer style IPAs that resemble pulped orange juice. Cold IPA, however, is a fantastic expression of the style: American pilsner and adjunct malts fermented with clean lager yeasts, combining to make a super clean canvas to let hops fully express themselves. I cooled and racked this beer directly onto an Imperial L17 harvest yeast cake that fermented my previous helles lager. At 64C it took no time at all to ferment. My planning for this beer wasn’t phenomenal, but the end result was a wonderfully drinkable 6% IPA with a strong dank and pine/cedar hop aroma that leads to a pine and pineapple finish.
Ale Tales - Cold IPA Recipe
Cold IPA. Malts: Canadian Pilsner, Canadian 2-row, flaked corn, carapils. Hops: Northern Brewer (1oz), Mosaic (2oz), Citra (2oz) and Nelson Sauvin (2oz). Yeast: LalBrew Novalager. Fruity and citrusy clean lager.
Iterating on my dry-hopped cream ale, I evolved the style into its more alcoholic and hoppy successor, the Cold IPA. The malt bill was recycled, increasing total grain 2 kg and upping the alcohol a percentage point. For a clean fruity and citrusy west coast ipa I went with Mosaic, Citra, and Nelson hops. 1 oz each of Mosaic and Nelson were added to a 20 minute 80C whirlpool. At the very end of fermentation, 1 oz each of mosaic, citra, and nelson were added to the fermentor for 5 days. Water was left largely untouched which was a mistake for an IPA. (see notes) The end beer was mostly what I was shooting for: a juicy, clear, and fruity IPA that showcases some interesting hops but isn’t so big or hoppy that I can’t drink more than one.