Posts Tagged ‘north east india pale ale’

Brewed: Summer Rental American Pale Ale

Saturday, June 23rd, 2018
american pale ale summer rental home brew

Beautiful day but the humidity is off the charts!

I wanted to home brew last weekend but it just wasn’t in the cards. I was promised (by the wife) that I could home brew this weekend. Time to get an early start as the humidity is off the charts with all the rain we have had over the past week or two. I feel like I am in Florida in July and/or August.

Summer Rental is an American Pale Ale made with a combination of old and new school hops, while using North East India Pale Ale techniques. The grain bill is quite simple and typical of American Pale Ales: base malt, carapils, and a low Lovibond caramel malt. I decided to mash a slight bit high than normal (was shooting for 152.0*F) as I didn’t want this beer to dry out too much with the Safale S-05 yeast, American ale.

The recipe was devised to use up some older hops, making way for the enormous amount of stockpiled hops. That stockpile is only making me imagination get the best of me: what can be done, how juicy can I make, what other combination of hops can turn out fantastic?

Hops centered beers will continue to be the home brewing style of choice until I get tired of them or I cure my hoarder mentality. Enjoy!

Recipe for Summer Rental American Pale Ale

General Information:
Brew Date: Saturday, June 23, 2018
Day: 70*F, partly cloudy, ridiculously humid, rising to 80*F
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: S-05, not hydrated
Yeast Starter: none
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.046
Finishing Gravity: 1.005
IBU: 30.4
Color: 3.9 SRM
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Conversion Efficiency: 67.75%
Alcohol by Volume: 5.38%
Apparent Attenuation: 89%
Calories per ounce: 12.37
Primary Fermentation: 7 days @68*F

Grain Bill:
8.00 pounds American 2-Row
1.25 pounds Red Wheat
0.50 pounds Cara-Pils
0.25 pounds Caramel 20L

Mash:
Saccharification @150.8*F

Hop Bill:
3.00 ounces 2015 Cascade @10 minutes
1.00 ounces 2015 Equinox @5 minutes
3.00 ounces 2015 Cascade whirlpool, 20 minutes
3.00 ounces 2015 Equinox whirlpool, 20 minutes
3.00 ounces 2015 Cascade dry hop, 6 days
2.00 ounces 2015 Equinox dry hop, 6 days
2.00 ounces 2015 Equinox dry hop, 5 days

Extras:
1.0 tsp Irish Moss @15 minutes
1.0 tsp Yeast Nutrient @15 minutes
4.0 quarts of rice hulls

Updates:

  • 2018-06-23 evening: @65.1*F, added yeast.
  • 2018-06-24 morning: @62.0*F, no visible fermentation.
  • 2018-06-24 afternoon: @61.6*F, no visible fermentation, put on heat @68.0*F.
  • 2018-06-24 evening: @64.8*F, light fermentation, took off heat.
  • 2018-06-24 morning: @65.3*F, medium fermentation, put on heat @68.0*F.
  • 2018-06-24 afternoon: @67.6*F, great fermentation, added dry hops.
  • 2018-06-25 afternoon: @68.4*F, slowing fermentation, added second round of dry hops: 2 ounces 2015 Equinox.
  • 2018-06-29 evening: @66.4*F, no visible fermentation. Cold crash @39*F.
  • 2018-07-01: Kegged.

Useless Fact: Squirrels prefer to live in Oak trees but they will live in other trees too.

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Tasted: Whammy! NEIPA

Sunday, June 17th, 2018

The wait is over, I can finally taste a home brew: Whammy! NEIPA (Northeast India Pale Ale). Gearing up for the tasting, I couldn’t wait, I had been tasting the beer pre-carbonation to determine the development of the profile.

I had apprehensions of the Hallertau Blanc hops as I wasn’t certain they would nicely with the other two hops; Vic Secret and Mosaic. For those of you that aren’t familiar, Vic Secret is a hop that is a replacement for Galaxy, typically the harder of the two to get. Hallertau Blanc has some wonderful tropical fruits but also can have a green grape side that might not be friendly.

Look: Pours golden yellow. Very hazy, even cloudy.. Nice white foam covers, about an inch thick. Retention is above average. Lacing is nice. Similar to Swim? Swammi? Slippy? Slappy? Swenson? Swanson? NEIPA as the grain bill is exactly the same.

Aroma: Mango, passion fruit, papaya, pineapple, grapefruit and fruity green grape. Slightly floral. Sweet. Solid on the nose, the hops completely compliment each other.

Taste: Sweetness is there but seems to suit the style. The cornucopia of tropical hop flavors want to overwhelm but my nose is up to the task. Hops carry from start to finish but are not bitter, the sweetness makes sure of this point.

Body: Medium body. Medium carbonation. Very Dry.

Overall: This beer is a home run. The malt profile is perfect and the hops lend the perfect balance for the style.

Back in business of home brew. Starting off with an All-Star beer makes this an easy slide back in. My next beer will be on point quite quickly. Of course it will be another NEIPA. Enjoy!

Useless Fact: According to a study, people whom constantly check and use their mobile devices throughout the day are less able to delay gratification.

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Brewed: Whammy! NEIPA

Tuesday, June 5th, 2018

I had to take a hiatus from home brewing. I had shoulder surgery. It put my out of commission for two months. If it wasn’t for remembering that I had a carboy handle, the lapse in home brewing would have last much longer. I could carry light objects in left hand, but nothing substantial. I was most worried about moving the full carboy at the end of the brew day. My son helped me carry brewing supplies from storage, weigh out and grind the grains. It actually turned out to be the most help I have had brewing in a very long time.

Whammy! is a North East India Pale Ale (NEIPA). The grain bill for Whammy! is the same as Swim? Swammi? Slippy? Slappy? Swenson? Swanson?. Using the same grain bill made recipe formulation simple, decreasing the time involved. Besides, I really like Swim? Swammi? Slippy? Slappy? Swenson? Swanson?.

This only left the hop profile. I found Vic Secret and Mosaic in the freezer but I wanted to add a bit of complexity. I decided on Hallertau Blanc. I haven’t heard of it used much in this manner and have only used it once before, when I brewed Schlapp back in 2017. I don’t know if it will work in this beer but it did work well in Schlapp. Enjoy!

Recipe for Whammy! NEIPA

General Information:
Brew Date: Sunday, May 27, 2018
Day: 70*F, sunny, humid, rising to 90*F
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: S-04, not hydrated
Yeast Starter: none
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.054
Finishing Gravity: 1.010
IBU: 49.4
Color: 3.8 SRM
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Conversion Efficiency: 67.75%
Alcohol by Volume: 5.78%
Calories per ounce: 14.7
Primary Fermentation: 7 days @68*F

Grain Bill:
10.00 pounds American 2-Row
2.00 pounds Oats
1.00 pounds Red Wheat

Mash:
Saccharification @151.7*F

Hop Bill:
2.00 ounces 2015 Vic Secret @10 minutes
2.00 ounces 2016 Mosaic @5 minutes
4.00 ounces 2015 Vic Secret whirlpool, 20 minutes
2.00 ounces 2016 Mosaic whirlpool, 20 minutes
4.00 ounces 2016 Hallertau Blanc dry hop, 3 days
2.00 ounces 2016 Mosaic dry hop, 3 days
2.00 ounces 2015 Vic Secret dry hop, 3 days

Extras:
1.0 tsp Irish Moss @15 minutes
1.0 tsp Yeast Nutrient @15 minutes
4.0 quarts of rice hulls

Updates:

  • 2018-05-28 (morning): @63.4*F, slow/no fermentation.
  • 2018-05-28 (evening): @61.6*F, slow/no fermentation. Put on heat at 68.0*F.
  • 2018-05-29 (morning): @68.0*F, great fermentation.
  • 2018-05-29 (evening): @69.8*F, great fermentation/aroma. Took off heat. Added dry hops.
  • 2018-03-31 (evening): put in freezer at 39*F.
  • 2017-06-02: Kegged.
  • 2017-06-17: Tasted.
  • 2017-06-24: Kicked the keg.

Useless Fact: A pigeon produces about 25 lbs of droppings per year.

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Tasted: Swim? Swammi? Slippy? Slappy? Swenson? Swanson? NEIPA

Sunday, March 25th, 2018

The short brewing cycle of North-East India Pale Ales (NEIPAs) is aided more by kegging the final product to go from brew day to glass. Here I sit only 15 days after brewing Swim? Swammi? Slippy? Slappy? Swenson? Swanson? NEIPA and I am reviewing the tasty elixir.

I have to really enjoy this keg as it will be the last that I have in at least six months of my home brew. I am undergoing surgery that will not allow me to lift for some time. I am worried about all the stress reliever brew days that will pass without a brew day. Hopefully I will be back at it before the end of 2018.

Look: Pours golden yellow. Very hazy, even cloudy.. Nice white foam covers, about an inch thick. Retention is above average. Lacing is nice.

Aroma: Yes, the hops abound. Passion fruit, mango and pineapple are foremost. Light sweetness. Great hops on the nose!

Taste: More sweetness than I expected. Mango and pineapple carry throughout. Sweetness stays in the side of the cheeks and front of the tongue.

Body: Medium body. Medium carbonation. Dry. Minimal bitterness is giving it too much credit: it almost doens’t exist.

Overall: Citra and Mosaic definitely help a beer out. The citra does add a lot of sweetness to the beer. I assume there is a place in which it would be overwhelming.

This beer is my last home brew for quite some time and it did not disappoint my senses. Six months should more than enough to come up with some more great hop combinations. Long live Mosaic and Citra in hoppy beers. Enjoy!

Useless Fact: Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill.

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Brewed: Swim? Swammi? Slippy? Slappy? Swenson? Swanson? NEIPA

Saturday, March 10th, 2018

Home brewing has the fun of experimentation. Recently I have been using old school hops and force combinations. They have been good but definitely not great, especially when brewing a north east india pale ale (NEIPA).

Citra and Mosaic seem to be in used in many professional versions of NEIPAs, either solo or in conjunction with one another. The hops lend that layer of tropical fruits that make the juicy style juicy. Swim? Swammi? Slippy? Slappy? Swenson? Swanson? started out with Amarillo, Simcoe and Citra. Mainly to get rid of the Amarillo and Simcoe while the Citra was there to add mango, pineapple and papaya. The mosaic was added in after some thought to try and produce a great representation of the NEIPA style.

The malt profile is similar to other NEIPAs that I made: base malt, oats and wheat. Nothing fancy but seems to fit the profile well. It may end being my base profile going forward, allowing me to play with and understand hop profiles better for the style.

As I have been doing, I used 50% reverse osmosis water with no treatment to the other 50% from the tap. Next time I am going to do a 75%/25% split of reverse osmosis to tap to see if this allows the hops to shine even more. Enjoy!

Recipe for Swim? Swammi? Slippy? Slappy? Swenson? Swanson? NEIPA

General Information:
Brew Date: Saturday, March 10, 2018
Day: 35*F, sunny
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: S-04, not hydrated
Yeast Starter: none
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.059
Finishing Gravity: 1.010
IBU: 44.2
Color: 3.8 SRM
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Brewhouse Efficiency: 71.59%
Alcohol by Volume: 6.43%
Calories per ounce: 16.1
Primary Fermentation: 7 days @68*F

Grain Bill:
10.00 pounds American 2-Row
2.00 pounds Oats
1.00 pounds Red Wheat

Mash:
Saccharification @152.2*F

Hop Bill:
2.00 ounces 2015 Amarillo @10 minutes
3.00 ounces 2015 Simcoe @5 minutes
2.00 ounces 2015 Citra whirlpool, 20 minutes
3.00 ounces 2016 Mosaic whirlpool, 20 minutes
2.00 ounces 2015 Citra dry hop, 3 days
2.00 ounces 2015 Simcoe dry hop, 3 days
2.00 ounces 2016 Mosaic dry hop, 3 days
1.00 ounces 2015 Amarillo dry hop, 3 days

Extras:
1.0 tsp Irish Moss @15 minutes
1.0 tsp Yeast Nutrient @15 minutes
4.0 quarts of rice hulls

Updates:

  • 2018-03-10 (morning): @60.2*F, slow fermentation. Put on heat at 68.0*F.
  • 2018-03-10 (evening): @66.3*F, medium/high fermentation. Took off heat.
  • 2018-03-11 (morning): @65.6*F, great fermentation/aroma.
  • 2018-03-11 (evening): @67.3*F, great fermentation/aroma.
  • 2018-03-13: @68.0*F, added dry hops. Put on heat at 70.0*F.
  • 2018-03-15: put in freezer at 39*F.
  • 2017-03-17: Kegged.
  • 2017-03-15: Tasted.

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Tasted: with the Afro Six-Nine

Sunday, January 14th, 2018

It is snowing outside, the temperatures are in the teens, no better time than the present for a home brew. with the Afro Six-Nine seems to be the prefect beer for the present moment. Of course this fits the bill of a North East India Pale Ale (NEIPA).

Look: Pours golden yellow. Somewhat hazy, could possibly call it cloudy. Nice white foam covers, about an inch thick. Retention is above average. Lacing is thick, coating and throughout.

Aroma: The nose is big on the hops. Passion fruit, peach and some berry mingles. Ripe! Gentle sweetness. The aroma is huge!

Taste: Light sweetness balances a huge hop flavor. Ripe passion fruit and peach are prevalent. The hops linger into finish along with a sidecar of sweetness.

Body: Medium body. Medium carbonation. Crisp and dry. Bitterness is minimal.

Overall: There is huge aroma on this beer. Definitely the star. Taste is solid. Overall a good example of the style. The hops work well together.

My first kegged NEIPA. Being able to get a small snort is so much more enjoyable than having to finish a 22 ounce bomber all the time. Enjoy!

Useless Fact: Most lipstick contains fish scales.

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Brewed: with the Afro Six-Nine

Sunday, December 31st, 2017

Last day of 2017 creates a great backdrop for home brewing with the Afro Six-Nine

Home brewing provides the opportunity to pull inspiration from just about anywhere. with the Afro Six-Nine took that inspiration from the movie Fletch. The follow up beer to Fat Sam, with the Afro Six-Nine once again takes inspiration from Fletch; a movie that would be on my list of movies I would need to survive being stranded on an island.

Rather than taking a character, this beer takes a scene from the movie that just sticks with me; some may not even find it funny. It doesn’t really add to the overall movie but captures the main character day dreaming. It reminds me of the countless ridiculous circumstances my mind places me in.

And, yes, I like Fletch 2 as well and was hoping the rumors that came out a few years ago about a remake with Ed Helms were going to be true. Alas, my daydreaming can only hope.

Formulating the recipe for with the Afro Six-Nine NEIPA

I won’t bore you with that fact that this is yet another version of a NEIPA; I think I am getting close to twelve. This version is spurred on by two facts:

  • Lack of Focus NEIPA
  • Changing the timing of the dry hop addition.

Lack of Focus was a NEIPA that I home brewed back in October. Due to time constraints, and quite possibly laziness, I never cold crashed the beer. It had the largest dry hop by weight I had ever done in a NEIPA. I was trying to achieve muckiness, it was supreme muckiness.

In order to get said muckiness, I am changing the dry hop timing by placing it at high krausen. My thinking is this should bond the hops more as they seem to fall out a bit quickly.

Looking forward to this beer. I do have one hesitation: potentially the lack of tropical fruit in the hops. Enjoy!

Recipe for with the Afro Six-Nine Neipa

General Information:
Brew Date: Sunday, December 31, 2017
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: S-04, not hydrated
Yeast Starter: none
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.061
Finishing Gravity: 1.010
IBU: 59.7
Color: 3.8 SRM
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.41%
Alcohol by Volume: 6.69%
Calories per ounce: ~16.6
Primary Fermentation: 2 days @64*F, slow rise for 5 days @68*F

Grain Bill:
10.00 pounds American 2-Row
2.50 pounds Flaked Oats
1.00 pounds Carafoam

Mash:
Saccharification @155.0*F

Hop Bill:
3.00 ounces 2015 Simcoe @10 minutes
2.00 ounces 2015 Galaxy @10 minutes
3.00 ounces 2015 Amarillo whirlpool, 20 minutes
2.00 ounces 2015 Galaxy whirlpool, 20 minutes
2.00 ounces 2015 Amarillo dry hop, 4 days
2.00 ounces 2015 Simcoe dry hop, 4 days
1.00 ounces 2015 Galaxy dry hop, 4 days

Extras:
1.0 tsp Irish Moss @15 minutes
1.0 tsp Yeast Nutrient @15 minutes
4.0 quarts of rice hulls

Updates:

  • 2018-01-01: @63.5*F, slow fermentation. Added blankets to trap fermentation heat.
  • 2018-01-02 (morning): @71.7*F, hard fermentation. Removed blanket.
  • 2018-01-02 (evening): @68.1*F, good fermentation. Added dry hops. Put on heat at 69.0*F.
  • 2018-01-05: cold crashed at 37.0*F.
  • 2018-01-07: kegged.

Useless Fact: A typical pencil can draw a line that is 35 miles long.

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Tasted: Baller IPA

Monday, December 5th, 2016

Baller IPA is the third attempt at northeast india pale ale (NEIPA). It is also my second NEIPA tasting in as many days: Used IPA.

This beer had more big additions of 2014 hops. This time a combination of Citra and Simcoe. I have heard over and over again that Citra makes a crappy beer taste good, therefore there should never be a bad beer that has used Citra hops.

This makes my third attempt at an NEIPA seemingly an easy home run. Let’s get to the review…

Look:Pale gold to straw in color. Not opaque but cloudy from the hops, darkening the beer. Half inch of pure white foam covers. Not much lacing or retention.

Aroma: Strong hop presence. Mango, pineapple and citrus are bullies. Touch of malt sweetness.

Taste: Bitterness is a little stiff for the style but quickly subdues on the second or third sip after the palate has been crushed. Tropical and citrus fruit abound. Malt backbone is minimal. More citra forward.

Body: Medium body. Medium carbonation. After the juiciness of the hops subsides, the beer is on the dry side.

Overall: Easily the best NEIPA to date. Needs more balance. Need to cut down on the carbonation for the next few attempts. Solid drinking beer with a huge hop flavor and aroma profile.

Definitely a beer to grow on and reassurance that I am heading in the right direction. Still, not a perfect beer due to my brew day issues with my mill, gravity and hop utilization. Another solid Citra beer. Enjoy!

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Local Take on the New Craze

Thursday, November 17th, 2016

So the big thing these days in beer seems to be the Northeast Style IPA. Make it so hoppy your head implodes, make it so hazy you couldn’t see through it with a klieg light, and make it so juicy you won’t have to eat citrus for a month. And the trend has hit Chicago area breweries since the summer. There are too many to name, and although I wish I could try all of them (and I have tried some), this entry will just focus on two I recently brought to a Thursday Night Beer Club.

hailstrom brewing nimbus

BEER ONE: NIMBUS by Hailstorm Brewing out of Tinley Park, canned 9/28/16.

Color was a very cloudy dirty straw/gold. It reminded me of a glass of dark orange juice. The smell was mildly hoppy with slight floral notes. Taste was a slight tang of mildly bitter hops with a slight citrusy backing. Feel was dry, not a big mouth filling beer.
Appearance 4.25
Smell 4
Taste 4.5
Feel 4.25
Overall 4.25
TOTAL 4.29

NOTE ONE: I had this again on tap last week at Sovereign in downtown Plainfield, and I wouldn’t change any of the above notes or ratings.
NOTE TWO: Hailstorm did three of these New England styles (last I checked). I don’t think I have had STRATUS, but I have had CUMULUS and I would highly recommend that one more than Nimbus.

Ram Restaurant and Brewery Juicy

BEER TWO: JUICY by Ram Restaurant and Brewery out of Schaumburg, bought on release date 10/1/16, so canned earlier that week.

It was a much lighter color but also cloudier than the Nimbus. I remember when I had this the first time-it was from a bottle shared with me, and my comment was that it might have been the coolest looking double IPA from the Midwest that I had ever seen (even over every Pipeworks “Fish Series” that I’ve tried). The thing that struck me the most about the appearance was how it had a mass of the smallest bubbles I think I had ever seen in a beer (the canned batch, this wasn’t as present). This had a very healthy thick lacing as well. As for smell and taste, this one has a much stronger hop presence than Nimbus, and the citrus (mostly lemon notes) comes through a lot more, with practically no bitterness. It’s also a thicker, heavier, and creamier beer, but also amazingly smooth. They ran through this quickly at the last release (like most of the special beers they do), so I imagine it’s only going to be just as hard if not harder to get the next time they brew it.

Appearance 5
Smell 4.5
Taste 4.5
Feel 4.75
Overall 4.75
TOTAL 4.61

NOTE: The above numbers were from the first time I had this from a bottle. However, most of the notes were from the recent tasting from can, and I would not change the rating at all. On tap, can, or bottle – TRY THIS BEER!!!

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Tasted: Used IPA

Thursday, November 10th, 2016

used ipa

Used IPA was my initial attempt at an northeast india pale ale (NEIPA). Since brewing this beer, I have added two more NEIPA brew days to my repertoire: Smiles IPA and Baller IPA. Each iteration has been a better beer. This could be due to hops, malt and/or process, as I have changed them each time. I like variety.

When adding 14 ounces of hops to beer, especially Amarillo hops, I expect great things. The vast amount of Amarillo hops was driven by two things: needing to get rid of 2014 hops and Daisy Cutter.

Using up old hops is a no brainer. I don’t feel they lose much in terms of aroma and flavor, in spite of the alpha acid drop off. Keeping them in the freezer in vacuum sealed bags helps keep them fresh as possible.

Being inspired by Daisy Cutter has been on the short since 2009, the first time I tasted the beer. The floral power of Amarillo jumped out at me and ever since I have wanted to brew up a home brew worthy.

Look: Hazy but still able to see through the beer quite well. Pale gold to gold in color. Pure white, wispy looking foam covers. Great staying power. Sporadic lacing throughout.

Aroma: Strong lemon. One dimensional.

Taste: Lemon is strong again. Really the only characteristic that sticks out. Light, clean malt.

Drinkability: Dry finish. Light end of medium body, possibly bigger. Crisp. Low bitterness. Good balance.

Overall: There is nothing off on the base beer, just nothing exciting. The hops are subdued to the nth degree when they should be shining. Could this be a water issue? I know I have hard water. Nevertheless, I learned a bit on the NEIPA process and will revisit going forward.

It could be process. It could be the age of the hops. It could be the change in my palate and nose. No matter, I didn’t get the hop profile from this beer that I was attempting to achieve. After being let down with this beer, I tried the original Daisy Cutter. Not what I remembered. I will only use Amarillo in conjunction with other hops going froward. Enjoy!

Note: looking up Amarillo hops again, interestingly it seems that citrus is now described as the main aroma/flavor with most description not listing floral in the profile. Has the hop changed?

Useless Fact: The name LEGO came from the Danish, “LEg GOdt,” which means “play well.”

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