Debunking Myths About Hazy IPAs

I think that you're barking up the right tree. This phenomenon is strain dependent, but it also has to do with not only polyphenol content of solution, but the timing of those polyphenol additions.

I think that it is more complex than this and believe it to be an epigenetic response to polyphenol levels during active fermentation.

Regardless, more study is needed on the subject. Something that isolates the yeast strains responsible and tests differing levels of polyphenols in solution to determine a threshold for the phenomenon.

Excellent post!

 

Whenever I hear that the haze is the necessary to make a ‘juicy’ IPA, I tell people to brew their hazy with 1968 and tell me how it tastes...

The yeast is a great floccer; cottage cheese consistency stuff that is especially suited for the geometry of the conical. And yet, for years, has created IPAs that were long described as ‘juicy’...that is before juicy became a visual descriptor.

Many of the ‘new’ NEIPA techniques - adjuncts in the grain bill, soft water, low/no bittering hops, double dry hopping, bio trans hopping, etc. have actually been used for many years. 1968 is really the only difference between these ‘proto-NEIPAs’.

I’m not sure who started using it first, but you could make a crazy wall of all the brewers using this yeast. Many have worked it the same brewery; others have only one or two degrees of separation from each other. Most are well known for making aromatic and hoppy, but low-bitterness IPAs. IIRC, this was commonly called a Midwest, or No-coast IPA around here years before the hazy thing started. Just a couple of breweries that I have heard or know use this yeast as their house ale yeast:
Three Floyds, Goose Island, Firestone Walker, Lagunitas, Stone, Revolution, Cigar City.

If you follow the industry, you may see a pattern here. Many of these guys are themselves, or were trained by the class of ‘88 guys. Unlike the earlier West Coast brewers who might have learned to use the Chico or Anchor Liberty strain (1056 and 1272, respectively, I believe), these guys all brought 1968 to their breweries. Most of their hoppy beers have been historically described as fruity, juicy, tropical, citrusy, etc. vs. the classic bitter, piney, dank of the west coast IPA.

 

Interesting experiment. Did you get permission to use No Coast? https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...ille-nocoast-brewery-oskaloosa-beer/89252650/

 

ISO

 

Thanks for the reply. I sort of suspected it would be an issue, as Tombstone was also known for the silver mines.

 

@honkey

So many factors when it comes to 'the haze'...my 2cents on the topic:

My self-education with this style has yielded some of the following insights:
- Calcium Chloride seems to be commonly used in addition to Calcium Sulfate with a ratio that is slightly in favor of Calcium Sulfate.
- Single infusion mash on the cooler side (60-63C).
- A Low to Medium flocculant yeast which produces fruity esters is a must.
- Higher than "normal" fermentation temperatures is critical (KO @ 18-20C and free rise as high as 24C)
- Protein rich, flaked/rolled fermentables (Wheat and Oats are the most popular) are a must and should be 20-25% of the overall grist.
- Dry hopping in various stages both during AND after primary fermentation.
- On the 'hot side,' if you are only adding hops at whirlpool, temperature of the wort could also affect the clarity (or lack thereof in this case) of the final product. Cooling your wort to 75-80C on its way to the whirlpool before you add hops could have some influence on the clarity.
- Hop varieties could have some influence as well...the most popular varieties in NEIPA's seem to all share high Alpha Acid content as well as high Co-Humulone levels (i.e. Dual Purpose hops).

Some (if not most) of what I have mentioned are simply observations that seem common to many beers brewed in the NEIPA style.

Cheers,
B

 

Actually, a great deal of the strains that are used are highly flocculant.

Never heard of anyone purposefully increasing their fermentation temperatures with this style. Though 75F isn't exactly a "high" temperature, especially if it is post-log phase.

Again, never heard of anyone using this high of a percentage of adjuncts.

Though brewers certainly add whirlpool hops to sub-180F wort, not sure how that addition directly affects clarity.

AA and co-humulone content will not affect clarity. Something like total oil content will.

 

That is not the case. Wyeast 1318 is commonly used to brew 'NEIPA' beers and that yeast has high flocculation.

From the Wyeast website:

“High Flocculation”

http://www.wyeastlab.com/yeast-strain/london-ale-iii

Cheers!

 

From New Glarus?

 

Side, note on water quality... trace amounts of lead and arsenic in drinking water is very common throughout the US... Lead in public water is typically from pre-1980 lead pipes or solder, often in private buildings and not associated with the quality of the water source.

Arsenic is also very common throughout the US, but what's tricky is there are two types of arsenic compounds, inorganic and organic. Inorganic arsenic compounds are generally very toxic, and usually associated with industrial or agricultural pesticide applications [i.e. human activity at the ground surface]. Organic arsenic compounds are much less harmful, often completely non-toxic, to people and occur naturally in rock formations and soils [i.e. natural chemistry underground]. Arsenic laboratory analysis rarely makes the distinction between the two types, but if the water source is a deep well, the chances of the arsenic being inorganic (the bad kind) is almost zero. Still, these compounds may not do your beer any good.

 

Yeah, I would think that increasing the unfermentables and/or residual extract is probably not the best direction to go with these beers.

 

I'm using 9.9% and 18% wheat in mine and I've never had a lauter issue.

 

Flaked or malted?

 

Malted wheat, flaked oats. I'm also using Chico and it's still hazy.

 

But are you dryhopping those beers? My anecdotal evidence points to the same conclusions you are reaching in that it is all about the yeast, I'm simply pointing out that you cannot discount the addition of high protein adjuncts so casually.

 

I mean, Chico's not that terribly flocculant to begin with.

 

Jason, I agree with you here.

Cheers!