"Vermont-Style" IPAs?

I'm surprised to see Wyeast 1318 listed as a high flocculator - yeast in suspension is one of the hallmarks of this style...

 

I think some of the haziness comes from a combination of high protein content (wheat, flaked oats, flaked barley etc... ) and massive amounts of hops added at flame out, whirlpool, and dry hops during and after fermentation. I've read that higher protein content gives the hop oils something to cling to, so they stay in suspension and give you that hop saturated juice bomb feel.

I don't believe yeast in suspension is (or at least should be) a hallmark of any kind of IPA - you can cold crash the shit out of these beers, even ferment with wy1056, and they'll come out hazy.

 

I really start to see the conversation about this style go off the rails when people start talking yeast and hop "dankness". I just don't think there's much of a correlation between those two things and what we see or perceive in taste.

Actually, I don't even know what "dank" is.

 

I always thought that meant a beer smelled/tasted like weed.

Not my favorite character, but I've had a few beers which definitely fit that description.

 

That would make sense. Any one have a recommendation for a particularly dank IPA? I really don't think I've had something that has fit that description in a while.

 

The Holy Mountain/Cloudburst collab Wetwired (fresh hop Mosaic DIPA) smelled more like weed than any other beer I've ever had. Sadly you'll need a time machine to get some of it now.

 

I was always moderately stoned while consuming this beer. Explains a lot!

 

One that immediately comes to mind is Stash from Great Notion. Taking one whiff of that sucker immediately reminded me to relax.

Not that it really helps you out that much being in Washington, but figured I would throw my suggestion in anyway.

 

Anything aggressively hopped with mosaic hits the threshold of dankness for me. I'm beginning to appreciate why cannabis and homulus lupulus are so closely related when I drink those beers.

 

Because my experience with weed has been limited, believe it or not, to second-hand exposure, I'm certainly not the best person to speak to this. But I have heard/read some describe Melvin's * as a particularly "dank" IIPA, and I wouldn't disagree. I didn't especially care for it the first time I had it, on draft, last year; but the recent cans have struck me as phenomenal, and very dank indeed.

I get that some people don't care for the term as a descriptor for beer, but I do find it a useful shorthand for the range of empirical data which covers the gamut from weed to cat pee and a nebulous mustiness. Basically all the pungent stuff that isn't just citrus, fruit, floral or pine.

Also, and of course, * is about as far as one can get from a "Vermont-Style" IPA on the stylistic spectrum. And to its credit, methinks.

 

Singlecut Softly Spoken Magic Spells

Smells and (somehow) tastes like kronik.

 

Coming (sorta) soon: https://lagunitas.com/beers/waldos

 

Asterisk IPA from Melvin. That's the dankest I have had, and I have seen some cans around town.

 

This is a hallmark of our NW forum. It really was only a matter of time before this one went there.

 

Flocculent yeasts come into suspension easily. Low flocculation leads to stable yeast dregs.

 

Rethinking this, I may be wrong. 1318 has a very stable krausen, even after active fermentation - I think this is where it's "high floc" comes from. 1318 does produce hazy beers.

 

Still confused why 1318 calls itself high flocculating.

Here's Neil Fisher from WeldWorks in this month's Craft Beer & Brewing (page 88):
"I recommend using a medium-to-low attenuating, medium-to-low flocculating, expressive, high ester-producing strain, such as London Ale III (Wyeast 1318)..."

 

I think Wyeast is referring to flocculation during active fermentation. I will say every time I've used 1318, the krausen is very stable and does not fall back into the beer and I end up racking from below it

 

I had some Reuben's Double Crush on Sat night and had an odd experience. First few sips with my wife and we were thrilled. Super juicy, no bitterness, great representation of the NE-style. Then as the beer warmed we started picking up what we called "vegetal" flavors to the extent that it became hard to finish. Did anyone else try this over the weekend? Anyone else pick up on those flavors? Its getting strong scores from untappd and haven't seen anyone else describe it as vegetal or anything remotely similar so maybe I'm the outlier.

 

I didn't care for Double Crush (too boozy sweet), but I didn't get any vegetal notes from it.