Homebrew Fest: IPA Ideas

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by kcq101, May 9, 2017.

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  1. kcq101

    kcq101 Initiate (0) Nov 10, 2007 Pennsylvania

    Hi all - I am excited to be participating in my first local homebrew fest in the end of June. I typically brew hop-forward beers and with relative success. So I don't want to veer too much off course for this event.

    I will be brewing two 5-gallon batches to serve at the event. I believe there will be a "People's Choice" and Official judges awards, as well. While it would be nice to place in any of these, it's not my primary objective. Rather, I simply want to brew beer that I am proud to showcase. And, if possible, add an element of interest by linking both beers in some manner.

    My initial thoughts were to brew a NEIPA-"style" beer, something very similar to the Avgly. Perfect NEIPA that we crowd-created in this forum. But I was also thinking of trying to brew a similar recipe, yet in a more West Coast "style" manner - Chico yeast strain; more hops in the boil; higher sulfate/less chloride; no oats/wheat, maybe a touch of caramel, etc.

    So, if I keep the same hops but tweak the rest of the recipe, as suggested above, I'd hope I have two beers that share some resemblance, but also highlight the contrasts. However, I am also be afraid if somehow the resulting beers ended up not being different enough. Should I just change up the hops altogether?

    Any thoughts, suggestions and ideas would be certainly welcomed!
     
    #1 kcq101, May 9, 2017
  2. premierpro

    premierpro Savant (1,060) Mar 21, 2009 Michigan

    Between your change of fermentables and yeast selection you should have two different tastes. A half pound sugar in your west coast style will give a slightly drier finish and mouth feel. Good luck!
     
    #2 premierpro, May 9, 2017
    FeDUBBELFIST, JackHorzempa and kcq101 like this.
  3. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Jason (@SFACRKnight) will be able to provide some input here based upon a split batch he did last year.

    Cheers!
     
    #3 JackHorzempa, May 9, 2017
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  4. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    So are we talking about two separate beers using the same hops but different water treatment, grist, and yeast? If so, I think that's a great idea. I tried to make a beer that bridged the two styles and split the batch between two different yeasts, and I felt neither beer hit the mark and left me unsatisfied.
     
    #4 SFACRKnight, May 9, 2017
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  5. kcq101

    kcq101 Initiate (0) Nov 10, 2007 Pennsylvania

    Yes - That's the idea. Two separate beers. Keep the type of hops and amounts used as the "control" but move the timing of the additions around. Also, looking to achieve a similar OG, FG and ABV, with some subtle differences given differences in expected attenuation. Then, tweak the water treatment, malt bill and yeasts to each "style."
     
    #5 kcq101, May 9, 2017
  6. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    What hops and quantities are you wanting to use? Expect a half pound to a pound in each beer. I will start putting some numbers together for you if you would like. Let me know the types of malt you like and examples of the beer you are shooting for. I am sure others will add their experiences as well. I like Chico wyeast 1056 for my west coast beers, and wyeast 1318 for NEIPA. The nice part is both strains attenuate within a point of each other with all things being equal.
     
    #6 SFACRKnight, May 9, 2017
  7. kcq101

    kcq101 Initiate (0) Nov 10, 2007 Pennsylvania

    Thank you! No need to provide any numbers. I'll be running these recipes through both Vikeman's BrewCipher and Brewer's Friend. I think I'll be closer to the range of 12-16 oz. of hops for each beer. Thinking Mosaic, Citra, Galaxy...maybe Columbus and Apollo. But I'm still thinking this through.

    I am more so interested in whether you and others in the forum think the idea sounds like an interesting approach for a homebrew festival and whether there are any suggestions to the execution (e.g. @premierpro's advice). And I have some initial concerns on the beers not being distinctive enough. So any thoughts on that would be more the than welcomed.
     
    #7 kcq101, May 9, 2017
  8. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    FWIW I would expect that you will notice the following differences:
    • Appearance: the NEIPA beer will be murky/turbid.opaque which may be a turn-off to some beer drinkers. I would expect that the WCIPA version will have a fair bit of haze but be translucent vs. opaque.
    • Mouhtfeel: The NEIPA will have a soft/velvety mouthfeel while the WCIPA will be a bit drier in comparison
    • 'Taste': The 'crhazies' like to use the term of "juicy" to describe their NEIPA beers; you should expect this quality in your NEIPA. I would guess that the WCIPA will have sorta this kind of quality but at a diminished level.
    Now, many of the commercial NEIPAs have the feature of having low/moderate bitterness. This could be a distinguishing feature for you if you use less bittering hops for your NEIPA vs. WCIPA. This would entail that you use less hops for the 60 minutes of boil addition.

    I think this is a worthwhile exercise on two levels:
    • The people will enjoy drinking your beers
    • This will provide good insight to you and others (we BAs who will read all about it) about the contrasting sub-styles of the American Style IPA
    I would venture a guess that both @Todd and @Jason will follow your progress here.

    Cheers!
     
    #8 JackHorzempa, May 9, 2017
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  9. kcq101

    kcq101 Initiate (0) Nov 10, 2007 Pennsylvania

    Thanks for the input, Jack. The event will be on a Saturday, June 24th, in West Chester. So perhaps you can make it! Nonetheless, once I've committed to the approach and recipes, I'll make sure to provide updates along the way. Still open to advice and suggestions in the interim.
     
    #9 kcq101, May 9, 2017
  10. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    http://chestercountybrewfest.com/

    Sounds like a nice event. I will mark this down on my calendar; hopefully I will be able to attend.

    I look forward to reading your updates on this effort.

    Cheers!
     
    #10 JackHorzempa, May 9, 2017
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  11. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I think it is a great idea, and a fun one at that. For both beers I would utilize Columbus, citra, mosaic, and galaxy. Columbus to get your IBUs for both beers, aim for higher sulfates in the west coast, go high chlorides with the NEIPA. My west coast uses pils and Vienna for the base, and a touch of wheat for body and head retention. Pils flaked oats and wheat go into my NEIPA. West coast IPA try to hit 1:1 bu gu ratio, and probably .5-.7:1 on the NEIPA. I would use a 30-15 minute addition to get 1/4 to 1/2 the ibus in the west coast, plus a five minute and flameout addition, some whirlpool and 4 oz of dryhops. The neipa I would go Columbus at 60 for all of your ibu, hit the whirlpool huge and dryhop as well. I just did the juicy bits clone and doubled the suggested dryhop additions. It came out on point, I recommend that water profile and hopping rate. the big thing with the NEIPA is hitting that fermentation dryhop right. I usually drop my first addition on day 3, then again day 6, 9, and 12 for a total of 14 days of dryhopping.
    I think it's a great idea that a lot of people will appreciate.
     
    #11 SFACRKnight, May 9, 2017
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