Hoppy pale ale / ipa

This was an enlightening beer, in that it demonstrated what 'homebrew' can be. Homebrew is just beer, but it can be used pejoratively, but not this one. This one was fantastic, and really showed me what you can accomplish in this hobby.

I wasn't sure what to make of it when I brewed it. I used some crushed grains that were over a year old, but the hops were fresh. The resulting beer struck the perfect balance between sweet and dry, and made a solid foundation for fruity hops.

5 gallons

11 lbs pilsner (and maybe some munich - it was a mixed bag)

4 ounces crystal 60

0.33 oz Galena 60 min Boil

0.5 oz Mosaic 20 min

0.5 oz Equinox 15 min

0.5 oz Azacca 12 min

0.5 oz Azacca 7 min

0.5 oz El Dorado 6 min

0.5 oz El Dorado 1 min

0.5 oz Equinox 0 min

0.5 oz Mosaic 0 min

Dry hopped 7 days with

1 ounce equinox

1 ounce el dorado

1 ounce mosaic

US-05

Brewed 3-24-15

Kegged 4-7-15

https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/hoppy-pale-ale-16

Tropical fruit juice

This was a really delicious beer. Definitely up there with the best I've brewed. I had been reading a lot about northeast-style IPAs this year, since they've really exploded in popularity recently. I've never had the chance to try any of them, but I still like to watch youtube reviews and experience them vicariously. So that made me want to try to make my own.

I had also read Riverwards's posts about Tired Hands Hophands -- another one I've never tried -- so I had a basic idea of how they're done. I didn't have London Ale III, though, but I did have oats. I do have a 100% galaxy hopped IPA with london ale iii fermenting now, and should be kegged in a day or so. So I'll see what 1318 and oats do to a beer.

The resulting beer was extremely tropical and the aroma was massive fruit. Maybe just a hint of bubble gum. I don't think I added enough oats to get that creamy mouth-feel, but it did seem to be creamier than my typical hoppy beers. The oats also seemed to impart a constant haze; usually my beers clear up pretty well after sitting in the keg a few weeks.

This one went fast, just four weeks from kegging to empty. And it prompted another homebrewer to say, you made this? 

5 gallons

9.0 lb 2-Row

1.0 lb Munich - Light 10L

0.75 lb Flaked Oats

0.13 lb CaraMunich II

0.13 lb Caramel/Crystal 60

1.0 oz Nelson Sauvin 7 min

1.0 oz Amarillo 7 min

1.0 oz Citra 7 min

1.0 oz Nelson Sauvin 3 min

1.0 oz Citra 3 min

1.0 oz Amarillo 3 min

2.0 oz Amarillo 30 min Whirlpool

2.0 oz Citra 30 min Whirlpool

1.0 oz Nelson Sauvin 30 min  Whirlpool

2.0 oz Citra 30 days Dry Hop

2.0 oz Amarillo 30 days Dry Hop

US-05

Brewed 8-15-15

Kegged 8-30-15

https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/hoppy-ipa-2

El Dorado / Equinox IPA

This is a really solid beer. Oniony dankness. But in an enjoyable way. This is my second beer with ingredients that differ from what I as a novice homebrewer originally thought was appropriate for a hoppy beer. Initially, the recipes I encountered called for a decent amount of crystal malt, but I found them to be much more tasty without it. The resulting beers are dry, without being overly dry, and golden from the pale malt and a touch of crystal, just for color, which makes them look delicious.

5 gallons

10 lbs 2 row

4 ounces crystal 60

0.33 oz Galena 60 min

0.5 oz El Dorado 20 min

0.5 oz Equinox 15 min

0.5 oz El Dorado 12 min

0.5 oz Equinox 7 min

0.5 oz El Dorado 

0.5 oz Equinox 5 min

0.5 oz El Dorado 1 min

0.5 oz Equinox 1 min

0.5 oz Equinox 0 min

0.5 oz El Dorado 0 min

Dry hops:

2 ounces equinox

2 ounces el dorado

US-05

Brewed: 5-25-15

Kegged: 6-15-15

Dry hops stayed in the keg from beginning to end; this beer disappeared a long time ago. No grassy flavors. I think this method is very effective. I don't want to dry-hop in the primary fermentor, because I like to reuse the yeast, but I don't want to transfer to a secondary fermentor, because that risks contamination. So this works very well for me.

https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/hoppy-pale-ale-2-may-2015

Sink IPA

This beer is the result of an empty pipeline, a day off, and a bunch of hops in relatively small quantities that needed to be used. 

Still pretty cloudy, despite being in a cold keg for six days. But this beer has 4.5 ounces of hops that are still in the keg, so it might take awhile to clear up.

I overshot my volume by about half a gallon, so this beer is lighter than intended, and not all of the finished beer would fit into the keg, so I bottled two bottles. They taste substantially different. Very little hop flavor. Why might that be? Old hops? I never once opened the better bottle between brew day and keg day, but could there be oxidation somehow? Infection? (This better bottle sat in a water-bleach solution for a week prior to brewing). 

Thankfully the dry hops save the beer, which is clean, fruity, dry, and a touch dank. I might perceive the slightest off flavor, but it's hard to say if that's from a hop I don't recognize or yeast. I don't pick up the same flavor in the bottled version.

Recipe (5 gallons):

10 lbs 2 row

Amarillo 1 ounce 15 minutes

Centennial 1 ounce 12 minutes

Amarillo 1 ounce 10 minutes

El Dorado 1 ounce 5 minutes

Azacca 1 ounce 4 minutes

Azacca 1 ounce 0 minutes

Citra 2 ounces dry hop

Mosaic 1.5 ounces dry hop

Centennial 1 ounce dry hop

US-05

Brewed 10-12-15

Kegged 10-25-15

https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/sink-ipa-f9b56a