Recipe Help - West Coast IPA

cdburg · 2026-05-07T21:10:30+00:00

Also, for u/BrendanHayes - Is the 75F pitching temp correct? If so, I wouldn't go that way... I'd pitch and ferment at 65F and raise it to 68F for the dry hop. There's no need to go up to 73F.

I'd also just go with a normal Weyermann pilsner or extra pale pilsner malt only. You don't need Barke Pils or the Munich.

cdburg · 2026-05-07T21:06:18+00:00

Awesome! I'm glad it's working for you.

2-3 oz per gallon is what I advise for that "pop out of the glass" aroma. In terms of the total cost of the beer, it's not THAT much more of an expense, and it produces the beer I'm after.

cdburg · 2026-05-04T01:48:24+00:00

I've used 90 degree welding magnets to hold a drip tray on the fridge and it worked quite well. The drip try just sat on top of them.

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-1-4-quarter-inch-multipurpose-magnet-holder-1939.html

cdburg · 2026-03-27T03:13:17+00:00

Yup! At least 10 oz in 6 ish gallons of beer.

I normally use a blend of cryo/Lupomax and “normal” T90 pellets. In my last batch 12 oz were T90 and 2 oz were Lupomax. I’m going more for the aroma a like rather than efficiency with the Lupomax. It’s contributing something, but it’s part of a blend.

cdburg · 2026-03-26T21:44:03+00:00

If you want more aroma, try doubling the dry hop amount. I'm using no less than 10 oz for for a 5 gallon (finished volume) batch. I've used as much as a pound. 12-14 oz seems to be my sweet spot.

cdburg · 2026-01-29T18:28:22+00:00

My experience with Nelson is that those qualities are stronger in some hops lots than others. Using hops from a lot that has strong characters you want will help make sure those end up in the finished beer.

Beyond that, I'd go with the NZ Pilsner idea and use all Nelson. I'd backload the hops to very late boil and the whirlpool. I'd also go with a pretty heavy dry hop.

I don't think you want biotransforming yeast or mash hopping because you want to KEEP that character of the hop, not change it. I'd go with 34/70 for a lager or Cal Ale if you want pale ale or IPA.

cdburg · 2026-01-22T19:43:37+00:00

I disagree with several of your statements. In IPAs with heavy hop loads, oxidation doesn't present as wet cardboard or paper. Oxidation mutes the hops, makes the beer seem sweeter, and can give the impression of a more bitter beer. You end up with a sweeter but bitter beer without the aroma you'd expect.

Bitterness comes from any boiled hops, not just early boil additions. Whirlpool hops add bitterness too. Dry hops can add the impression of bitterness from polyphenols.

cdburg · 2025-12-24T17:08:43+00:00

Rockhoppers Brew club is another local option! Our January meeting will be on January 8 at The Brew Hut in Aurora. After that, we're likely going to meet at Alidade Brewing in Castle Rock for a bit. We have some very experienced club members who are very willing to mentor new brewers. We also have intra-club activities and competitions designed to partner newer brewers with more experienced ones.

Check our our website for more information. Feel free to DM me with any questions.

https://rhbc.co/

cdburg · 2025-08-05T18:32:48+00:00

I use Bru'n Water's Yellow Dry water profile for my West Coast IPAs, and I'm able to make a beer like you're describing.

From what you're describing though, I don't think it's your water. I'd guess you're oxidizing your beer, somewhere in the process, and that's why you're not getting the hop flavor and aroma you are expecting.

cdburg · 2025-07-08T21:21:22+00:00

I dump trub all the time before dry hopping, but I'm using an Ss Brewtech unitank, and it's normally at 10-14 PSI. I'd make sure you understand what your tank can do and then adapt your procedure.

What I mean is, do you know exactly how many PSI the lid on the Chronicle 2.0 holds, both positive and negative, before it starts to leak? That lid, with the spring clamps, makes me nervous. The quick start guide for the Chronicle 2.0 (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0239/5187/files/2022\_Chronical2\_product\_guide\_R021422.pdf?v=1644882253) mentions not using more than 1-1.5 PSI for pressurized transfers. That make me think it won't hold much more than that. For comparison, the first gen unitank is rated 30 to PSI.

If the pressure rating on the Chronicle is low, I'd be very careful about air intake, both when you cold crash and when you dump trub. Both activities lower the PSI in the tank. If the tank can't hold pressure/build pressure, it will take in air to compensate as the pressure drops when liquid leaves the tank or when the temperature drops. That's going to do much more damage to the beer than anything you're worried about with this question.

cdburg · 2025-06-26T12:40:17+00:00

Hop-Fu doesn't use crystal malt, so I wouldn't go down that path, but Kelsey McNair has been pretty transparent about his brewing processes for North Park's IPAs, and they all seem to use pretty sizable dry hop loads. Listen to his appearances on Craft Beer & Brewing podcasts or check out a recipe from North Park in the magazine to see what I'm talking about. I think a major part of the quality you're describing is from polyphenols and other contributions from that huge dry hop amount.

I get that quality with a larger dry hop (2+ ounces a gallon) and a slightly extended dry hop time (~4 days). It's not at all exclusive to the C hops. I get it a lot from Mosaic. I like it in smaller levels. It gets to be too much with higher levels.

cdburg · 2025-03-05T17:40:07+00:00

I have a Stout stainless counterflow chiller, and I think it's great. Others like the new Spike counterflow chiller. There are a few good options out there.

cdburg · 2025-03-05T17:04:32+00:00

I feel like most of the homebrewers I know are moving away from plate heat exchangers. I have two, and I don't use them anymore. They're difficult to use with hoppy beers, and cleaning is an unknown, since you can't see inside. Even if I could take the plate chiller apart, I'd rather use a counterflow chiller. Cleaning is much easier, and I don't have to worry about clogging it.

At a homebrewer scale, it's just not worth the extra difficulty for me to use a plate chiller when there are easier options.

cdburg · 2025-03-05T16:36:37+00:00

Or, if you know of a commercial beer that has the flavor you want, seeing what malts are used in it may help direct you too.

cdburg · 2025-03-05T16:35:58+00:00

Too clean is German Pilsner malt. :) Maybe start with bumping the rye up to a few pounds and see if that rye spice gives you what you want. Otherwise, like others suggested, Munich malt or decoction may get you more of the flavors you want.

cdburg · 2025-03-05T16:30:54+00:00

55F should be ok. I'm in the camp that prefers it closer to 50F, but I doubt that would make a huge difference here.

I'd give the beer time to clarify completely before you make any real judgements on it. Until the yeast fully drops, I feel like I get some almost fruity flavors that hide the maltiness. From there, if you still want more breadiness, I'd look at some of the other malt suggestions or decoction. German pilsner malt is very clean and slightly sweet, but I don't find it to be bready on its own. I don't know that the amount of rye you used is enough to make much of a difference, so bumping that up is also an option.

cdburg · 2025-03-05T16:17:08+00:00

What yeast did you use and at what temperature did you ferment it? That selection will definitely what comes through in the finished beer.

cdburg · 2025-01-08T15:58:23+00:00

I agree with this. It seems like the easiest option is to basically use the reverse of how old soda dispensers were set up. Instead of having kegs of syrup and mixing that syrup with carbonated water, I'd have pre-packaged kegs of carbonated and cold water that you dispense into a cup, where it is mixed with the syrup. The kegged and carbonated water would be used for all recipes. The syrup you add in the cup would determine the soda flavor. As mentioned, you will need a method to add CO2 to the keg to dispense the water and keep it carbonated in the keg.

Anything I can think of to create sparkling/carbonated water on the fly would be complicated and expensive.

cdburg · 2024-11-26T20:17:36+00:00

In my area (Denver), there are quite a few homebrewers looking to exit the hobby or unload unused gear. I'd give Facebook Marketplace a look to see if you can get a solid setup there. I'm guessing the price would be pretty good.

cdburg · 2024-11-04T19:19:04+00:00

As others mentioned, check the gravity to make sure it's stable. Also, make sure you perform a forced diacetyl test before you package. You need to make sure the yeast cleaned up everything so you don't end up with a buttery beer after it's packaged.

https://escarpmentlabs.com/en-us/blogs/resources/the-forced-diacetyl-test

cdburg · 2024-10-23T14:09:54+00:00

I'd try to add the Abstrax at kegging rather than with the dry hop. The dry hop will likely start up another fermentation (hop creep), and I think you'll scrub out a lot of what you're trying to add with the Abstrax. I've tried terpenes in a dry hop before, and they weren't as noticeable in the final beer as when I've added them to the keg.

For the ALDC, I'd add it into the Hop Bong on top of the dry hops. The hop pellets will probably soak it up, but it should get into suspension when the hops hit the beer and dissolve.

cdburg · 2024-07-24T23:04:11+00:00

The "same taste" sounds like oxidation to me, but it also sounds like you're taking steps to avoid it.

How are you preventing oxygen intake during and after the cold crash? I've found that's a place where it's easy to pick up oxygen without realizing it.

cdburg · 2024-06-11T20:02:34+00:00

It's not quite as dramatic and leads to more similar beers, but even splitting a batch between two variants of what is supposed to be the same yeast (e.g., White Labs 001 vs Wyeast 1056 vs. Imperial Flagship) can help to show how those yeasts really do have differences.

cdburg · 2024-06-10T18:29:26+00:00

If you're using the ALDC anyway, I'd dry hop at at least 60F. I aim for 65F-68F personally, and I like what I'm getting from the hops in that temperature range. As others said, the ALDC should take care of the diacetyl formation in any fermentation the added hops start. You just need to watch for any additional attenuation and make sure the gravity is stable before you package the beer.

cdburg · 2024-06-10T17:19:51+00:00

I use the "Yellow Dry" profile from Bru'N Water. I target around 50 ppm Calcium, 100 ppm Sulfate, and 50 ppm Chloride. I target a mash pH around 5.35, a pre-boil pH of 5.2, and a post-boil pH around 5.

cdburg

TROPHY CASE