- Recipe Type
- All Grain
- Yeast
- WHC Labs LAX (2 packets)
- Yeast Starter
- No
- Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter
- N/A
- Batch Size (Gallons)
- 6
- Original Gravity
- 1.084
- Final Gravity
- 1.014
- Boiling Time (Minutes)
- 30
- IBU
- 75
- Color
- 17 EBC
- Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
- 7 days @ 20°C
- Tasting Notes
- Red Grapefruit, Sweet Orange, Pine, Mango
Let's start this one with some gratuitous use of thematically appropriate AI generated art:
And maybe a picture of the beer in question?
I've been on a bit of a Westie kick for probably six months now, and one of the things it's taught me is that I'm very particular about the WCIPAs I like. Much in the way I can't stand a NEIPA that lacks a backbone of decent bitterness, I can't stand a classic IPA that's "pure" bitterness without decent complexity in flavour. I've done a few West Coast IPAs over the years of varying strengths which have been "good", but I've never made a "great" one...until now, that is.
It's a big beer. 9.2%, but hides it's size well. It's bitter, but not unbalanced. Plenty of diversity in flavour- very much the antithesis of the "one-note" Westies I detest. Very grapefruit forward, bit of resinous spice and sweet orange followed by a hit of overripe, dank mango from the Mosaic. It comes across as fairly dry but not unpleasantly so, and very well balanced if I do say so myself. As I said, I'm a fussy bugger when it comes to WCIPAs and personally I think this one is fantastic.
Vital Stats:
ABV: 9.2%
OG: 1.084
FG: 1.014
EBC: 17
IBU: 75
BU/GU: 0.89
Recipe as below should be for circa 23L/6 gallon fermenter volume, but I only managed more like 21L due to hopping related losses:
You could probably swap out the Pilsen with any old 2-row without significantly affecting anything, you just want the palest base malt you have to hand really. The interplay between the Caramalt and T50 gives a hint of residual sweetness but without it coming across as cloying. You could probably simplify it further if you really wanted by slightly upping the Munich and using a single ~100 EBC Crystal at maybe 4%, but I like it like this.
I used a "high fermentability" mash schedule as follows:
Hopping is fairly aggressive but not insanely so. 9oz hot side, mostly in the form of whirlpool, with another 4.5ish in the dry hop. It works out as about 8g/L aroma and about 4g/L in the dry hop which sounds fairly middling but is all Cryo hops so realistically feels like a fair bit more. I shot for an IBU of around 75 because I find that's the "sweet spot" for me, but your mileage may vary.
Fermentation is your billy basic 20°C with no ramp for...as long as it takes to hit FG. In my case it was done in a week but I left it a couple of days longer. I would recommend US-05 or some variant thereof; I pitched 2 packets of WHC Labs LAX which attenuated to about 82% (allegedly). If you can, soft crash down to get the worst of any residual hop matter and trub out of suspension and maybe consider dumping yeast before you dry hop; it's not going to be as much as a problem as you might have with a NEIPA at 20g/L but it lowers the risk of hop creep and diacetyl being thrown. Carbonate to the mid 2s, I think mine's about 2.6 volumes.
I had planned to fine, but forgot to in the end, so the photo above is without any artificial clarification. That was at circa 3 weeks, and it's dropped even clearer since then.
And maybe a picture of the beer in question?
I've been on a bit of a Westie kick for probably six months now, and one of the things it's taught me is that I'm very particular about the WCIPAs I like. Much in the way I can't stand a NEIPA that lacks a backbone of decent bitterness, I can't stand a classic IPA that's "pure" bitterness without decent complexity in flavour. I've done a few West Coast IPAs over the years of varying strengths which have been "good", but I've never made a "great" one...until now, that is.
It's a big beer. 9.2%, but hides it's size well. It's bitter, but not unbalanced. Plenty of diversity in flavour- very much the antithesis of the "one-note" Westies I detest. Very grapefruit forward, bit of resinous spice and sweet orange followed by a hit of overripe, dank mango from the Mosaic. It comes across as fairly dry but not unpleasantly so, and very well balanced if I do say so myself. As I said, I'm a fussy bugger when it comes to WCIPAs and personally I think this one is fantastic.
Vital Stats:
ABV: 9.2%
OG: 1.084
FG: 1.014
EBC: 17
IBU: 75
BU/GU: 0.89
Recipe as below should be for circa 23L/6 gallon fermenter volume, but I only managed more like 21L due to hopping related losses:
| Malt | Weight | Percentage |
| Bohemian Czech Pilsen (Weyermann) | 6.754 KG | 84% |
| Munich II (Weyermann) | 0.482 KG | 6% |
| Caramalt Premium English (Simpsons) | 0.322 KG | 4% |
| Dextrose | 0.322 KG | 4% |
| Crystal T50 (Simpsons) | 0.161 KG | 2% |
You could probably swap out the Pilsen with any old 2-row without significantly affecting anything, you just want the palest base malt you have to hand really. The interplay between the Caramalt and T50 gives a hint of residual sweetness but without it coming across as cloying. You could probably simplify it further if you really wanted by slightly upping the Munich and using a single ~100 EBC Crystal at maybe 4%, but I like it like this.
I used a "high fermentability" mash schedule as follows:
- 30m at 63°C
- 30m at 67°C
- 15m mash out at 75°C
| Hops | Type | AA | Weight | IBU | Timing | Process |
| Centennial | LupoMAX | 12.6% | 22g | 19 | 30m | Boil |
| Amarillo | Cryo | 17.6% | 15g | 12 | 5m | Boil |
| Centennial | LupoMAX | 12.6% | 15g | 9 | 5m | Boil |
| Mosaic | LupoMAX | 16.8% | 15g | 12 | 5m | Boil |
| Amarillo | Cryo | 17.6% | 65g | 9 | 20m @75°C | Whirlpool |
| Mosaic | LupoMAX | 16.8% | 65g | 9 | 20m @75°C | Whirlpool |
| Centennial | LupoMAX | 12.6% | 55g | 5 | 20m @75°C | Whirlpool |
| Amarillo | Cryo | 17.6% | 40g | - | Day 9 for 2 days | Dry Hop |
| Centennial | LupoMAX | 12.6% | 40g | - | Day 9 for 2 days | Dry Hop |
| Mosiac | LupoMAX | 16.8% | 40g | - | Day 9 for 2 days | Dry Hop |
Hopping is fairly aggressive but not insanely so. 9oz hot side, mostly in the form of whirlpool, with another 4.5ish in the dry hop. It works out as about 8g/L aroma and about 4g/L in the dry hop which sounds fairly middling but is all Cryo hops so realistically feels like a fair bit more. I shot for an IBU of around 75 because I find that's the "sweet spot" for me, but your mileage may vary.
Fermentation is your billy basic 20°C with no ramp for...as long as it takes to hit FG. In my case it was done in a week but I left it a couple of days longer. I would recommend US-05 or some variant thereof; I pitched 2 packets of WHC Labs LAX which attenuated to about 82% (allegedly). If you can, soft crash down to get the worst of any residual hop matter and trub out of suspension and maybe consider dumping yeast before you dry hop; it's not going to be as much as a problem as you might have with a NEIPA at 20g/L but it lowers the risk of hop creep and diacetyl being thrown. Carbonate to the mid 2s, I think mine's about 2.6 volumes.
I had planned to fine, but forgot to in the end, so the photo above is without any artificial clarification. That was at circa 3 weeks, and it's dropped even clearer since then.
