Homebrew IPA

February Homebrew

Snow Day IPA

Recipe

8 lbs. malt syrup

1 lbs. 60L crystal malt

1.5 oz Nugget Hops (bittering)

1 oz. Cascade Hops (flavor)

1 oz. Cascade Hops (aroma)

0.5 oz. Cascade Hops (dry)

5 oz. (3/4 cup) priming sugar

1 packet dry Nottingham Ale yeast

Procedure

Contact me if you want more detailed instructions.

Heat 2-3 gallons of water with malt in a grain bag. Hold between 150 and 160 degrees, while lifting and draining the bag multiple times with tongs (do not squeeze.) Remove the bag after thirty minutes. Turn off heat or remove the pot from the burner. Add malt syrup and the Nugget Hops in a bag. Increase temperature until a boil is reached. Hold the boil for thirty minutes, then add the flavor hops (bag optional.) The total boil will be sixty minutes. Turn off the heat and add the aroma hops. After fifteen minutes remove the hop bags and cool the wort. Once it is cooled, add it to the fermenter, topping it off with tap water to reach five gallons. Record the temperature and specific gravity. If the temperature is 65-75 degrees add the yeast (suggest using a yeast starter.) Fermenation should be at least one week in the primary and another week in the secondary. Add the dry hops to the secondary fermenter. Add priming sugar and bottle. Thanks to Listermanns shop in Cincinnati for the recipe and the ingredients!

The Name

As you may have noticed, I like to name the beer and put an interesting label on the bottle. I bought the ingredients on a weekend. I wasn't sure when I would get a chance to make the beer. Fate stepped in and brought a winter storm, which resulted in me missing almost two days of work. I was stuck at home....I had ingredients for a beer.....and now we have Snow Day IPA!

My Review

I am very happy with this beer. I like the copper color. The hops are evident when putting your nose near the glass and when you take a drink, but they don't overpower the taste. I was surprised at how smooth the beer was, considering it is an India Pale Ale. There is not a bitter aftertaste. The carbonation is ideal, producing a decent head when poured properly. Honestly, I prefer more bitter IPAs, but I still find myself having an easy time relaxing with a bottle. Next time I may try some different hops, or perhaps I will attempt an Imperial India Pale Ale.

Other Reviews

Jeremy said, "I hosted a jambalaya party over the weekend and took a break from some fine Single Barrel Jack Daniels to partake of the Snow Day IPA. I'm not an IPA drinker, so I wanted to be sure I had company to finish it if I didn't like it. I was pleased. It definitely had the hoppy taste, but it wasn't overwhelming for me (like the Bells Two Hearted Ale, or the hops that I ate during the Bockfest parade). I shared a bit with our cook and he enjoyed it as well."

Graham said, "Savoured with a side of cinnamon sprinkled cheddar cheese blocks and poured in a Stella Artois glass this is a really good beer. Carbonation is not high, just perfect in fact, very light hops aroma and taste with little or no after taste. Colour is copper, almost on a par with Killians Red........"

Kati said, "Yuck."

Ryan said, "Joe does a great job of brewing."

I have delivered a lot of bottles, so if you have a comment to post, please send it to me.