NEEPAH IPA Blend - Bootleg Biology

[isomerization]

Purchased this yeast blend in July, but haven’t seen hardly any commentary on the interwebs...

Brewed up a NE IPA last night:

68% 2-Row, 14% Flaked Oats, 14% White Wheat, 3% CaraFoam, 1% Honey Malt

6 gal, OG = 1.062

10 IBUs at 60 min (HopShot)
20 IBUs at 5 min (Amarillo)
Whirlpool- Citra, Vic Secret, Galaxy (2 oz each) at 170F for 30 min (dropped to 140F)

10 oz dry hop (4 oz each Citra, Galaxy, 2 oz Vic Secret) will get split - 1 oz at 48 hr, 4 oz with 2-3 points left and 5 oz in the keg.

Pitched a 1.5 L starter a bit above 80F and set the chamber to 68F (Bootleg recommends 66-70F). Was surprised by vigorous activity within 6 hr, and less than 24 hr later has already dropped to 1.044!

If anyone else has used or is planning to use this yeast blend, please share, very excited to taste!!

 

[Dog House Brew]

I bought from the same batch. It is in the fridge and can’t wait to try. Will be following to hear what you think.

 

[isomerization]

I bought from the same batch. It is in the fridge and can’t wait to try. Will be following to hear what you think.

Did you package swell in the fridge? I kept mine in there the entire time once it came in the mail (flat as a pancake), and when I made a starter last week, it had noticeably swelled.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Did you package swell in the fridge? I kept mine in there the entire time once it came in the mail (flat as a pancake), and when I made a starter last week, it had noticeably swelled.

My packets are still pancake flat. I bout the NEEPAH Blend and Saison Parfait. Keep me posted on your thoughts. I’m looking forward to your results. It was my first purchase from BL.

 

[sweetcell]

(this post is a stub - i will update once i check my notes at home)

adding to the collective knowledge base: received my pouch of NEEPAH on august 8. made a 2 liter starter with it, which was probably too much. i'd have to check my notes but i don't think i pitched it all. solid fermentation and pretty damn quick: i believe i had it out of the fermenter in 10 days, including 2 days of cold-crashing.

the beer just came online, had some issues with my CO2 regulator. beer is tasting a little tannic, likely due to all the hops. it's a solid NEIPA yeast. i'm still deciding how it compares to 1318 which is my standard. it's definitely up there, TBD is it's better.

(updated posted below)

 

[isomerization]

My fermentation was over in 3 days and with dryhopping and a cold crash was kegged 6 days post pitch.

FG was a tad higher than expected (1.017 or 72% attenuation), but I did mash at ~155F. Hydro sample was solid, no off flavors, but lots of hops particles so didn’t really dive in.

Currently naturally carbonating in the keg (along with 5 oz dry hop), should go in the kegerator this weekend.

 

[Dog House Brew]

My fermentation was over in 3 days and with dryhopping and a cold crash was kegged 6 days post pitch.

FG was a tad higher than expected (1.017 or 72% attenuation), but I did mash at ~155F. Hydro sample was solid, no off flavors, but lots of hops particles so didn’t really dive in.

Currently naturally carbonating in the keg (along with 5 oz dry hop), should go in the kegerator this weekend.

Even at 55, I figured it would be lower than 17. Being a blend, I wonder what harvest and Gen 2 would do? Hope you like it, I’m probably 3 weeks from Brewing with it. Thanks for the post

 

[JohnSand]

I haven't used it, I've only read about it on another forum where a couple of brewers have tried it.
I have used Bootleg's Brulosophy Blend, and liked it very much.

 

[isomerization]

I haven't used it, I've only read about it on another forum where a couple of brewers have tried it.
I have used Bootleg's Brulosophy Blend, and liked it very much.

What website? I haven’t been able to find much out there so far.

Even at 55, I figured it would be lower than 17. Being a blend, I wonder what harvest and Gen 2 would do? Hope you like it, I’m probably 3 weeks from Brewing with it. Thanks for the post

I was surprised as well, but the last time I used 1318 it finished at 1.011 with a 149F mash temp, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised hah!

I contacted Bootleg and they said the blend was all English strains. I had a very thick, lingering krausen, much like 1318, although that yeast normally has an almost 24 hr lag phase (for me).

 

[JohnSand]

I was thinking of the BeerBorg Forum. I just searched there, a couple of guys have used it, but no results posted yet. @Inkleg, who is on HBT also, has a batch fermenting now. Maybe he'll chime in.

 

[Inkleg]

Thanks for directing me here @JohnSand .
I brewed on September 2nd. Mashed at 152º, SG 1.062 and pitched a 1.8L starter at 68º. This was a far less violent fermentation than 1318. First dry hop was on the 5th. I'll be doing my second dry hop tomorrow and kegging this weekend. I'll post back with a FG.
I remember seeing on the Bootleg site that the pouch might swell even when refrigerated. Mine had swollen some. I've brewed with two other Bootleg yeasts and enjoyed both beers. I still have their Sour Solera blend that I need to ferment with.

 

[Inkleg]

I alway over build my starters by 500ml so I can farm some of the yeast. Here's what I got from the Bootleg NEEPAH. This is after being in the fridge for 4 days.

 

[Beer-lord]

I'm brewing with this yeast in a few days and have high hopes.
My pouch of NEEPA swole just a bit so far but the lager yeast they sent me got pretty big by the time I made a starter and the starter was very 'quiet'.

 

[JohnSand]

Well, those are my friends from the other forum. Thanks guys!

 

[sweetcell]

(this post is a stub - i will update once i check my notes at home)

adding to the collective knowledge base: received my pouch of NEEPAH on august 8. made a 2 liter starter with it, which was probably too much. i'd have to check my notes but i don't think i pitched it all. solid fermentation and pretty damn quick: i believe i had it out of the fermenter in 10 days, including 2 days of cold-crashing.

the beer just came online, had some issues with my CO2 regulator. beer is tasting a little tannic, likely due to all the hops. it's a solid NEIPA yeast. i'm still deciding how it compares to 1318 which is my standard. it's definitely up there, TBD is it's better.

so here are my notes from BeerSmith:
"at flame-out, added 1 oz each cryo hops: Palisade, Mosaic and Simcoe.
1.060 OG. pitched at 67*F at 3 am. by 7 pm that night (thursday), full on fermentation up to 72... no way to cool. temp cooled a degree by friday. increased it to 73*F.
on saturday PM, 2.5 days in, i added 1 oz cryo Citra, and 1 oz Ekuanot pellets. increased to 75*F. on thursday (day 8), i cut the heat. 24 hours later, was down to 69*F, and i added 1 oz cryo Mosaic and 1 oz Loral. put in fridge to cold-crash on 8/26 (day 11).
kegged on 8/28, exactly 2 weeks after brew day. FG 1.011, ~6.5% ABV."

so 14 days and not 10, but i took my sweet time, def could have done it in 10.

so i'm not entirely impressed with this beer, but i don't know if it's the yeast. there is a sharp, drying sensation on the tongue after you swallow that is somewhere between hop tannins and yeast bite... or maybe it's something else, like the rye. i did ferment a little warmer than recommended, but the beer doesn't taste hot or ester-y. those temps were taken from a thermowell in the middle of the beer and the LCD temp strips on the outside showed a little lower, so i don't think i was too far off.

i can't tell if the after-taste weirdness is the yeast or not so the yeast gets a pass on this batch - need to try it again. i might prop up the dregs at the bottom of my keg, once it's emptied, and try again. i've done NEIPAs for my last 3 batches so i'm ready to move on, but i would really like to get a handle on this yeast so maybe, just maybe...

 

[isomerization]

So I just tasted my batch his morning. Quick recap, kegged last Saturday (9/8), with 2.5 oz table sugar and 5 oz dry hop (using Clear Beer system). Moved to kegerator on 9/11 (sugar was consumed per spunding valve). Tasted today (9/14).

I have to say I’m disappointed. I did change several steps compared to my normal process. Moved 60 min bittering addition to later, keg conditioned with dry hop, increased dry hop amount (usually around 6ish oz), first time with Vic Secret. So I’m not totally blaming the yeast...

With that said, I’m not getting any “juice” that I normally get with 1318. I’m also getting a lot of grassiness that I normally don’t get (Galaxy and Vic Secret together maybe?). I’d also describe the beer as more bitter than normal. Granted I’m not even 2 weeks from brew day, but this is my normal timeline with 1318.

Maybe some more time will help.

 

[sweetcell]

With that said, I’m not getting any “juice” that I normally get with 1318. I’m also getting a lot of grassiness that I normally don’t get (Galaxy and Vic Secret together maybe?).

Maybe some more time will help.

you know, the weird dryness in the aftertaste that i'm getting could be described as grassy, i wonder if we're tasting the same thing.

my NEEPAH is definitely improving with time so i'm pleased with that. maybe that weirdness is just the beer being green. please report back in a week or two.

 

[isomerization]

you know, the weird dryness in the aftertaste that i'm getting could be described as grassy, i wonder if we're tasting the same thing.

my NEEPAH is definitely improving with time so i'm pleased with that. maybe that weirdness is just the beer being green. please report back in a week or two.

Will do!

So you fermented much warmer, aside from the “dryness” are you getting much juiciness or yeast-derived tropical fruit character?

Edit: I did try tasting this two days ago, but it was super bitter. I chalked that up to hops being stuck on the ClearBeer intake screen, but maybe it’s the yeast dropping out?

 

[sweetcell]

So you fermented much warmer, aside from the “dryness” are you getting much juiciness or yeast-derived tropical fruit character?

some, but so far not as much as 1318. this beer is changing with time so it might end up in a good spot... but even if it does, that would still be a big ding against it: i don't want to have to wait. but this is a case of n=1 so i don't want to draw any conclusions yet.

(aside: a bootleg yeast that i'm definitely all about is their Saison Parfait... i need to start a dedicated thread about that one)

 

[Inkleg]

(aside: a bootleg yeast that i'm definitely all about is their Saison Parfait... i need to start a dedicated thread about that one)

Please do and tag me. I am drinking mine now and really enjoying it. I'm getting nice fruity esters and hay from mine.

Edit: I'm kegging my NEEPAH this weekend so I'll post back on it.

 

[Dog House Brew]

So I just tasted my batch his morning. Quick recap, kegged last Saturday (9/8), with 2.5 oz table sugar and 5 oz dry hop (using Clear Beer system). Moved to kegerator on 9/11 (sugar was consumed per spunding valve). Tasted today (9/14).

I have to say I’m disappointed. I did change several steps compared to my normal process. Moved 60 min bittering addition to later, keg conditioned with dry hop, increased dry hop amount (usually around 6ish oz), first time with Vic Secret. So I’m not totally blaming the yeast...

With that said, I’m not getting any “juice” that I normally get with 1318. I’m also getting a lot of grassiness that I normally don’t get (Galaxy and Vic Secret together maybe?). I’d also describe the beer as more bitter than normal. Granted I’m not even 2 weeks from brew day, but this is my normal timeline with 1318.

Maybe some more time will help.

That stinks, I was so excited to get it. I’ll keep following what you think.

 

[Dog House Brew]

some, but so far not as much as 1318. this beer is changing with time so it might end up in a good spot... but even if it does, that would still be a big ding against it: i don't want to have to wait. but this is a case of n=1 so i don't want to draw any conclusions yet.

(aside: a bootleg yeast that i'm definitely all about is their Saison Parfait... i need to start a dedicated thread about that one)

I picked this Parfait up too when I got the NEEPAH. Glad to hear you like it.

 

[Beer-lord]

Brewed the NEEPA beer on Friday and did the first dry hop on Sunday. It is going gangbusters which was not what the starter did. The starter looked lazy. However, I have a lager in the keezer at 50 so I had to put the NEEPA in an Insulated Beer Bag to keep it cool. It got to almost 72 before I could tame it back down to 66 but it sure smells good. That's likely why it's so active but even at 66, it's kickin' butt.
For me, none of the Bootleg yeasts seem to attenuate as well as I thought. That doesn't make this yeast bad, but at least in my uses of their yeast, it's been picky.

 

[isomerization]

Update: I can say this beer is significantly better than when I previously posted. Hard to say what the contributing factor (yeast, hop bite, ???), but more time (1 week lol) in the kegerator has done this beer justice. Touch too much bitterness, but that is likely on my end (recipe).

I don’t recall if I mentioned this, but I emailed Bootleg and they said this is a blend of English ale strains. I’m tempted to add in 1318 for the next round and see if they synergize.

 

[sweetcell]

Update: I can say this beer is significantly better than when I previously posted. Hard to say what the contributing factor (yeast, hop bite, ???), but more time (1 week lol) in the kegerator has done this beer justice. Touch too much bitterness, but that is likely on my end (recipe).

yup, i can confirm this. as i noted in my last post this beer is changing with time. after 2 weeks in the keg, under pressure & cold, that drying weirdness was almost completely gone. i really like what's left behind and i'll likely give this yeast another try, but given the need to let it age - exactly what i don't want to do with a NEIPA - this yeast is trending downwards in my books.

 

[jnxbrews]

I fermented a 30ibu English-style pale with this yeast a couple of weeks ago. I've brewed the same recipe about a dozen times with LAIII, this is the first time making a change using NEEPAH and there is a tannic bitterness on the mid palate at about 12 days coming out of the fermenter. I kegged the pale today and just harvested the yeast to pitch directly into an NEIPA that is knocking out as I type this. Will report results of both beers.

(i too bought the Saison Parfait. Today's NEIPA ^ is 10 gallons, half NEEPAH, half Saison Parfait/Funk Weapon 3)

 

[Inkleg]

Kegged mine on sunday. FG down to 1.015 with an odd hoppy bitterness at 50°, but heck there's 7oz of dry hop in there. After purging the keg I hooked the Co2 up to the liquid tube at 30 psi and would shake the keg ever so often while cleaning up. I then dropped it in the keezer and hooked up the gas. I had to sample it tonight and it's right tasty for 3 days on the gas. If y'all are saying this only improves I'm gonna be really happy. Still needs more carb, but I'll definitely be using this yeast again. I'm glad I over built my starter and farmed some of this.

 

[sweetcell]

Kegged mine on sunday. FG down to 1.015 with an odd hoppy bitterness at 50°

make a good mental note of that odd hoppy bitterness. dollar to doughnuts that it fades in 2 weeks. let us know (and then i'll let you know where to send the doughnuts )

 

[Beer-lord]

Mine's still in the fermenter but I wonder what temps you guys used during fermentation and how long you kept it in the fermenter. I usually go 3 weeks but with my NEIPA's, I've only be doing 2.

 

[jnxbrews]

Mine's still in the fermenter but I wonder what temps you guys used during fermentation and how long you kept it in the fermenter. I usually go 3 weeks but with my NEIPA's, I've only be doing 2.

I pitched at 68 yesterday, it's holding at 70 this morning after 12 hours. Needed a blowoff w/ a second gen pitch of NEEPAH into 1.062, it was crawling out of the fermenter this morning. I'm typically in the keg in 12-14 days, then don't really start drinking it for two more weeks.

 

[isomerization]

Mine's still in the fermenter but I wonder what temps you guys used during fermentation and how long you kept it in the fermenter. I usually go 3 weeks but with my NEIPA's, I've only be doing 2.

I fermented at 68F (internal) for 3 days and bumped to 71F for 2 more days before cold crashing at 32F for 1.5 days, then kegged.

 

[jnxbrews]

I fermented a 30ibu English-style pale with this yeast a couple of weeks ago. I've brewed the same recipe about a dozen times with LAIII, this is the first time making a change using NEEPAH and there is a tannic bitterness on the mid palate at about 12 days coming out of the fermenter. I kegged the pale today and just harvested the yeast to pitch directly into an NEIPA that is knocking out as I type this. Will report results of both beers.

(i too bought the Saison Parfait. Today's NEIPA ^ is 10 gallons, half NEEPAH, half Saison Parfait/Funk Weapon 3)

Update on both the NEIPA and the English-style pale with NEEPAH:

The English-style pale rounded out nicely and the mid palate bitterness is gone. I think I still prefer LAIII for this style to NEEPAH as I get a bit more English style esters out of LAIII. Hard to tell without side by side comparison. The difference between the two is subtle in such a low hopped beer.

I kegged the DDH NEIPA yesterday. 80%AA, degassed sample, second gen pitch, reached FG in 6 days. Sample had none of the mid-palate bitterness experienced in a few posts above and tasted incredible. Big juicy hop saturation and a hint of sweetness despite finishing at 1.012 that i'm going to attribute to the yeast. I'm going to repitch this for a few more generations, will report the performance going forward.

 

[Beer-lord]

Mine is kegged and the taste out the fermenter (which I only try to make sure things didn't go south) was hard to tell. At this point, I get very little mouthfeel but the taste was somewhat juicy. I'll wait till it's carbed for 5 days to pull out some settled matter and give it another taste but I expect it'll be another 10 days before I can get a good feel for this year though, with all those hops, it's bound to smell good.

I had 1/2 oz each of Citra and Mosaic cryo left over so I decided to keg hop with it. The aroma was immediately noticed!

 

[TheBrewBrotha]

I loved the brulosophy blend in one of my last NEIPA's. I re-ordered that strain plus the NEEPAH but I am worried about using it because when it arrived it was swoller than Stallone in Rambo. Like if I shake it or grab it too hard it'll pop so I haven't been in a rush to use it as it also feels like there's barely any yeast in it. Unfortunately until this day the team at Bootleg has yet to respond to my inquiries

 

[Beer-lord]

I think I'd take a picture of it first then open and make a starter and see how it acts.
The few times I emailed them, I got a reply the next day. They are a small office, not that it means you should get no reply but maybe I'd try again.

 

[TheBrewBrotha]

I think I'd take a picture of it first then open and make a starter and see how it acts.
The few times I emailed them, I got a reply the next day. They are a small office, not that it means you should get no reply but maybe I'd try again.

I'll reach out again but it'll be my third attempt since receiving the yeasts. Figured they're out by now so nothing more they could do besides a sorry but I am shocked that I have yet to receive a response. Even hit them up on instagram...

 

[Beer-lord]

I'll reach out again but it'll be my third attempt since receiving the yeasts. Figured they're out by now so nothing more they could do besides a sorry but I am shocked that I have yet to receive a response. Even hit them up on instagram...

Check your messages!

 

[isomerization]

When I emailed asking about the NEEPAH blend, they responded (with actual answers) within a few days.

My pouch swelled in the fridge, but everything went fine after that.

 

[isomerization]

The NE IPA I made with this yeast blend scored a 35.5 and was awarded 3rd place (out of 19) in the Specialty IPA category at a recent homebrew comp.

Kinda funny considering I thought I was going to dump it after a few days in the kegerator!

 

[Dog House Brew]

The NE IPA I made with this yeast blend scored a 35.5 and was awarded 3rd place (out of 19) in the Specialty IPA category at a recent homebrew comp.

Kinda funny considering I thought I was going to dump it after a few days in the kegerator!

Does that mean you like this blend?
Will you use it again?