(Mis)adventures with the Pliny clone

[Shade]

After successful yeast starters, I decided to make a DIPA again. I’d tried in the past but didn’t understand yeast as much in those days so the beer ended up underattenuated but newly armed with yeast starter technology, I had another crack recently.

I made a 2L starter with Omega DIPA yeast which is good up to 11% ABV.

I put the recipe into brewsmith, adjusted the efficiency rate to allow for the lower mash efficiency and followed brewsmith’s suggestions for water quantities.

However, I have made some kind of error as I ended up short of volume, with an OG of 1088. The yeast did its work and it finished at 1010, coming in at 10.1%!

It’s been carbing for a day so I tried it tonight. For over 200IBU it’s surprisingly not teeth stripping and may turn out pretty legit .. pint glasses crossed.

 

[Snuffy]

I’ve brewed this beer twice. Once from the NB Plinian Legacy kit and once from the Russian River Brewmaster Series kit from Morebeer. Both extract. Both excellent. The NB kit had pellet hops and hopshots and late malt additions. The RR kit had whole hops for dry hopping. There was a difference in the hops used. Amarillo in the NB and Magnum in the RR I think. 90 minute boil. Hop additions all the way thru. Bags are a must or this would turn into a vat of hop sludge. Amazing to me that the sheer volume of hops in these kits don’t turn it into Koala piss. Anyway, both were powerful hoppy but balanced by enough malt in the finish that they weren’t one dimensional. Of the two, I think the NB version was more complex in the malt finish. The RR more traditionally hop-first and subtle on the malt. Without a doubt my favorite IPA brewed so far. Still drinking on the RR version. Will definitely brew again. Considering the Pliny the Younger clone but, geez, that’s an $80 beer kit.