Share your favortie NEIPA/Hazy recipe and why you think its a winner

[Beer-lord]

I've made 4 NEIPA's and 1 sucked and 3 were somewhat ok but just not great. I've tried different hops, water treatments, yeast and grain but nothing has wowed me. Actually, I've tried probably 50 different hazy beers locally and nationally and very few are stellar, most are just average.
So, if you feel ok about it, share your special recipe and discuss what makes it so good.

 

[sicktght311]

First off, whats your setup and methods like. NEIPAs are actually pretty easy to brew from a recipe standpoint. They're pretty standard. However proper temperature of the yeast strain can bring out many different flavors, and complete avoidance of oxygen is paramount. If you cant avoid oxygen ingress, you're going to be let down by a stale NEIPA most of the time

 

[Beer-lord]

I have a High Gravity BIAB system. Never had an oxidation problem, they just don't have the aroma and flavor that everyone seems to get out of their recipes.
One recipe I used Imperial Juice, one I used Hornindal Kviek and another I used a British ale yeast (1318????). I've tried 2 row with flaked wheat, then 2 row with pilsner and flaked wheat and flaked oats and the last one with Mecca Grade Lamonta malt (love that malt) with a variant of the first 2.
They weren't bad at all just rather blah. No hops until the last 10 minutes with good amounts with a 180 degree, 30 minute whirlpool. Hops used have been Mosaic, Amarillo, Galaxy and El Dorado.

 

[sicktght311]

What i meant is, what is your cold side procedure? What do you do for fermentation, how do you dryhop and when, how do you transfer out of the fermenter, do you keg? Etc etc etc.

I found all of these things to be of paramount importance when retaining hop flavor and aroma. Before i was purging with co2 during my final dry hop, cold crashing under pressure, and transferring completely closed under pressure to a liquid purged keg, i constantly foudn my NEIPAs to fall a little short on hop aroma flavor and stability.

Once i got all of the above taken care of, they've taken on a life of their own. I've even started using S04 as my primary yeast for my NEIPAs as its cheaper and easier, and it works great.

Typically i use mostly 2 row, some white wheat malt, and then flaked oats around 15%. If i'm going for an Oat Cream or Milkshake IPA, i'll use .5lbs of Lactose for a 5gallon batch. Hops wise .5oz of Warrior for bittering at 60, and then no hops until a 150 degree whirlpool for about 20 minutes. First dryhop is on day 2, 2nd is when i have about 1-2 gravity points left. A few days after that i start a co2 controlled cold crash, then i move to keg after another day or two, purge a number of times after filling, and burst carbonate. Ready to drink within 3-4 days.

 

[IslandLizard]

That! ^

Also a (closed) transfer from fermenter to a 100% liquid pre-purged keg. Lid remains on until next cleaning. No sucking air (bubbles) during transfer.

 

[jjw5015]

I have a High Gravity BIAB system. Never had an oxidation problem, they just don't have the aroma and flavor that everyone seems to get out of their recipes.

How do you know for sure? I've never had anything turn brown/purple, but I'm still going to start fermenting in kegs and keeping everything oxygen free so see how it improves them. I'm having a similar experience to you. Nothing seems to pop and they all taste the same, regardless of recipe changes.

 

[IslandLizard]

They weren't bad at all just rather blah. No hops until the last 10 minutes with good amounts with a 180 degree, 30 minute whirlpool. Hops used have been Mosaic, Amarillo, Galaxy and El Dorado.

What's your hop schedule? How much hops for each hopping step and timing?

You can use the best tasting malt in the business, but it's the hops that determine these beers. That said, I brew some with at least 60% Golden Promise (Simpsons).

 

[Beer-lord]

I have a chest freezer with inkbird wifi and I usually set the temp at 66 during the first week, raising to 68 when I dry hop (except for the Kveik which I fermented at 95). I have an SS Brewtech fermenter and I only open the lid once to add dry hops. I then do direct to keg transfer (no using c02). I do purge the keg before going into the fermenter. I'm not at the point where I can do pressure transfers.

I feel it's the water. I start with RO and I don't have the numbers with me but I have used Randy Masher's numbers on 1 recipe and Tasty's on the other 2.
I appreciate the help and replies.

 

[sicktght311]

So

I then do direct to keg transfer (no using c02). I do purge the keg before going into the fermenter. I'm not at the point where I can do pressure transfers.

This might be an issue right here. When you transfer from a fermenter to a keg, no matter how much you've purged the keg and how o2 free it is, you're sucking air into your fermenter as you're transferring the liquid since theres a volume change. As the beer lowers in the fermenter, air is getting sucked in to replace it. So chances are that last gallon coming out of the fermenter and into the keg is blanketed by oxygen. Again for mostly every other beer style out there, o2 ingress is an issue, but not a gigantic one, but for NEIPAs a few PPB of o2 can turn an aromatic juicy delight, into a boring bland pale ale.

 

[Beer-lord]

I kind of figured that. I'll try again and attempt to be as O2 free as possible.

 

[jjw5015]

I kind of figured that. I'll try again and attempt to be as O2 free as possible.

If you have the extra kegs, try what I'll outline below. Stolen from Brulosophy.

Currently doing my first batch this way. Ferment in a corny, hook up the gas line to a full keg of sanitizer. Hook up the liquid line of that sanitizer keg to the liquid line of another keg. Then hook up a gas line into a blowoff vessel. Natural co2 pushes the sanitizer into the next keg and you end up with a fully purged keg and another keg already full of sanitizer for the next batch. Then you can use C02 to push the finished beer to the serving keg. Pic below using the flex+ fermenter. Same idea.

 

[Beer-lord]

Thanks, I've read this and seen this on youtube. Just need some parts and I should be good to go.

 

[sicktght311]

Theres also another option.........

When it comes time to keg, purge the headspace of the fermenter with co2, open the prv on the co2 filled keg, then connect a QD to the gas out on the co2 filled keg with a hose attached, routed back to the blow off port on the top of your fermenter. If you're using SS gear, you can usually use a 5/16 gas line, shoved into a 1/2" silicone tube, and then the silicone tube perfectly fits in the blow off port.

Then start your transfer out of your fermenter into the keg. As the keg fills, it pushes the co2 out and back into the top of the fermenter. Its not a surefire way to solve oxygen issues, but definitely helps