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In the Fermenter: Help me like the Haze

The New England/Hazy/Juicy IPA is a beer style I've been having great trouble getting into. 

Part of it might be a "get off my lawn" issue regarding what my brain thinks an IPA is supposed to be. I grew up with two IPA styles: an English IPA that is bitter, amber, moderately strong and uses English hops, and an American IPA that is bitter, amber, moderately strong and uses American hops. In the case of the American (now considered West Coast, blech) the more "C" hops the better, damn it. The clarity had better be good too, because I must be able to see through my glass. Pale and hazy is the realm of Wits and Weizens, not the IPA gosh darn it. And by the way, who took all of my VHS tapes?  

All that said, now that I'm on the wrong side of 50, it's time to open up the mind a bit. 

The brewing process of the Hazy IPA is what intrigues me most. It's probably the main reason I'm taking a stab at the style. 

Most everything regarding hops happens late in the brewing process. From what I've tasted and read, high IBUs are a no-no. Instead, it's all about the flavor and aroma. This means avoiding the big bittering additions of the West Coast IPA that defined the American IPA style back in the 80s and 90s. It also means Hop Stands, dry hopping during primary fermentation, and yet more dry hopping in the secondary. In my beer, I'll also dry hop a couple of days before bottling as well, because why not? 

What I find even more interesting is how little time these dry hop additions remain in contact with the beer. My schedule is basically put the hops in, leave them for two days and then take them out. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Another big part of why I've had issues getting into Hazy IPAs has to do with the Citra and Mosaic hops that seem to be part and parcel of the style. Unfortunately, neither of them offer flavors or aromas that truly appeal to my palate. Especially Mosaic. That said, Hazy IPAs are often built around newer hop varieties, so I figured that I could bend the rules with my beer and use neither of them. 

In my case, I've taken the "go with what you know" route for my first hop. Amarillo is relatively common to this style, and is a hop I've had good results with in other beers. My other hops are Cashmere and El Dorado. I've used neither of them before. Their expected profiles seem to be in the realm of Citra without being Citra, if that makes any sense. I'm hoping that I'll like both of them. 

My 5 gallon brew is below.

Fermentables:
7.5lbs Rahr Premium Pilsner
1.25lbs Weyermann Pale Wheat
1lb Rahr Red Wheat
12oz Flaked Oats

Hops:
3oz Amarillo (8.2% a.a.)
3oz Cashmere (7.5% a.a.)
3oz El Dorado (15% a.a.)

Original Gravity: 1.059
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.015
ABV: 5.7%

IBU: 34
SRM Color: 3

Mash Schedule:
Saccharification Rest: 150F for 60 min
Mashout: 168F for 15 minutes

Total Boil Time:
90 min

Hop thusly:

Add .5oz of each hop 20 minutes before Flameout.

Add .5oz of each hop at Flameout.

Cool Wort to 180F

Add .5oz of each hop and Hop Stand for 20 minutes.

Cool wort, transfer to Primary and pitch yeast.

Dry Hop with .5oz of each hop at High Krausen. Remove after 2 days.

Dry Hop with .5oz of each hop 2 days before transferring to Secondary. Remove before transferring.

Dry Hop with .5oz of each hop 2 days before bottling. Remove before bottling.

At bottling time, add one pellet of each hop to every bot........just kidding!


Fermentation Schedule:
2 Weeks Primary
3 Weeks Secondary
2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning

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