I have been craving and making some lighter beers lately, probably because of the weather but also because they are easy to drink and can still pack some serious flavor. I didn't used to be a fan of Session IPAs. However, over time I have grown to seriously respect them. The amount of care that goes into extracting the flavors and aromas of the hops while still maintaining a good malty base at a low ABV is awesome to me.
One of the commercial session IPAs that I like a lot is the Firestone Walker Easy Jack. The hop character from the Mandarina Bavaria is amazing but still, somehow, the malty flavors are very forward. It is also super refreshing and easy to drink. I decided to base my recipe a tiny amount on it. Since I like how they did the malt character, I tried to replicate it as close as I could. However, I did my own hop combination that I think is interesting.
I had originally planned to brew this one a bit later, but because of my Pumpkin Ale getting infected and me hosting an Oktoberfest part at my house, I needed a beer quickly. I did this one grain to glass in 9 days.
Here is the recipe:
Exp OG: 1.048
Exp FG: 1.010
Exp ABV: 5.0%
Exp SRM: 4.5
Exp IBU: 54.8
Mash 75 mins at ~151℉
Batch Sparge 20 mins at 168℉
8 lbs 2-Row (81%)
10 oz Munich I (6.3%)
6 oz Crystal 20L (3.8%)
5 oz Carapils (3.2%)
5 oz Pale Wheat (3.2%)
4 oz Flaked Oats (2.5%)
1 oz Southern Star (17% AA) at 30 mins
.25 oz El Dorado (12.9% AA) at 10 mins
.25 oz Lemondrop (5.2% AA) at 10 mins
.25 oz El Dorado (12.9% AA) at 5 mins
.25 oz Lemondrop (5.2% AA) at 5 mins
.5 oz El Dorado (12.9% AA) at Flameout
.5 oz Lemondrop (5.2% AA) at Flameout
1 oz El Dorado (12.9% AA) Dry Hop in Keg
1 oz Lemondrop (5.2% AA) Dry Hop in Keg
WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast
The brew day went well. I am still working on getting my efficiency figured out. I just think that my system limits me.
Here were my steps to get this thing in the glass so quickly:
Day 1 - Brew/Pitch/Ferment
Day 2-7 - Ferment
Day 7 - Transfer to purged keg with dry hops in a SS pod. Carb to 30 PSI and shake for a few minutes.
Day 8 - Purge CO2 and set to serving pressure.
Day 9 - Serve.
I was skeptical of the 30 PSI trick at first, hence why I only let it sit there for a day after short shake. I actually did pour some of this beer right after purging it down to serving pressure and it was pretty much already perfect. I should also note that this is my first time using a dry hop pod. It has made the aroma seem super fresh. We'll see how well it holds up over time. I also did not filter this one at all.
The aroma and flavor is citrus fruit with a good amount of lemon notes. As expected, the malt still has a forward presence and mouth feel is impeccable. Next time, I may try to use a little less Lemondrop and add Mosaic or Galaxy.
