Hazy NEIPA II

Hazy NEIPA II — a dialled-back follow-up to the Big O NEIPA brewed earlier in 2023. The grain bill is leaner and the overall hop load reduced, but the dry-hop charge remains large: 210 g at day 4 across Citra, Riwaka, and Superdelic in equal thirds. Brewed on New Year’s Eve; packaged 2024-01-13.

Grain Bill

Five malts totalling 7.1 kg: Gladfield Pilsner (59.5%) provides the pale, clean base; Big O Malted Oats (10.8%) contribute hazy body and the soft oat mouthfeel characteristic of the style; Munich (10.1%) adds malt depth and a slight cereal warmth; Flaked Wheat (8.2%) builds protein, haze, and head retention; Aurora (1.3%) provides a touch of bready complexity. A more restrained grain bill than NEIPA I — the emphasis is on the hop and oat character rather than the malt.

Hops

Four varieties across ten additions, 310 g total. Moutere (10 g) as a solo bittering charge at 60 min; then Citra, Riwaka, and Superdelic run in equal thirds across late boil and dry hop:

• Citra (100 g): 10 g at 30 min, 20 g at 10 min, 70 g dry hop — tropical citrus and grapefruit
• Riwaka (100 g): 10 g at 30 min, 20 g at 10 min, 70 g dry hop — passionfruit and citrus
• Superdelic (100 g): 10 g at 30 min, 20 g at 10 min, 70 g dry hop — pineapple and tropical herbal

The 80°C hop-stand before chill carries late boil additions. The 210 g total dry hop at day 4 created significant gravity fluctuation during active dry-hop phase — trub turbulence from the hop movement distorted readings before settling. Final FG 1.009 after settling.

Fermentation

LalBrew Verdant IPA at 18°C in the FermZilla, raised to 20°C after fermentation stability. Dry hop added day 4 with temperature raise to support out-of-solution conditioning. Bottled 2024-01-13 at 2.4 vol CO₂. Earlier degassing may reduce trub disruption near transfer end — a recurring note for large dry-hop batches.