Dusty Zombies Pale Ale II

The second Dusty Zombies, switching from Pomona to LalBrew Verdant IPA and loading up on Citra across every stage. A straightforward two-malt pale ale platform built to showcase single-hop Citra character with a hazy-leaning yeast supporting the aromatics.

Grain Bill

Two malts totalling 6.5 kg: Gladfield Ale Malt (72.3%) provides the clean fermentable base; Gladfield Vienna (27.7%) adds a layer of warmth and malt depth. A high Vienna ratio for a pale ale — intentional, carrying malt presence through to the finish without competing with the hop load.

Hops

All Citra, 300 g total across six additions:

• Boil: 20 g at 60 min, 30 g at 30 min, 40 g at 10 min — bittering and early flavour
• Whirlpool: 25 g at 10 min hold, 20 g at flameout — late flavour and aroma
• Dry hop: 165 g at day 6 — the dominant aroma charge

The 80°C whirlpool hold before chill concentrates the late hop additions. Dry hop triggered at stable gravity (day 6) with a temperature rise to 20–21°C to drive out-of-solution diacetyl and carry the dry hop.

Fermentation

LalBrew Verdant IPA at 18°C initial, primary in the FermZilla. High fermentation vigour drove overflow events on days 3–5 — a lesson about headspace planning with Verdant under a large dry-hop load. Dry hop added at stable gravity on day 6, temperature raised to 20–21°C for a cleanup rest. Pressure stepped up and held to ~27 psi, then staged cooling to 3°C before packaging.

Packaging & Tasting

Bottled day 13. Tasted 2024-05-17 at bottling: clean Citra expression with good carbonation after the pressure settle at 3°C/15 psi. The Verdant yeast adds a softer fruit quality compared to the West Coast strains — a good fit for this Citra-forward pale ale.