18B American Pale Ale
Dusty Zombies Pale Ale II
Grain bill
| Gladfield Ale Malt | 4.7 kg | 72.3% |
| Gladfield Vienna Malt | 1.8 kg | 27.7% |
Adjuncts
| Whirlfloc | 1 g @ 10 min |
| Yeast nutrient | 2 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min | 30 min | 10 min | WP | DH#1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citra | 20g | 30g | 40g | 20g | 165g |
Yeast
| LalBrew Verdant IPA | 2 packets |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 2.5 g |
| Magnesium Sulfate | 8 g |
Tasting notes
2024-05-17
Fermentation profile
Gravity
Temperature
About This Beer
V2 of the Dusty Zombies series — return to Citra. After V1 (October 2023) departed from Citra to Superdelic + Nectaron and lost the pleasantly “undead” character the original Zombie Dust had, this V2 swings back to single-hop Citra at every stage to recover that signature combination of fruity tropical aromas + dank “sweaty socks” undertone.
The Ale + Vienna grain bill proved in earlier batches carries forward unchanged. LalBrew Verdant IPA continues from V1 — Matt sticks with the hazy-leaning yeast for the soft, juicy mouthfeel it lends to hop-forward beers at this gravity.
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.
Lineage
- Zombie Dust (Feb 2023) — Matt’s original Three Floyds clone; 150 g Citra; the recipe that started the line
- Dusty Zombies V1 (Oct 2023) — first renamed iteration; Citra out, Superdelic + Nectaron in; lost the undead character
- Owen’s V1 (Oct 2023) — Owen’s parallel V1 with the same hop departure
- This brew — Dusty Zombies V2 (May 2024) — return to single-hop Citra
- Dusty Zombies III (Nov 2024) — continued all-Citra, Pomona yeast introduced
- Dusty Zombies IV (Dec 2025) — Citra + Krush pairing settles the undead character question
- Owen’s V2 (Mar 2026) — mirrors Matt’s V4