21A American IPA
Fresh Hop West Coast IPA
Grain bill
| Gladfield American Ale Malt | 5.2 kg | 82.5% |
| Gladfield Munich Malt | 0.5 kg | 7.9% |
| Gladfield Toffee Malt | 0.3 kg | 4.8% |
| Gladfield Wheat Malt | 0.3 kg | 4.8% |
Adjuncts
| Yeast nutrient | 5 g @ 10 min |
| Whirlfloc | 1 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 75 min | 20 min | 5 min | WP 85°C | DH#1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 20g | · | · | · | · |
| Centennial | · | 25g | · | · | · |
| Tangerine Dream | · | · | 167g | 167g | · |
| Cascade | · | · | 167g | 167g | 75g |
| Riwaka | · | · | 166g | 166g | · |
| Krush | · | · | · | · | 75g |
Yeast
| LalBrew Pomona | 2 packets |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 2 g |
| Magnesium Sulfate | 4 g |
| Calcium Sulfate | 8 g |
| Lactic acid | — |
Tasting notes
2025-03-30
A fresh-hop West Coast IPA using 1.5 kg of fresh hops harvested from the same season — a rare opportunity in New Zealand to brew with green cones rather than dried pellets. The grain basket doubled as a hop basket for the large late additions and whirlpool stand.
Grain Bill
Gladfield American Ale Malt (82.5%) anchors the grist for a clean, neutral WCIPA base. Gladfield Munich (7.9%) adds malt roundness, Toffee Malt (4.8%) a subtle caramel sweetness, and Gladfield Wheat Malt (4.8%) improves head retention and body.
Hops
A three-layer hop structure combining pellet bittering and mid-boil additions with a massive fresh-hop late charge:
Pellet (bittering/flavour):
- Columbus 20 g at 75 min — dank, earthy bittering foundation
- Centennial 25 g at 20 min — grapefruit and floral mid-boil
Fresh hop charge — 1.5 kg total: Three batches of 500 g each (Tangerine Dream / Cascade / Riwaka in equal thirds), added at 5 minutes, then at whirlpool at 85°C, and again at 75°C. The grain basket was repurposed as a hop basket to manage the large fresh volume, with careful thermal management to avoid scorching the cones.
Pellet dry hop: 75 g Cascade + 75 g Krush at day 3 (~1.015) for a clean biotransformation hit.
Fermentation
LalBrew Pomona at 18°C. Fermentation started quickly — one of the more vigorous starts recorded. Dry hop at day 3 around 1.015, then stepped to 22°C for clean-up. Pressure built and was closed to around 20 psi before crash cooling.
Packaging & Tasting
Mixed packaging on day 15 (keg and bottles), carbonated to 2.4 vol CO₂. Tasted one day before kegging: high hop intensity with dank and fruity aroma, balanced bitterness and body. The fresh hops delivered noticeably different character compared to pellet-only brews — grassier, more aromatic, with a distinctive green freshness.