21A American IPA (SMASH)
Golden Weka Ale
Grain bill
| Golden Promise Pale Ale Malt | 6 kg | 100% |
Adjuncts
| Whirlfloc | half tablet @ 10 min |
| Yeast nutrient | half tsp @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min | 10 min | 5 min | WP 80°C | DH#1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motueka | 15g | 30g | 45g | 60g | 150g |
Yeast
| LalBrew Pomona | 2 packets |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | half tsp in mash |
| Calcium Sulphate | 2 tsp in mash |
| Magnesium Sulphate | 1 tsp in mash |
| Lactic acid (88%) | 5 drops in sparge |
Tasting notes
About This Beer
Owen’s version of Matt’s Golden Weka Ale — a SMASH pale ale built on 6kg of Thomas Fawcett Golden Promise grain and Motueka hops throughout. No specialty malts, no adjuncts. Just one malt, one hop, two years of yeast confidence.
Motueka runs across every stage: 15g at 60 minutes, 30g at 10 minutes, 45g at 5 minutes, 60g in the whirlpool at under 80°C, and 150g dry-hopped on Day 3. Pomona yeast fermented at 18.5°C for the first three days, raised to 21°C through Day 11, then reduced to 7°C. Pressure built to 10 psi from Day 3; the spunding valve was closed on Day 11, capturing 2.5 volumes of natural CO2.
The result was compared side-by-side with Matt’s batch of the same recipe. Overall nose and flavour very similar — both expressing Motueka’s lime-citrus and tropical character with light bitterness. The notable difference: Owen’s came out distinctly hazy while Matt’s was clear. The cause was not immediately obvious — possible differences in dry hop contact time, whirlpool temperature, or cold-crash duration. Worth investigating in future iterations.
OG 1.052, FG 1.005, ABV 6.0%. Bottled 19 June 2025.