28C Wild Specialty Beer
Philly Funk – Sour IPA v2
Grain bill
| Gladfield American Ale Malt | 4 kg | 66.7% |
| Gladfield Vienna Malt | 1.4 kg | 23.3% |
| Gladfield Light Lager Malt | 0.6 kg | 10% |
Adjuncts
| Yeast Nutrient | 2 g @ 10 min |
| Whirlfloc | 1 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 15 min | WP 80°C | DH#1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citra | 20g | 50g | 65g |
| Krush | · | 50g | 65g |
| Strata | 20g | 50g | 65g |
Yeast
| WildBrew Philly Sour | 2 packets |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 2 g |
| Magnesium Sulfate | 4 g |
| Calcium Sulfate | 8 g |
Tasting notes
About This Beer
Philly Funk v2 is the second iteration of a Philly Sour IPA concept — a beer that tries to be both a sour and an IPA simultaneously. The grain bill was revised from v1: American Ale Malt as the base, Vienna for body, and Light Lager Malt to keep things clean and fermentable. The hop load was increased to 385g across three varieties (Citra, Krush, Strata) with an 80°C whirlpool and triple dry hop. Target was more Sour IPA character than the hoppy-sour direction of v1.
Brew Day
Mash in at 64°C for 60 minutes, mash out at 76°C, sparge 16L at 78°C. Pre-boil 28L, 75-minute boil. Citra 20g and Strata 20g both at 15 minutes. Whirlpool at 80°C for 20 minutes with 50g each Citra, Krush, Strata. OG 1.068 with 23L into the FermZilla on the BrewZilla 35L Gen 4.
Fermentation
Two packets of WildBrew Philly Sour pitched at 22.5°C. Fermentation was visible by day 2, running more like a conventional ale than the usual Philly Sour mini-ferment acid phase — consistent with pitching 2 packets at slightly higher temperature driving the culture into the alcohol phase faster than the acid phase. Gravity was at 1.010 by day 8; temperature raised to 24°C for a diacetyl rest, then dropped to 20°C. Dry hop (65g each Citra, Krush, Strata — 195g total) added on day 10 for 4 days. FG 1.000, pH 4.3 at day 14.
The Result
A very dry, hop-forward beer at 8% ABV with pH 4.3. The hop aroma and flavour are excellent — Citra/Krush/Strata together produce a big tropical and citrus character. The problem is balance: at 1.000 FG the dryness amplifies the bitterness, and combined with 8% ABV and pH only 4.3 (less sour than intended), the beer is a lot. It mellows with time in the keg.
What’s Next
The main lesson: pitch only 1.5 packets of Philly Sour and mash at 66–67°C to leave more residual body. The lower packet count should extend the acid phase before the alcohol phase kicks in, producing better lactic acid expression. More body would balance the hop bitterness. The hop combination itself is strong and worth keeping.