21B Specialty IPA: Red IPA
Fresh Hop RIPA
Grain bill
| Gladfield American Ale Malt | 5.5 kg | 75.9% |
| Gladfield Munich Malt | 0.7 kg | 9.7% |
| Gladfield Redback Malt | 0.55 kg | 7.6% |
| Gladfield Shepherds Delight Malt | 0.45 kg | 6.2% |
| Gladfield Eclipse Wheat Malt | 0.05 kg | 0.7% |
Adjuncts
| Yeast nutrient | half tsp @ 10 min |
| Whirlfloc | half tablet @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min | 10 min | WP 75°C | DH#1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade (fresh whole-cone) | 80g | 500g | 250g | 170g |
Yeast
| LalBrew BRY-97 | 2 packets |
Water additions
| Calcium Sulphate | 1 tsp in mash |
| Magnesium Sulphate | 1 tsp in mash |
| Calcium Chloride | half tsp in mash |
| Lactic acid (88%) | 5 drops in sparge |
Tasting notes
About This Beer
Two second-year Cascade plants in Owen’s Auckland garden yielded 1000 grams of fresh whole-cone hops across two picks — 830 grams from the main harvest in late January, and 170 grams from a second pick a week later. The result was a fresh hop Red IPA using nothing but home-grown Cascade at every stage of the brew.
The main harvest went into the boil (80g at 60 min, 500g at 10 min) and the whirlpool (250g at 75°C). The second pick — smaller, slightly less developed cones — was held back for the dry hop at Day 7, added when fermentation had wound down to SG 1.014.
The beer was self-carbonated: the spunding valve was closed once primary fermentation finished, capturing natural CO2 from residual activity. Final pressure built to approximately 22 psi (2.55 vol CO2 at 7.2°C). Bottled 14 February 2026.
The first pour showed a noticeable green vegetable character — traced back to the immature cones in the second-pick dry hop. After 3–4 days in the bottle it mellowed significantly, revealing the underlying RIPA character: assertive bitterness, deep amber colour, solid mouthfeel, and a distinctive fresh-hop freshness that you simply cannot replicate with pellets.