21B Specialty IPA: Red IPA
Fresh Hop Red IPA
Grain bill
| Gladfield American Ale Malt | 4.2 kg | 65.5% |
| Gladfield Vienna Malt | 1 kg | 15.6% |
| Gladfield Aurora Malt | 0.4 kg | 6.3% |
| Gladfield Shepherds Delight Malt | 0.4 kg | 6.3% |
| Gladfield Toffee Malt | 0.3 kg | 4.7% |
| Gladfield Eclipse Wheat Malt | 0.1 kg | 1.6% |
Adjuncts
| Whirlfloc | 1 g @ 10 min |
| Yeast Nutrient | 4 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min | 5 min | 0 min | WP 75°C | DH#1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Jade | 25g | · | · | · | · |
| Tangerine Dream | · | 337g | · | · | · |
| Riwaka | · | 109g | · | · | · |
| Krush | · | · | 25g | 25g | 100g |
Yeast
| LalBrew Pomona | Recycled (reactivated with weak DME solution) |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 2 g |
| Magnesium Sulfate | 4 g |
| Calcium Sulfate | 4 g |
About This Beer
Fresh Hop Red IPA is a 21B Specialty IPA built around the timing of the New Zealand fresh hop harvest. The bulk of the hop load is roughly 450g of fresh hops: 337g Tangerine Dream and 109g Riwaka, both from Monhopoly and added at 5 minutes. Fresh hops carry significantly more mass per unit of bitterness and aroma contribution than pellets due to moisture content, so the gram weights here reflect whole-cone additions rather than a pellet equivalent.
The grain bill uses Gladfield American Ale Malt as a clean hop-forward base, with Vienna for body and a mild sweetness, Aurora for the bready malt depth and orange hue, Shepherds Delight for colour and complexity, and Toffee for mouthfeel. The combination aims to build the red colour and malt structure without sweetness or heaviness competing with the fresh hop character.
Brew Day
Brewed on the BrewZilla 65L Gen 4.1. Mashed in at 66°C with 18L for 60 minutes, mashed out at 76°C for 10 minutes, sparged with 17L at 76°C. Mash pH came in at 5.3, sparge at 5.6. The water profile was set with calcium chloride, magnesium sulfate, and calcium sulfate to support hop expression without pushing too mineral.
The boil ran 75 minutes. Pacific Jade at 60 for bittering, then the fresh hops went in at 5 minutes: 337g Tangerine Dream first, followed by 109g Riwaka. Krush pellets at flameout, then the whirlpool ran at 75°C for 20 minutes before chilling. OG hit 1.051 exactly on target.
Fermentation
Pomona recycled from the Alora IPA, reactivated with a weak DME solution at room temperature. The pitch performed well: foam visible within 24 hours, roughly 25 gravity points dropped by the following morning. Primary ran at 18.5°C, then raised to 21°C for a diacetyl rest. The vessel was set up pressure-capable with pressure raised gradually as fermentation progressed, reaching around 21 PSI at 21°C, allowing natural carbonation to build in the vessel. Krush 100g dry hopped in a single round. Finished at 1.005 from 1.051, high attenuation from the recycled pitch.
The Result
Packaged on 2026-04-03, 12 days after brew day. 19L closed transfer to the corny keg, 2L to bottles. Naturally carbonated from the pressure fermentation; no forced CO₂ top-up required. No tasting notes yet.