385: West Coast IPA Q&A from the Brewer’s Retreat with Green Bench, Burial, and Russian River
Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
Balancing Light Bodies with Intense Hops in West Coast IPAs
This chapter features a Q&A segment exploring the unique characteristics and brewing methods of West Coast IPAs. It discusses the shift towards Pilsner malts for lighter bodies and the challenges brewers face in balancing hop flavors with consumer preferences.
In this special episode recorded at the recent Craft Beer & Brewing Brewer’s Retreat at Dogfish Head in Milton, Delaware, Khris Johnson of Green Bench (St. Petersburg, Florida), Doug Reiser of Burial (Asheville, North Carolina), and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River (Windsor, California) share their answers to attendees’ questions about brewing IPA—focusing on the American and West Coast styles.
Along the way, they discuss:
- using flowable hop products from Yakima Chief Hops, Abstrax, Haas, Steiner, and others
- reducing green matter to lengthen beer’s packaged lifespan
- optimizing for early presentation in package
- building body in high-attenuation IPAs
- taking a balanced approach to chloride and sulfate
- bumping sodium through water softening to increase savoriness
- unsung hops that provide big impact
- adjusting pH to alter the character of bitterness
- brewing black IPA or Cascadian dark ale
- Using pH to manage hop creep
And more.
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