November 01, 2024

385: West Coast IPA Q&A from the Brewer’s Retreat with Green Bench, Burial, and Russian River

1 hour 2 minutes

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.

This episode is brought to you by:

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