Metaphors & Rainbows … Whatever is our first attempt at a Vermont IPA. We’ve brewed IPAs in the past, but never one with the distinct haze, orange color, and big, fruity flavors associated with the Green Mountain State — and adopted by the rest of New England. The most well-known of the commercial versions are The Alchemists’ Heady Topper and Lawson’s Finest Liquids’ Sip of Sunshine (each at 8% ABV), with the former credited with the creation of the style. Personally we prefer Sip of Sunshine, and are grateful that our local co-op carries it.
For those unfamiliar with the East Coast / West Coast IPA rivalry, Vermont IPAs are intentionally hazy or cloudy with the result being a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. By comparison, West Coast IPAs have a lighter, drier mouthfeel. New England IPAs have little hop bitterness in the aftertaste, and in the brewing process utilize hops that impart tropical, juicy sweetness rather than the bitter, “dank” or piney flavors of traditional West Coast IPAs.
Adapted from Dan Paris’ Galaxy/Amarillo/Citra New England-style IPA, our version leaves out the galaxy hops, but for no other reason than they appear to be scarce, and therefore expensive. Instead, we substituted citra. If the price of galaxy comes down, we may brew this delicious beer again from Dan’s original recipe.
This recipe is also the first were we used our new TriCoil immersion chiller. This chiller splits the water source to 3 intertwined copper pipes to maximize the surface area and chill wort much faster than our old single coil unit. Chilling quickly is good for beer, but it is also helpful in our efforts to reduce water use when brewing. I was impressed that we could chill the wort from just under boiling to the whirlpool temp (168ºF | 76ºC) in under a minute with less than 1 gallon (3.78 liters) of water.
If you’d like to read our recipe, read on.
Metaphors & Rainbows … Whatever
5 gallons (18.9 liters), all-grain
INGREDIENTS
Grains
5.5lb (2.49kg) American – Pale 2-Row
5.5lb (2.49kg) United Kingdom – Maris Otter Pale
1lb (0.45kg) Flaked Oats
1lb (0.45kg) Canadian – Honey Malt
Hops
0.5oz (14g) Magnum (11.8%AU) – 30 min
0.5oz (14g) Citra (12.5%AU) – 20 min
1.5oz (42.5g) Citra (12.5%AU) – 10 min
1.0oz (28.3g) Amarillo (10.7%AU) – Whirlpool at 168°F
3.0oz (85g) Citra (12.5%AU) – Whirlpool at 168°F
1.0oz (28.3g) Amarillo (10.7%AU) 3 days [Dry Hop]
3.0oz (85g) Citra (12.5%AU) 3 days [Dry Hop]
Yeasts
London Ale III – fruity, very light and softly balanced palate. Finishes slightly sweet.
Specifications
Target OG: 1066
OG: 1064
FG: 1012
DIRECTIONS
- Mash-in all grains using 20qts (18.9 liters) of water at 152ºF (67ºC) and hold for 75 minutes.
- Sparge using 16.8qts (15.9 liters) of water at 157ºF (69ºC).
- Collect ~5.5 gallons (22qts / 20.8 liters) of wort.
- Bring collected wort to a boil and add hops at specified times listed above.
- Cool to approximately 168ºF (76ºC), make a whirlpool in the kettle and add the amarillo and citra as listed above.
- Continue to cool to approximately 68ºF (20ºC), pitch the yeast, and store in dark space at ale fermenting temperatures.
- After 3 days of primary fermentation dry hop according to the schedule above.
- After 1 week, rack to secondary container.
- Two weeks after brew day, transfer the beer to bottles or keg, and enjoy a few days or weeks later depending on which you chose.
This recipe has been published online at:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/896351/metaphors-rainbows-whatever
For more beer entries and recipes, check out the Beer & Brewing category.
