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In Albany, New York, Steve Parker and his team at Fidens have fine-tuned their method of making vibrant, juicy IPAs that have won the hearts of East Coast hopheads and built a national following—despite not distributing their beer. Parker is constantly tinkering and learning in the pursuit of packing in bigger, fresher flavors into his beers without losing sight of texture and drinkability.
In this 43-minute course, Parker details the Fidens approach to hazy IPA—an approach that he began developing as a homebrewer and has continued to develop since the brewery opened in 2019. Among the highlights:
- why they still love to brew and drink hazy IPA
- water profile for a soft, approachable mouthfeel
- the thinking behind the relatively simple grain bill
- adjusting mash temps and finishing gravities to balance sweetness, mouthfeel, and drinkability for hazy beers of various strengths
- why they keep mash pH low
- kettle and whirlpool hopping rates
- selecting hops for survivable compounds
- why they dry hop multiple times over a few days
- when they add which hop varieties, and why
- their house yeast strain and why they like it
- embracing natural carbonation before dry hopping, instead of burping or recirculation
- using a hop cannon to add hops under CO2 pressure
- tips on avoiding diacetyl and hop creep in both hazy and clear IPAs
- under-pitching yeast for softer character in the finished beer
- selecting hop varieties as power chords and backup singers
- desired traits when evaluating hops, such as selecting Simcoe for the Hawaiian punch vibe
- finishing and carbonation level
And more.
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