This might seem unconventional, but we’re mashing high at 72°C! This will leave a significant amount of body in the beer after fermentation, giving us a final gravity of around 1.018–1.020. We’re also only mashing for 45 minutes. Track typically mashes for 30 minutes with an additional 30 minutes of recirculation, so on our smaller systems, 45 minutes should put us in a similar place after the mash period. You may want to consider how you recirculate your wort during the mash, as it’s important to minimise the oxygen introduced to the wort to preserve the low colour we’re aiming for.
Track aim for a mash pH of 5.4 for their hazy beers but they also correct the pH after the mash in the kettle. At around 95c they take a reading and adjust to 5.2pH.
Now, this is where things get even more interesting—we’re not doing a whirlpool! This technique comes directly from Track’s playbook. They’ve started using a method called a “Hot Dip” to add hop aroma and flavour at the end of the boil. This method works well with hop pellets but is particularly effective with flowable hop products. Since we’re using Mosaic INCOGNITO® by BarthHaas® in this beer, it’s perfect for this process. The concept is simple: after the boil, transfer a few litres of uncooled wort—around 3-4 litres—to your fermenter. Then, slowly pour your packet of Incognito into the hot wort in the fermenter. It helps to warm the Incognito packet beforehand, either in a jug of very warm water or by resting it on the lid of your sparge water heater during the brew. When adding the Incognito, drizzle it over the wort rather than letting it all fall to the bottom at once. (PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU ARE FERMENTING IN A PET FERMENTER SUCH AS A FERMZILLA OR BREWZILLA THEN THIS STEP CAN’T BE REPLICATED AS YOU WILL DAMAGE THE FV)
Once the Incognito is in the fermenter, transfer your wort as usual, using your preferred method to cool the wort before it enters the fermenter. Track has found that this method leads to much better efficiency of the Incognito, resulting in beers with much more hop saturation—even before dry hopping!
Pitch your yeast, WHC Saturated, at the usual temperature (around 18°C), and let fermentation go for 7-10 days or until you record the same gravity for two consecutive days. It’s a good idea to perform a forced diacetyl test at this point before moving on to the next stage. Then, cool to around 14°C, dump the yeast if you can, and proceed with dry hopping. Ideally, leave the hops in contact for no more than 48 hours. If possible, dump the hops from the cone and cold crash, continuing to drop hop matter for a few days before packaging.
