H8D Brut IPA 02.20.19

♦ BREW DATES:
Date: Brew Day • 02.20.19
Gravity End of Boil (OG) • 1.069
Gravity (FG) • 1.016 ABV: 6.96 Final
Date: Pitch Yeast Day • 02.21.19
Date: Dry Hop • 03.04.19
Date: Cold crash in secondary • 03.10.19 @42°
Date: Keg Day • 03.14.19 done
Drafted Who’s House • Dan

♦ SESSION NOTES:
Calls for 148° mash and then raise to 170°. Let is stand for 10 minutes then remove and boil. Hops to be added at flameout. I did have California WLP-001 but went a cheaper route with 2 packs of US-05. Phantom didn't have 1 lb Flaked Rice so Kathy and Steve said to add a pound of Rye.

https://www.clawhammersupply.com/blogs/moonshine-still-blog/brut-ipa-recipe-homebrew-beer

Ingredients
7.88 gallons filtered water
9lbs. German Pilsner
1lb. 4oz. Flaked Corn
1lb. 40z. Flaked Rice
6 oz. Huell Melon Hops
Alpha galactosidase enzyme

The Science of Step Mashing
https://byo.com/article/the-science-of-step-mashing/

Procedure
Heat water to 145F, stir in grains and rest for 60 minutes (while maintaining heat).
Bump kettle temperature up to 170 after the mash and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Prop grains above liquid, allowing excess wort to drain into kettle.
Increase kettle temp to a boil (maintain for 60 minutes)
Set grains aside once draining is complete.
After boil, lower kettle temp to 170 and complete a 20 minute hopstand / whirlpool using 3 ounces of Huell Melon hops.
Cool to 65 degrees and pitch 2 packets of WLP-001 California Ale yeast
Ferment for 7-10 days.
Dry hop for 2 days with 3 ounces of Huell Melon hops.
Keg or bottle, and enjoy!
Stats
Starting gravity: 1.058
Ending gravity: 1.010
ABV: 6.3%

As you can see by the stats, we did not achieve the gravity reduction we were looking for. We were hoping this beer would ferment down to 1.005 or lower. Apparently the "Bean Assist" enzymes didn't offer the assist we were looking for. We've seen other brewers use this enzyme with success, so we're not sure why it didn't work for us. We measured pH after the mash and it didn't drop to the level that we were shooting for, which could have impacted starch conversion / fermentation. Or, the enzymes were just bunk. We don't know.

Tasting Notes
Despite the lack of gravity reduction, the beer definitely has a very dry mouthfeel. It's nice and creamy as it hits your mouth but makes your tongue feel "gritty" after the swallow. So, it has some of the desired qualities that a Brut would have. But it's definitely slightly sweet. As far as Brut IPAs go, this one is questionable. As far as regular IPAs go, this beer is phenomenal. Emmet and I absolutely love it and will definitely brew it again. Check back for part 2, where we'll duplicate this recipe using a different enzyme.