Mystery Hop 2025
Double IPA
Brewed November 30, 2025
I was going to brew this beer with fresh hops from a friend's garden, but I don't think I got to them in time. So, I just grabbed what I had...
Ingredients
Malts
8 lbs 2 Row Pilsner Malt
9 lbs Great Western Pale High Color Malt
1 lb Caramel 20L Malt
4 oz Carapils Malt
Hops
2 oz Elixir hops (8.6% AA)
2 oz Triumph hops (7.9% AA)
2 oz Mt. Hood hops (5.2% AA)
Yeast
1 yeast cake White Labs California Ale Yeast (WLP001)
Other
15 drops FermCap
2 tbsp Yeast Nutrient
1 tablet Whilfloc
1 Campden Tablet (water additive)
4 grams Epsom Salt (MgSO4)
9 grams Gypsum (CaSO4)
5 grams Calcium Chloride (CaCl)
Brewing Instructions
1. Add 6 gallons of water to the kettle and add brewing salts (Campden Tablet, Epsom Salt, Calcium Chloride and Gypsum)
2. Heat 6 gallons of strike water to 163°F
3. Add 6 gallons of water to the mash tun
4. Add all grains to the mash tun and confirm mash temperature of 152°F
5. Steep grains for 60 minutes
6. While steeping grains, heat 4 gallons of water for lautering to 170°F
7. Fly spage until wort volume of 7.3 gallons is reached
8. Begin boil and wait for hot break
9. Add 7 drops of FermCap to reduce foaming
10. At 0 minutes, add 2.0 oz Triumph hops
11. At 30 minutes, add 1.0 oz Elixir hops
12. At 40 minutes, add 1.0 oz Elixir hops
13. At 50 minutes, add 2.0 oz Mt. Hood hops
14. At 50 minutes, add 1 tablet Whirlfloc
15. At 50 minutes, add 0.5 tsp of yeast nutrient
16. At 60 minutes, chill the wort to 68°F
17. Shake fermenter to aerate wort
18. Move wort to primary fermenter
19. Pitch yeast
20. Ferment at 67°F for 5 days
21. Ferment at 72°F for 2 days
22. Ferment at 65°F for 7 days
23. Cold crash to 36°F for 7 days
24. Move to keg and carbonate
Starter & Notes
None (reuse WLP001 Yeast Cake from Elixir Smash)
Brewer's Notes
Flavor is solid
Good hop flavor, although a but muted by the alcohol.
Color looks good
Dark golden color, although a bit cloudy
Mouthfeel and body work
Nice body from the Crystal Malt, but a bit undercarbonated
A little less alcohol
Recipe is good, but make it about 7% next time. Hop profiles work, but maybe add a bit more later in the boil