Search

Plush IPA

Chris Lee
Feb 11, 2016
3 min read

I just happened to be brewing a batch of beer on the day that Scott Weiland passed away. I was mid mash when the news came over the radio. In case you don't happen to know who he is, Scott was the lead singer for the generational band Stone Temple Pilots, and later he fronted Velvet Revolver. I initially got hooked with their song Big Empty (from The Crow Soundtrack) and I've been a huge STP fan since their breakout album Purple. Frequently on my gym playlist, Stone Temple Pilots now influence my beer brewing. Just maybe I can pay tribute to a cool band with an awesome beer recipe.

The purpose behind this beer was to create an IPA that utilized a Belgian yeast, fermented at cooler temperatures to prevent too many esters and allow the hops to shine through. I put together a pretty big hop schedule that featured Chinook, Amarillo and Centennial hops. The goal was to get some mild front to back bitterness while focusing on the citrusy / spicy flavours from the hop bursting in the last 15 minutes combined with the whirlpool addition.

The reality is that the yeast I chose completely dominated the flavours but in a good way. The 71 ibu's of bitterness are balanced and slightly masked by the boozy nature of the Safale Abbaye yeast. This beer has the typical characteristics of a Belgian beer but the added effect of a dry and pungent IPA finish. Its all Belgian up front and all IPA on the aftertaste. I don't mind this combination but I think that the next time I brew this I'll select a more neutral yeast to allow the hops to properly punch through. I feel that this beer willl completely morph into something else if I stick it away for a few months and age it, so we'll see what happens.

Appearance: Light amber & Apricot hue. Frothy foam that is lacing and retentive. Very happy with colour and foam.

Aroma: light white peppercorn (yeast), orange marmalade, slight earthiness, notes of tropical fruits, orange creamsicle, mango, and papaya. I was hoping for more hop aroma but I think that the yeast overpowers here.

Palette: Creamy mouthfeel, orange pith, hint of grapefruit, fresh peach, floral notes, slightly fusel. Same as the aroma, I feel that the yeast is not neutral enough to allow the hops to push through properly.

Overall, not a bad beer. I think that I'll reassess after a bit of aging to see where time takes it. I split this batch of Plush and the other half was dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin. We'll see how that one turns out.

Plush IPA, you deserve a B-. Not the result that I had expected but I have a funny feeling that this story is far from over. I'll be sure to follow up this post after some significant aging.

PLUSH IPA

----------

Batch Size: 3 gallon

OG: 1.056

FG: 1.010

IBU 71

6% ABV

Fermentables:

5lb Pale 2-row

10oz Munich Dark

4oz Vienna

Hops: