NRTHWRD — Releasing Northern IPA

When Lallemand, the yeast manufacturer we trust, began talking about a new style called "Northern IPA," we were surprised by the similarities to the IPAs we regularly brew and became very interested.

Our IPAs are characterized by fermentation at the lowest possible temperature where the yeast can still work healthily. We do this to avoid the hop flavors being blown off by vigorous fermentation. However, this means longer occupancy of the fermentation tank, and because we need to gradually raise the temperature for a diacetyl rest, temperature control cannot be left solely to machinery and requires some care.

For this NRTHWRD, we brewed as closely as possible to Lallemand's guidelines. Since the characteristics are said to be clean and crisp, we avoided tropical hops and used CLS-X14, which is refreshing, considered suitable for lagers, and still in the experimental phase, for both boil and dry hopping.

The sugar content at the end of fermentation was 2.2°P, and the pH was 4.49. This is very close to our target, and it is also proof that we have become well-accustomed to the new brewhouse that has been in operation since March.

The taste is very crisp with a restrained malt character. It has a firm bitterness and a refreshing aroma reminiscent of lemongrass and jasmine. It's an IPA like Hokkaido's short, dry summer.



You can drink it from this weekend at @craftpub_brianbrew.
It will also be available soon at Niseko Roadside Station View Plaza @michinoekiniseko and our online shop.