Double Therapy

HYDROMETER has returned from dormancy. About two months ago, a fire broke out from an unseen crack in our chimney and torched a section of the walls in our master bedroom. Thanks to quick responding firefighters and a host of lucky circumstances (Is there any such thing as circumstance? HYDROMETER will explore this in a later post) no one was harmed and the repairs are nearly completed.

Since the fire, it’s taken a while for my mind to return to a state of normalcy. The insurance discussions, construction details, piles of damaged wall and scored timber have been constant reminders of what happened, but even more terrifying - what could have happened. To help myself process all this, I stitched together a recipe for a double IPA and brewed up a batch of hoppy, malty, heady beer. 

Homegrown hops cone. Early August.

Double IPAs (also called Imperial IPAs) have their roots in the mid 1990’s and the American microbrewery revolution. Though they derive from India pale ales, it can be argued that the double IPA epitomizes the American brewing tradition featuring bright, citrusy northwest hop flavors at every level, and a pleasantly higher alcohol content (typically above 7.5%). Hops with a high alpha acid content are often selected to lend the ale a high level of IBUs (measurement of general bitterness). For aroma, brewers choose hops that have a piney or grapefruit quality, such as cascade, amarillo or chinook varieties. 

Malt profiles in these brews vary significantly but their primary function in Double IPAs is to balance out and feature hops. Unbalanced double IPA’s tend to be astringent and biting; all hops without the sweetness and body necessary to support the power of the flower. They can also be syrupy and cloying when brewers overcompensate for hop bitterness. Well balanced doubles can have very high IBU measurements, but they also have complementary sweetness from malt that makes them very drinkable.

Dogfish Head’s 90 minute IPA is one of the best known (and tasting) double IPAs. It is very well balanced and, for me, sets the bar for this style. Stone’s Ruination is a great example as well. Stone calls it “a liquid poem to the glory of the hop.” I have to agree. Other double IPA’s I’ve enjoyed include Breckenridge’s 471 Small Batch, Hoptical Illusion by Blue Point, and Southern Tier’s 2X IPA.

With these greats in mind, I set out brewing what I call Double Therapy using six ounces of homegrown hop cones, an ounce of Amerillo for good measure and nine pounds of pale malt extract (this is 50% higher than my typical pale ale). After a week in the fermenter, I dry hopped it with another 3 ounces of homegrown hop flowers. It’s been in the bottle for two weeks now, and when I sampled it, it tasted sweet, aromatic and very bitter. Given time, I’m expecting it to stabilize into a bright bitter brew with a warm afterglow. Just the thing to calm nerves and help maintain a bit of normalcy.

DOUBLE THERAPY 

9 lbs. Pale malt DME 3 oz. Homegrown hops (Bittering)

1 lb. Crystal Malt 3 oz. Homegrown hops (Flavor)

⅓ lb. Gambrinus Honey Malt 1 oz. Amarillo hops (aroma)

⅓ lb. Biscuit Malt 3 oz. Homegrown hops (dryhop)

¼ lb. Carapils Malt 1 package Safale 05 ale yeast

                                                                          1 cup corn sugar (priming)

Place crushed malts in 2.5 gallons of water and steep at 155 degrees for a half an hour. Remove the spent grains and bring to a boil. Add malt extract and 3 ounces of  homegrown hops. Boil for 45 minutes. Add 3 oz of homegrown hops. Boil for another 35 minutes adding Amerillo hops in the last 10 minutes of the boil. Cool the wort. Pitch the yeast. Ferment for 7 days. Dry hop with 3 oz. of homegrown hops. Continue to ferment for 7 more days. Bottle with corn sugar (1 cup instead of 3/4 cup seems to work better for these larger beers) and age for at least 3 weeks. I used hops grown in my backyard for this. A medium alpha acid variety like Cascade hops would substitute fine and lend a good citrusy flavor.