3-C Holiday IPA - Homebrew Recipe and Results

There are few times a year more inspirational than the holiday season. There’s food and family, traveling and comfort, gift giving and gift receiving. It is a pleasant time to take stock and to ponder about where to go next.

And the variety of beers makes the season all the more cheerful. The most interesting thing about holiday beers is that there seems to be no standard, no foundational recipe that all follow and tweak with small additions. No, these beers come in all varieties and they represent how each brewer feels about the holidays. You have red ales, IPAs, spiced beers, ales with lots of extras, and enough variety for every member of the family.

It is fantastic! And a great opportunity for the consumer to taste what the holidays are like for those that brewed it for them.

Feeling such inspiration, we decided it was time to brew our own Holiday beer. Something that can be brewed every year and tweaked as the feelings of the season grab us. Naturally, in our home, that beer is an IPA. Something with enough bitterness and mouthfeel to please Mr. Brew and enough aroma and lightness to please the Missus. Something with the pine scent of home and enough spiced citrus to remind us of the warm cider we love. And why not a dash of fruit to top it off?

Well, we think we’ve found it. Our 3-C (Cascade, Centennial, Citra) Holiday IPA. Let’s start with a simple mash to light this up right.

Malt (1 gallon recipe):

• 2-Row--2.4 lbs. (38.4 oz.) - 86% of mash

• Caramel 40L--0.3 lbs. (4.8 oz.) - 10%

• Carapils--0.1 lbs. (1.6 oz.) - 4%

Mrs. Brew said she wanted more head, so we added a touch of Carapils, but other than that, it is a pretty simple malt bill. We mashed it for 60 minutes in 3.5 quarts of water at 152℉. Then we poured over a 1 gallon sparge at 170℉.

We used a bit more water than normal for a 90 minute boil. The extra boiling time adds that depth of flavor we want in our HIPA. Below are our hop additions. Feel free to use Cascade or another substitute for your bittering hop. We used Magnum for a quick, heavy dose.

Boil (1 gallon recipe):

• 0.1 oz Magnum--90 minutes (Start of Boil)

• 0.2 oz Cascade--30 minutes remaining

• ⅕ tsp. Irish Moss--15 minutes remaining

• 0.1 oz Citra--Flame-out (Whirlpool)

• 0.14 oz Centennial--Flame-out (Whirlpool)

• 0.1 oz Cascade--Flame-out (Whirlpool)

• 0.1 oz Citra--Dry-hop day three after start of fermentation.

• 0.14 oz Centennial--Dry-hop day three after start of fermentation.

• 0.1 oz Cascade--Dry-hop day three after start of fermentation.

After our beer cooled to 70℉, we added 4 grams of CALI ale yeast preactivated in 40 ml of 95℉ water for 20-30 minutes.

We used more Centennial and Cascade than Citra so that the Citra hops would not overpower the others, giving a slight edge to Centennial to give us more of the woody and floral aroma and flavor.

Oxidation can be a challenge when dry-hopping such a small batch, and to combat that we add our cold side additions just at the end of yeast activity. This helps us to retain some of the aroma that can be lost from fermentation but also allows the yeast to consume the oxygen that is integrated when opening the fermenter and that clings to the hops. It’s the best way we’ve found the dry-hop with such a small batch to minimize oxidation.

Now, for the hard part: We waited 2 weeks, keeping the beer between 65-68℉, and then we bottled with corn sugar (0.85 oz. boiled in ½ cup water for five minutes), before we set it aside for another two weeks.

Like opening a gift on Christmas morning, we hoped this beer would be everything we asked for, while also hoping that we didn’t ask for too much. Here are our first impressions.

First Impressions:

• On the Eyes--Clear, caramel/copper-colored and covered with an elegant finger of cream-colored head that maintained throughout drinking. Just like Mrs. Brew asked for–Thank you, Carapils!

• On the Nose--The pine and citrus of the Cascade and Centennial dance through with just the right amount of citrus fruitiness from the Citra and a balancing dose of caramel to get the mouth watering.

• On the Palate--The pleasant, creamy head gives a hint of aroma before the first swig brings a rush of citrus, pine, and fruit. The bitterness from the Magnum and early addition of Cascade is exactly what I was hoping for and it brings that classic IPA stroke that balances the sweetness of the caramel and fruitiness of the late addition hops. I get a lot of Citra, being such a powerful hop, but the Cascade and Centennial work well to bring more pine and citrus, and they all join forces in the end for a floral wave that pleasantly coats the mouth. It is smooth, easy to drink, and medium- to full-bodied, right where I like it.

Verdict:

This is one of the best beers we’ve brewed, and I think that has to do with our own connection to the holidays. It is the exact beer I enjoy drinking during the cold months of the year, and the use of our 3-C hops brings the right amount of pine, citrus, and floral notes that remind us of the holiday sights, treats, and smells. It is smooth to drink and satisfying in the mouth, and the hop additions can be easily adjusted with this simple malt bill to create any aromas and flavors the brewer desires. We enjoy this beer very much and, who knows, it might be a new traditional Holiday IPA in our household.

Cheers!

Mr. Brew