Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

This IPA is a well-balanced yet aggressive West Coast IPA that showcases Yakima Valley hops at their finest. Late additions of Simcoe®, Citra®, Loral™, and Mosaic™ give this beer its complex citrus, fruity, and floral aroma and flavor. (ABV 6.8%)

Heat about 3.75 gallons (allowing for grain absorption) of mash water to approximately 167°F (75°C) to hit a target mash temperature of 152°F (67°C) with the grain bill listed.

Heat strike water

Pour crushed grains into the mash tun and recirculate runnings briefly to avoid dough balls. Hold mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes for good conversion and a moderately dry West Coast body.

Add grains

After 60 minutes, raise temperature to 168–170°F (76–77°C) for 10 minutes (mash out) to stop enzymatic activity and improve lautering.

Mash out

Optionally measure mash pH — target around 5.2–5.4. If needed, adjust with small amounts of lactic acid.

Measure gravity and pH

Sparge with enough water to collect roughly 6.5–7.0 gallons of wort before the boil (accounting for boil-off and trub loss). Aim to end the sparge at about 170°F (77°C).

Sparge

Bring the wort to a vigorous rolling boil. Total boil time: 60 minutes.

Boil

At 60 minutes remaining (start of boil) add Simcoe 1.0 oz and Citra 1.0 oz. These are intended to provide clean bitterness and a light resinous base. (If you prefer lower IBU, add 0.5 oz each.)

Bittering hop addition (60 min)

Add Irish Moss or Whirlfloc with 10–15 minutes left in the boil to help clarify the wort.

Kettle finings

At 5 minutes remaining add Mosaic 1.0 oz and Loral 0.5 oz to build late hop flavor and start of aroma.

Late hop / flavor additions (5 minutes)

After flameout, turn off heat and begin cooling the wort. When wort temperature reaches 180–175°F (82–79°C), add the whirlpool hops: Citra 1.0 oz, Simcoe 1.0 oz, Mosaic 0.5 oz. Stir to create a whirlpool, then let rest for 20–30 minutes to extract hop oils without excessive isomerization.

Cool to whirlpool temperature

After the whirlpool rest, chill wort quickly to yeast pitching temperature (66–68°F / 19–20°C) using an immersion, plate, or counterflow chiller.

Chill wort

Rack chilled wort into a sanitized fermenter, leaving behind trub and hop debris. Top up with pre-boiled and cooled water if needed to reach 5.25 gallons total volume (adjust to your system losses).

Transfer to fermenter

Aerate or oxygenate the wort thoroughly to ~8–10 ppm O2 if bottle/pipe aeration is available; otherwise, shake or vigorously splash to oxygenate for 60–90 seconds. Proper oxygenation helps a clean fermentation for this ABV (6.8%).

Oxygenation

Pitch the prepared yeast (re-hydrated dry yeast or a properly sized starter for liquid yeast). Target fermentation temperature 66–68°F (19–20°C) for a clean West Coast profile.

Pitch yeast

Allow primary fermentation to proceed at 66–68°F (19–20°C) for 5–7 days, or until vigorous fermentation subsides. Gravity should drop significantly during this time.

Primary fermentation

At roughly day 3–5, when fermentation activity is winding down but still active (to help hop oil solubility and incorporation), add half of the dry hop charge: Citra 1.0 oz, Simcoe 1.0 oz. Leave in contact for 3–4 days.

First dry hop (active fermentation tail / day 3–5)

Rack beer off primary yeast cake to a secondary or leave in primary and cold crash to 34–40°F (1–4°C). Add the remaining dry hops: Mosaic 1.0 oz and Loral 0.5 oz. Leave for 48–72 hours to maximize aroma while minimizing grassy or vegetal character.

Second dry hop (cold rest)

After dry hopping, cold crash if desired, then rack the beer to bottling bucket or keg. If bottling, dissolve priming sugar (4 oz) in 1 cup boiling water, cool and add to bottling bucket before racking beer on top. If kegging, carbonate to 2.4–2.6 volumes CO2.

Prepare for packaging

Allow bottles to condition at room temperature for 10–14 days, or force-carbonate kegged beer and carbonate until desired level. Let beer rest for an additional few days after carbonation to settle hop particulates.

Conditioning

Serve cold (45–50°F / 7–10°C) in a tulip or IPA glass to showcase hop aromas. Expect a bright citrus/pine/floral aroma with a crisp, moderately bitter finish and an ABV around 6.5–7.0%.

Serve

Sanitize all equipment that contacts cooled wort or beer. Adjust water profile toward a higher sulfate to chloride ratio (around 3:1 sulfate:chloride) to accentuate hop bitterness and bite. Adjust IBU by altering the bittering hop amounts if you prefer more or less bitterness.

Pale 2-Row Malt

Maris Otter (or extra base malt)

Caramel/Crystal 20L

Carapils / Dextrine Malt

Honey (optional, for mouthfeel)

Simcoe (whole or pellet)

Citra (whole or pellet)

Mosaic (whole or pellet)

Loral (whole or pellet)

Citra (late/whirlpool)

Simcoe (late/whirlpool)

Mosaic (late/whirlpool)

Citra (dry hop)

Simcoe (dry hop)

Mosaic (dry hop)

Loral (dry hop)

American / West Coast Ale Yeast (dry or liquid, e.g., Wyeast 1056 / US-05)

Water (treated to ~150-200 ppm sulfate, chloride ratio 3:1)

Irish Moss or Whirlfloc (optional, kettle fining)

Priming sugar (if bottling)

Mash pH adjustment (lactic acid, if needed)

Campden tablet (optional, if using tap water)

Bale Breaker Top Cutter IPA

Make Bale Breaker Top Cutter IPA Recipe in just 16h . This IPA is a well-balanced yet aggressive West Coast IPA that showcases Yakima Valley hops at their finest. Late additions of Simcoe®, Citra®, Loral™, and Mosaic™ give this beer its complex citrus, fruity, and floral aroma and flavor. (ABV 6.8%)

Bale Breaker Top Cutter IPA

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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