Auburn Alehouse, My Friday Hazy, Hazy Ipa, Auburn, California Recipe

1. Heat strike water

Heat 6.0 gallons of strike water to about 168°F (76°C). This will drop to the target mash temperature when grains are added.

2. Mash in

Add the grain bill (9 lb pale malt, 1 lb flaked oats, 1 lb wheat malt, 0.5 lb Carapils) to the strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C). Stir to eliminate dry pockets and ensure even temperature.

3. Mash rest

Hold the mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. This profile balances fermentable sugars with body to produce a soft, hazy IPA mouthfeel.

4. Mash out

Raise the mash to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve wort runoff, then vorlauf until clear enough and begin sparge.

5. Sparge with approximately 3.0 gallons of water at 170°F (77°C), collecting enough wort to end up with roughly 6.5–7.0 gallons in the kettle (accounting for boil-off) for a pre-boil gravity that targets ~1.058–1.062 OG.

6. Add gypsum (5 g) and calcium chloride (3 g) to the sparge or mash tun as needed to achieve a chloride-forward profile that emphasizes softness, hop fullness and mouthfeel typical of a hazy IPA.

7. Bring to a boil

Bring the collected wort to a vigorous boil (60 minutes total). Watch for boilovers.

8. Bittering addition

At 60 minutes remaining (start of the boil), add 0.5 oz of Mosaic (or a neutral bittering hop) if you want a touch of bitterness. This recipe leaves most addition for late to preserve juicy flavors; if you prefer lower bitterness you may omit early bittering entirely.

9. Mid-boil additions

At 15 minutes remaining, add 1 tsp Whirlfloc or Irish moss if using to help set the wort (optional). If you want a small brightening acid addition, add 0.5 tsp citric acid at 5 minutes remaining.

10. Late hop additions

At 10 minutes remaining, add 1 oz El Dorado and 1 oz Azacca. At 5 minutes remaining, add 1 oz Citra and 1 oz Mosaic. These late additions keep the hop oils that create juicy, tropical aromas.

11. End of boil / Whirlpool

At flameout, chill the wort to about 180–185°F (82–85°C) and perform a 20–30 minute whirlpool/steep addition with 2 oz combined Citra + Mosaic (hopback/whirlpool blend). Aim for a gentle whirlpool and let the hops sit to extract aroma without harsh vegetal character.

12. Chill the wort quickly with an immersion or plate chiller to about 68°F (20°C). Rapid cooling helps lock in volatiles and reduces the chance of DMS. Transfer the chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving hot break behind.

13. Top up with pre-boiled, cooled water if necessary to reach 5.25 gallons into fermenter (final batch size) to hit the target OG ~1.060.

14. Oxygenation

Aerate or oxygenate the wort thoroughly to ~8–10 ppm O2 for a healthy, vigorous fermentation — especially important for a high-gravity hop-forward ale.

15. Pitch yeast

Pitch the rehydrated or properly prepared pack of London Ale III (or chosen strain) at 66–68°F (19–20°C).

16. Primary fermentation

Allow fermentation at 66–68°F (19–20°C) for 3–5 days until vigorous activity slows. Then allow the beer to ferment out for another 4–6 days until final gravity is near target (expected FG ~1.012–1.014). Add 1 tsp yeast nutrient at 24–48 hours after pitch if desired.

17. Temperature control (option)

If you want to accentuate fruity esters, allow the beer to rise to 68–70°F (20–21°C) during active fermentation for a day or two, then drop back to 66–68°F. Avoid excessive temperature to keep esters in balance.

18. First dry hop (primary)

About 48–72 hours before active fermentation stops (when krausen is falling or ~day 4–6), add the first dry hop charge: 2 oz Citra Cryo + 2 oz Mosaic + 1 oz El Dorado. Add hops directly to the fermenter; using hop sacks or stainless hop cans helps with clean separation but avoid excessive compaction.

19. Second dry hop (conditioning)

After fermentation has finished (when gravity is stable for 2–3 days), add the second dry hop: 1 oz Azacca + 0.5–1 oz additional Citra Cryo if you want extra punch. Leave the dry hops on for 3–5 days at ~65–68°F for maximum aroma transfer without grassy character.

20. Cold crash and clarification

After dry hopping, cold crash to ~35–40°F (2–4°C) for 24–48 hours to help drop hop matter and haze particles. If clarity is desired, rack carefully off trub and hop debris.

21. Keg or Bottle

Transfer beer to keg or bottles. If kegging, force carbonate to 10–12 psi (CO2) to achieve a soft carbonation typical of hazy IPAs. If bottling, prime to achieve ~2.2–2.6 volumes of CO2 using appropriate priming sugar calculation for your bottled volume.

22. Condition

Condition for 3–7 days at serving temperature for flavors to marry, then chill and serve.

23. Serve in a tulip or IPA glass at 45–50°F (7–10°C). Expect a hazy, opaque golden-orange beer with juicy tropical fruit, citrus, and stone fruit aroma, a soft pillowy mouthfeel from oats/wheat and a rounded low-to-medium bitterness that showcases hops.