Brewing a Mountain IPA... crispy AND juicy?! | The Craft Beer Channel

It's episode two of our epic mobile brewery build and brewday. This week we get the boil on to make a style we didn't even know existed until a few months ago - the Mountain IPA. Supposedly a Hazy IPA that lands between the coasts it should have juicy aroma and haze, but still a crispy finish and plenty of bitterness. Can we mash the two most popular styles in the craft beer and impress the punters at Wild Card's taproom?
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Support us on Patreon (get cool merch): / craftbeerchannel
Buy our favourite craft beer gear!
Our first book, Beer School: amzn.to/3lqF0kd
Our second book, The London Craft Beer Guide: amzn.to/3nn8VLQ
Best bottle opener ever: amzn.to/2EEW0QF
Our camera: amzn.to/2JHJsfk
Best lens ever: amzn.to/30MszWl
Our second fav lens: amzn.to/30P5yC0
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Remember to drink responsibly(ish) and not be that guy...

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Where do you want to see us brew next, and what modifications do you think the Portabru needs? We have a few ideas after the first brew that's for sure.

[@neilbowers6956]

I'd love to see you brew a big Russian Imperial Stout around the 14% mark. Let's see that Grainfather equipment being put to the test.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

You read our mind. We've got one in the planning stages right now... though not QUITE 14%!

[@neilbowers6956]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel Excellent, will look forward to the video of this in the future.

[@DavesVids7]

Obvs a turbid mash, then build a coolship on another pallet, it could be the Spontanbru. Might need an extra fermenter for that one though

[@jonnyrmoore]

Lager with Donzoko. You've got proper fancy temp control now. Put it to the test!

[@1985jamesward]

Lads, turn the keg on its side and roll it with your foot. More surface area to absorb co2 and less chance of breaking brads back. Not that he seemed to do much ;)

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

Good job boys 🤩

[@seppecornille]

Damn! Cool that you also watch this channel. Looking forward to seeing the perfect fried rice!

[@Pouchey2]

It's no supermarket Witbier though is it? 😂

[@themaltmiller8438]

Oh man that beers looks awesome, thats going on our brew schedule!!!

[@stevemiceter07]

I love this channel

[@Seether1975]

Well done gents! Looks awesome! Great job on the build as well!

[@smy0003]

Cool concept guys, look forward to watching more as you cart it around!

[@ShortToothChannel]

So good to see the final result. Can taste the tropical goodness from here!

[@stripeyjoe]

Just rewatched as the ingredient pack has arrived from the Malt Miller. Glad I did as I forgot about adding the boil hops whilst it’s coming up to temp. Hoping to get this on today if it stops bloody raining! Have a party coming up in a month so hoping this will be kegged, nicely carbed and ready for serving by then. Thanks!

[@walruss60]

Well done guys, I'm glad you got such a great response.

[@ianlaker9161]

Nice one guys. Looks great!

[@jonathang.5092]

Brilliant work lads. Your excitement was palpable! So true, when you have that first taste of the fruits of your labour.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Cheers Jonathan - never, ever gets old.

[@threefiddyone]

This is my favorite video you guys have done so far.

[@jonnyrmoore]

Amazing vid that captures the joy of home-brewing. Best hobby in the world. Keep it up!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Cheers Jon!

[@glutenfreebrewing]

Brilliant Stuff! I rekon some of that pith is comming from tour verdant yeast too. Love the brew rig Glycol chiller super envious! Bring on more brewery brews I say love all the behind the scenes brewery happenings while your nocking out your batch of beer while the big boys do theirs. Soooo cool

[@edgeofwest5741]

That beer looks amazing 👍 definitely going to try brew it myself

[@elproducto2340]

This is great, love to see more Grainfather videos!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

We have SO MANY in the pipeline.

[@davidjeffery8398]

That was great and can't wait to try and brew this in.......my new house

[@ftdonato]

you guys rock! congrats!

[@shaggaroo]

Congrats on another fantastic vid and successful brew!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Cheers!

[@Steamytrainlee]

Looks yummy and I could go a few pints on that now the sun is out. Well done gents

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Amen. We did pretty well getting through most of the keg and it was raining!

[@flowerbanzai]

Great video !

[@andyhiggy]

Wow, just wow. Amazing results from a first outing of your new gear. I am very jealous. I've just upgrade to temperature controlled fermentation via fridge and inkbird. The Brew father setup seems space age advanced in comparison. Looks like you guys have put a great foundation down for more great content. Love and beer.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Cheers Andy - we've been through the fridge era too. Nothing wrong with it, but this was a step beyond, if only for how quickly it crashed and how easy it was to dump the trub and hops!

[@TheBruSho]

Love the idea of a "Mountain IPA" bring the best of both worlds, nice!

[@billycorps9241]

An absolute triumph!

[@BanjoStu]

That looks an eminently pintable pint! Need to brew me a mountain IPA. ♥️ and 🍻

[@AndrewLynch9]

You should get a bouncer filter with the white filter from the malt miller to get rid of hops going into the corny keg 👌

[@alexandervoake745]

can also put keg on its side and roll it back and forth to introduce more surface area between gas and beer when force carbing......

[@duncanbayne3078]

That looked good and who can turn their nose up to free beer. If you change the gas connector to a liquid connector and put it on the liquid post ideally with a non return valve on the pipe ( should have that anyway) then crank pressure up to more than 40 psi you will carb a lot quicker plus lay keg on side and rock it with your foot.

[@Falariun1]

Two things. Southampton and portsmouth have awsome breweries, Unity, irvings, urban island, staggeringly good etc. On the portabrew, a detatchable push pull handle to make it easier for you to move it aboot. Can be stored between the slats or something,. Great vid

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Well you're gonna be very pleased to hear next week's video is down at Unity! Also a handle is 100% being added to the Portabru, good call.

[@jameskeogh6545]

If you pull the HLT tap towards your will stay open til you flip it back. Saves you holding it open. Great job guys

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Haha good tip thanks!

[@Chirn70]

Brad is like a Beer Crowd Maurice Moss! 🤘

[@philreilly2115]

I've just kegged this beer tonight and it tastes awesome! Probably my best brew to date. I subbed galaxy in place of strata as I couldn't get strata but galaxy comes through really well on this mountain style IPA.. Thank you for sharing this and keep up the great work! This channel rocks!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Awesome news! Glad it is delicious!

[@kmcwillie]

If you attach a CO2 line to a liquid out disconnect, you could introduce the CO2 through the dip tube and introduce it to the beer at the bottom of the keg during rapid carbonation attempts. When I was a new home brewer I did this once myself, by accident (turns out a gas disconnect will engage on a ball lock liquid post if you push hard enough). I can't say for certain if it sped up carbonation because I wasn't really monitoring those things closely at the time, but it might be worth a try.

[@whosradl]

I assume it will be part of the home brewery once that gets squared away, but I all looking forward to seeing a build of whatever your dispensing situation will be in the future. Cheers!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Yeah we're starting to think about that now. Brad is doing a lot of reading about kegerators.

[@yizhao8081]

I’m using grain father fermenter too,but I don’t know you guys have met the same problem like me,that when discharging hops from dryhoping ,the valve was blocked to death by hops and nothing goes out.Then I plugged my co2 line in the fermenter to give about 0.10mp pressure to push them out,and my wall was painted by semisolid hops after swing that valve lever up and down awhile try to let them out LOL.My points are,dryhoping into this fermenter directly may cause blocked valve ,and when it happens you can’t break it by blowing co2 in from discharging valve because the outer pipe is too thick and too short to attach anything on,so there’s also no way to stir the fermenter after dry hop by co2 to increase extraction rate of hops.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Hey! We did have to do a quick rouse of the hops to unblock but it was easy enough! There are def tubes wide enough for the dump valve.

[@yizhao8081]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel 👍nice，good to hear that.Cheers mate!

[@Pjrfreitas]

Really impressed! Need a glicol chiller….

[@RaskoAndDiscoBeerReview]

Very good👍🍺

[@ianbenfell8046]

Livin the dream 🍻👊👌

[@petergaboury9300]

I would strongly recommend changing the bubbler on your fermenter. When you cold crash, it creates negative pressure in the bubbler and can pull the water in the bubbler back into the fermenter ( and this can contaminate your beer … ). To prevent this from happening, I run a 1m tube out the cork and into the bubbler, and the tube is stuck into the jacket of the fermenter, it runs through the handle, and the bubbler sits on the handle. If my description is not so clear, don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll stick a photo on your Instagram. The other thing you can do to reduce oxidation is use a soda stream CO2 bottle and adapter ( you can get the adapter at Malt Miller ) and you can push CO2 through the bottom dip tube …

[@gavinbaxter5588]

Verdant yeast is phenomenal to work with.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

SO GOOD right? It just turbo charged it with tropical notes even at 18C

[@Wolfpack1986]

This is a "Grainfather portabru", so I don't know if it's available. But you could put a pressure fermentor on it and you would be almost fully carbonated when beer is finished

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

The Grainfather fermenter unfortunately can't take much pressure at the moment. However, we prefer to transfer anyway to ensure clearer beer and mobility of a keg!

[@thomassell4962]

Great video, incredibly informative and interesting. Was wonder is bio transformation dry hopping not a thing with mountain ipas? Definitely going to brew one soon!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Interesting question. If the yeast has the right enzymes (which I believe Verdant does) then it should happen simply from the whirlpool addition

[@davidferrand878]

Like the concept of a "mountain IPA"...there's a few beers that skirt this line; Lawson's Sips O' Sunshine comes to mind....

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Yes I think there are a lot of breweries that make beers that would now be called mountain IPA - most notably the Alchemist, who began the whole NEIPA revolution would now be seen as way closer to Mountain style due to the dry finish and very high ABVs. It's all marketing/syntax!

[@Jango1989]

That was great! Can't wait to see the next one. R.e. future builds, how about a keezer in the new house?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Yep! Already designing it.

[@verykeen2please]

free beer is the best sort

[@_Garrison19]

You are going to have to build a backyard/garden Pub that you have your beer on tap/cask and in which you use as your set for filming and for the podcast.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

This was exactly the plan...except Jonny is struggling to buy a house with a garden!

[@joedell2252]

Great vid. Have you got a bit more info on the water profile you used for this? I see in the notes you have suggested ppm for calcium, sodium and sulphate…..what about chloride and bicarbonate? Cheers!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

We have updated the grainfather recipe for you!

[@rustyshackelford312]

You guys are full on "gypsy brewer". Nice.

[@SLM3573]

once you go stainless you never go back! maybe get a tilt and if you are tech savvy raspberry pi to get your fermentation gravity real time, you can also use your glycol chiller for fermentation temps in case there is massive fluctuation in the brewery I can imagine in brew days it can get hot in there. force carb put keg on its side with gas post facing up put your foot on it and just push it back and forth that will work better than just shaking

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Good tips, thanks! We need a better technique....especially Brad.

[@daibowen1]

Looks great lads! I am maxing out my brew system soon for a hazy boy so that first wort hop tip is ideal because I was worried about boil over 👍 do you think wheat is better than oats or does it really matter? (I usually just use porridge oats since they are always to hand)

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Yeah it really helps, as does a good stir soon as it hits the boil or starts to foam. Wheat vs oats for me depends on what you're looking for, wheat will tend to contribute more flavour I think so if you want to keep that character out then use oats

[@tiboll]

if you don't want to move the HLT on a platform and still be able to sparge easily you should add a small pump to it :)

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Great idea!

[@Wolfpack1986]

I was gonna suggest the same. That pump could be versatile during the brew.

[@RaskoAndDiscoBeerReview]

In terms brewery's I like to see you team with.... Cronx or Signal. But really it would be great if you did something with Mad Yank🤞

[@martynpalmer4212]

Jonny, have you named the spatula? Every good tool needs a name! Sven has my vote!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Sven the spatula?! I'll keep thinking...

[@martynpalmer4212]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel yes, that's probably best 🤣

[@adambeardsley4582]

Any similar product recommendations that can be purchased in the USA? Anything similar to The Grainfather?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

The Grainfather is available in the USA! Just our link is for a UK affiliate.

[@pommiedownunder1]

Looks like a great beer well done lads; might have to make something similar myself. How about putting it through the beer engine saves on gas :-) ?.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Nice idea. I think this would work pretty well on cask!

[@DarrenMcGovern-ux9mm]

Looks good, what kind of yeast did ye use?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

We used Verdant Yeast - an English strain

[@KCJbomberFTW]

Hey I’m looking to start a nano brewery in a clubhouse downtown LA what ten beers would you like?

[@stripeyjoe]

Great video, do like Wild Card beers so looking to brew this one next! I'm pretty new to brewing so have a few of questions... 1. Water profile, I live fairly close to Walthamstow so probably have the same tap water as them, what salts did you add and how much? Did you just go for a 'hoppy' type water profile? 2. Whirlpool, I do a no chill (mainly as I don't have a wort chiller!) so should I let the temp drop to 80C, whack the hops in then rack off after 30mins into my no chill container and then leave to chill as normal? 3. Dry hop, the recipe says 'Diacimmediatelypressure and collect CO2 in the keg to use for a closed transfer.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Hey there! So we have updated the water info on our grainfather recipe to make things clearer but the only additions were salt and campden, plus a little lactic acid for the ph. With no chill your plan sounds good. Perhaps do a 20 min stand on the hops to avoid too much isomerisation. Finally not sure where you got that bit of text from (us or malt Miller, cant see it on either!) But just make sure you purge your keg of oxygen basically - it is a very delicate recipe.

[@stripeyjoe]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel Many thanks for the reply, not sure what happened to my last question there, spell check did something weird!! Should have been Dry hop: Recipe says 'Diac rest at 23C (3 days); Hop at 15C and crash for 2 days'. Does that mean after the rest lower temp to 15C, chuck the hops in and immediately crash (to 1-2C I guess), hold for 2 days then rack? So only 2 days of dry hopping or should I hold at 15C with the hops in for a few days first? I use an All Rounder so will be doing this under a bit of pressure (only around 5psi, just enough to collect CO2 in my keg to use for closed transfer). I connect my FV gas in post to the keg's liquid in post via a blow-off container and have a spunding valve on the gas out post. For transfer I can then just swap over to the liquid out post of the FV, release some pressure from the keg and let gravity take over.

[@stripeyjoe]

Where do you hide the Grainfather recipes? Ignore this, just found it!!

[@wurbondurgon]

Do you cool the fermenter to 15c, add the dry hops and then crash it down to 4c for 2 days immediately, or add the dry hops at 15c, leave for 2 days and then crash for 2 days? Also did you use straight up Walthamstow water which you adjusted, or is this purified water that you added some minerals to?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

All you need to know should be in the recipe link but cooled to 15, added the hops and crashed. The water was walthamstow with the additions we mention- full chemical make up in the recipe

[@wurbondurgon]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel Thanks - not often you get a recipe using your local water!

[@wurbondurgon]

Hi again. Got this one brewing right now and the yeast is racing through it. Just wondering if there's any reason you wait 7 days before raising to 23c for the diacetyl rest? I usually do it when I'm a few points from FG, which with this yeast is just over 48h from pitching!

[@stripeyjoe]

I was wondering about the 7 days as well but it fits nicely with my schedule, off camping for a few nights so I can leave it doing it’s thing. Got a wifi Inkbird so can raise the temp for the rest from inside my tent! The all I have to do is the dry hop and crash when I get back.

[@charlesjohnson5811]

What's the reason for dry hopping at 15oC?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Any higher would risk hop creep, and doing it lower we found imparts a little less character (we think maybe the higher temp means the hops stay in suspension a little longer?)

[@charlesjohnson5811]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel ah right - the trade off between risk of hop creep and hop oil extraction. Well I'm currently brewing this so fingers crossed she turns out as good as yours!

[@charlesjohnson5811]

For the record, she turned out beautifully!

[@Brockdorf]

Do you know how much more efficiency you get by sparging instead of just putting all the water in at once?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

I'm sure there is research on it, but the main reason you wouldn't do it at once is that the sparge water AND the grain would need a much bigger basket!

[@Brockdorf]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel thanks, these last two episodes are two of my favorites.

[@TheVirtualGroomroom]

This is how IPA's are in the PNW. Moderate bitterness, but still NE style.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

I keep hearing this but it's very surprising to me! So they use English-derived yeasts and NE techniques but ramp the bitterness? Or are they simply hazier, more aromatic West coast beers?

[@MichaelAndersen_DK]

What on earth was The Brad doing to that keg? But a massive congrats with that brew!!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

I think he likes beer too much

[@CheeseBlackOps]

Another cracking video Mike and Graeme!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Who are Mike and Graeme!?

[@jonhedlund8058]

"mountain ipa" if its weldwerk ipa is just super high finalgravity at 7p (1.025 weldwerks juicy bits finish at)

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Our understanding of Mountain IPA is that is has a pretty LOW finishing gravity??? That way it retains the bright crispness of a west coaster? Pretty sure Juicy bits is a New England style.

[@jonhedlund8058]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel Hmm, weird, seeing as the OG new england (alchemist, hill farmstead, trillium, treehouse) all finish at 2-3 plato and are as dry as west coast ipas, but none of those really use oats and all have a high flocculant yeast

[@ijwhiting2296]

What BU/GU number did you get for this?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

1.03

[@ijwhiting2296]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel Did you cold crash immediately after the 2nd dry hop?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Yep. Added them at 15c, then crashed to 4c and waited 2 days.... well more like 2.5.

[@gangsturpengwizzle]

Build a home bar!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Oh we are ON IT.

[@ijwhiting2296]

How many IBUs was this?

[@blackmetalden]

Why didn't you do the roll method when crank and shaking the CO2? Would have gotten a ton more CO2 into the beer within 10 -15 mins.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Honest answer? We didn't want to scuff up our keg....

[@blackmetalden]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel Place a towel on the ground? Hahaha, that's pretty funny. Great work in the end guys!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Well that is a very obvious solution... noted for next time!

[@oliverhemmings1978]

What's a mountain IPA? How does it compare to a NEIPA?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Watch the first episode and all is explained! It is somewhere between the west coast and new England style IPA - less body, more savoury character and bitterness but still juicy yeast

[@eltongolds6934]

Shake for 90 seconds at 300 kpa

[@DainisKaulenas]

Fewer (no?) KZbin ad breaks please. I realize I'm criticizing free content, so take it with a grain of yeast, but five ad breaks for 18 minutes of video is worse than American TV. Thank you though, for another great video.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Sorry about that. That is a lot. Not sure we are allowed to control it, but we'll look into it!

[@Trevor.Morrice]

its not "chin-ook" its "shin-ook"

[@franciscouch8378]

I love this channel

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Thanks so much Francis!