Overview of my current techniques

The year is 2024 and Brut IPA is now a style brewed mostly in countries outside the US. I’ve seen them recently pop up in the Czech Republic as well as Argentina. Here in the States, however, Brut IPA is but a target of memes poking fun at its demise. The biggest reason for this, in my opinion, was a lack of execution and a true understanding of the obstacles that were in place. Many brewers were simply making IPA and adding enzymes on the cold side of the process resulting in some pretty funky flavors, beers in the 8% abv range, and hop character that had been greatly reduced.

In this section I’ll showcase a deeper understanding of “dry” beer, lessons learned, and my recommendations on the best approach to making Brut IPA.

Dry vs. Perceivably Dry

The concept of “dry” when it comes to alcoholic products is referring to the residual sugar, or lack thereof, in the finished product, but is that really all there is to it? The answer is “absolutely not!”

Dry as a perception, a feeling, can be influenced by many things such as ethanol levels (alcohol), beta-glucans, and glycerol. Dry is not just a number on a piece of paper.

Ethanol is a contributor to mouthfeel and perceived sweetness. In short, the higher the ABV of a beer, the sweeter and richer it will taste. If you make a Brut IPA that is higher than 6.5% abv, the impact from the elevated alcohol content becomes more and more apparent. Design your recipe to finish as close to 6.0% abv as possible to avoid this.
Beta-glucans are a mouthfeel enhancer in beer. Barley and Oats, in particular, contain high levels of beta-glucans. Grains such as corn and rice contain very low levels. It is for this reason these grains are commonly found in American Light Lagers. I advise using corn or rice at a rate of 20-30% of your grain recipe to lighten the body of your beer.
Certain yeasts produce higher levels of glycerol. Classic English strains are selected to produce full flavored low alcohol beers that work beautifully with those styles. Lager strains, however, create super crisp beers, compared to other strains. Lean on yeast strains like California Ale or even a classic lager strain like 34-70 for a crispy result.

My current preferred technique:

Mash Application with a combination of Amylo and High DP Barley

Why not hit it from two angles? I’ll be honest, I’m not sure of the exact science that is occurring here, but this application has been highly effective and uses two things we should have easy access to, even at the homebrew level; Amyloglucosidase and High Diastatic Power Barley (also known as Distiller’s Malt). It’s possible that the high DP Barley is preparing the starch branches to be more easily and thoroughly broken down into fermentable sugar. In any case, this method is extremely effective at producing a highly fermentable wort and provides the ability to denature the enzyme in the boil. This method generally yields a finishing gravity between 0.5 and 1 degrees Plato.

Usage rates:

Amylo at a rate of 0.15 - 0.50 ml / # of grain
High DP Barley as approximately 15% of the grist

Add enzymes directly to the mash between 145F and 150F (Amylo will denature around 155F), stir thoroughly, and extend your mash rest. On a 15bbl brew system, I would typically shoot for a 147F mash temperature and rest for an extra 15 minutes (beginning my vorlauf about 1 hour after I began mashing in)

Here’s a sample grist recipe:

60% Pilsner Malt

22% Flaked Rice

15% High DP Barley

3% Acidulated Malt (for pH, adjust as necessary)

Another technique:

Combination of Pullulanase and Amylo

Around 2019 I was able to have a discussion with a sales rep from a laboratory that sold processing aids (like enzymes, for example) to the wine industry in Napa. They introduced me to Pullulanase enzyme, a debranching enzyme, and how it could be used in combination with Amylo to get a highly fermentable wort. The Pullulanase works by breaking off starch branches so the Amylo can more easily convert them into fully fermentable sugars. Unfortunately, they only sell the product in 5 gallon pails, and one only needs about 100 mls per 15bbl batch of beer, so it’s not very practical for smaller operations. The sales rep, however, sent me a sample that I was able to experiment with. With just a light dose of each Pullulanase and Amylo added directly to the mash, I was able to achieve a fully fermentable wort and still had the ability to denature the enzymes in the boil. The result was a beer that finished exactly at 0 degrees Plato.

Usage rates:

Pullulanase at a rate of 0.1 - 0.15 ml / # of grain
Amylo at a rate of 0.1 - 0.2 ml / # of grain

On to the hops!

It’s important to keep this beer balance, and with such a tiny amount of residual sugar there is not much there to balance out the bitterness. Recipes I’ve done in the past target 15 to 23 ibu’s, and I’m generally leaning towards the lower end of that spectrum. I’ve discovered that I prefer using low alpha European varieties like Czech Saaz or Mittelfruh to give the beer a little grassy character, further enhancing the complexity of the hops and mouthfeel of the beer without adding richness.

Sample Hop Schedule:

60 minutes to the end, Czech Saaz, 5 IBUs

15 minutes to the end, Czech Saaz, 2.5 IBUs

Cool Whirlpool (180F), Citra, 12 IBUs

Dry Hop 1: 2#s per bbl of Mosaic

Dry Hop 2: 2#s per bbl of Nelson

Total IBUs = 19.5

Total #s per bbl of hops = 4 - 5