The second batch of Simcoe IPA is getting dangerously low, so we brewed the third batch today. Target gravity was 1.062, but for some reason we got a whopping 1.070 out of the wort today. Hopped with Columbus pellets for bittering and all Simcoe for flavour and aroma, it’s set to be super hoppy. This is the fifth use of the yeast, so we’re getting to the end of its lifespan, especially considering that there’s a lot of pellet trub mixed in with the yeast as a result of using too many pellets in previous batches.

We racked the Alpha King clone out of the primary after two weeks, and the yeast is not behaving very well, as the gravity was very high - 1.024. It tasted quite nice, not overly sweet, so we kegged up half of it with Cascade, Centennial, and Ahtanum for dry hops, and put the other half in a secondary. We vented and tapped the Simcoe Pale Ale in the firkin, and it was surprisingly docile. Since the racking gravity was 1.018, the only explanation is that there wasn’t enough headspace to allow it to condition very much. It tasted very good, with enough Simcoe flavour to be interesting but not too much to overpower the malt and the low gravity. With a half full firkin of Boathouse Bitter, a full firkin of the Simcoe Pale Ale, as well as Landlord and Boathouse Bitter with American hops in cornies, there’s a lot of cask-conditioned ale to choose from right now. Plus the London Pride can be tapped any time now.