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Totes McOats – New England Pale Ale

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Totes McOats wide shot
So hot right nowI challenge you to find a topic more contentious than haze in beer. Minus the odd, typically wheat-based style, the general mandate for clarity is the clearer the better–crystal is best. Well, for one reason or another our friends over in New England have decided to buck the trend: instead of crisp, dry, crystal clear megadank hop bombs the New Englanders have opted to follow a whatever-it-takes mentality to squeeze maximum “juiciness” out of their hops and yeast. As the result of their methods, the beers have a distinct haze/turbidity to them (“hazy af“) proponents claim enhances mouthfeel and the fruity-juicy character of the high ester yeast and New World hops.

While I am personally a fan of clear beer–you drink with your eyes, etc–I do not have a problem, per se, with folks developing/enjoying their own regional interpretations of a style. By and large I wager most folks feel the same and us West Coast folks were content to enjoy our thing and let the folks in New England do their thing… until homebrewer king Jamil Zainasheff fired off the “Tweet Heard ‘Round the World” and everyone lost their friggin’ minds.

If you follow the thread further it turns out he was merely upset about paying $9 for a beer that has poor fermentation character, but it was already too late: the New Englanders had already grabbed their pitchforks to defend their precious haze and the West Coasters had lined up to join in on the dump-fest. Now you have to have an opinion and the other side is wrong! Oi! (Also, Jamil needs to learn to properly orient his photos)

Here is the sad truth of the matter: many West Coast folks likely have not sampled a good representation of the NE style, it simply does not get made/distributed out here; my own experience was limited to a handful of sips from smuggled cans at bottle shares. Meanwhile, New Englanders have been living under West Coast beer imperialism for the last decade or so, maybe they do know better. Not one to get too tangled up in brewing dogma, I decided to see what the hubbub was all about and brew a New England Pale Ale myself. At the urging of noted oat enthusiast Scott Janish I decided this would also be a good time to experiment with his recommendation of > 18% oats in the grist. It’s so juicy!

The new East Coast/West Coast rivalry.

Step aside Biggie, this is the new East Coast/West Coast rivalry.

On New England Style

I know what you are thinking: what does this filthy West Coast clear beer casual know about the nuance of New England style ales!? A fair assessment, but I assure you I have been doing my homework! I was fortunate to spend a bit of time talking with fellow East Coast homebrewers about their process at Homebrew Con in Baltimore. In particular, fellow bloggers Ed Coffey and Mike Tonsmeire have some excellent posts capturing the nuance of the style.

So then what is New England style? Haze is one part of it, but I assert haze is just a side effect of the whatever-it-takes attitude toward enhancing hop character. The New England style values these particular elements:

  • “Juicy.” Full and fresh fruit character from both yeast esters and hops. Typically this means citrusy or tropical hops, not the piney/resinous/dank hops of West Coast IPAs.
  • Hop flavor/aroma over bitterness. Sharp hop bitterness should be avoided and the flavor/aroma character that should be maximized.
  • Biotransformation. That is, adding dry hops while yeast is still active so they can transform hop compounds into new flavors as well as scrub out any added oxygen.
  • Soft mouthfeel. Water profile, lack of filtration, and high protein content should lend a velvety soft character that is like drinking full pulp juice.
  • Unfiltered. Appearance is not important so filtering only serves to remove hop character.
  • Mega fresh. These beers are not meant to be enjoyed even a month or two after bottling. If you hold on to a bottle for longer than a week what are you even doing with your life?
  • Haze? This is a red herring. Intentional haze is a reaction from some breweries to haters calling their beer cloudy like a milkshake. Still, some folks intentionally add adjuncts like wheat flour to promote megahaze.

The techniques to achieve those elements are not so unusual. Namely, they consist of:

  • High chloride water, at least 1:1 with sulfate and > ~100 ppm. This will enhance malty character and mellow any harsh hop bitterness, producing an all around gentle softness.
  • ~20% high protein adjunct, frequently flaked wheat or flaked oats. This will add a full, velvety mouthfeel, head retention, and the infamous haze.
  • High ester, low floccing yeast. WY1318 London Ale III or a variant of The Alchemist’s Conan is most common.
    (Though am not convinced that unfloc’d yeast is really a component)
  • Citrus/Tropical hops added late. IMO, if you are adding hops > 15 minutes before the end of the boil for this style you are doing it wrong. Optimally, you should add the hops all within the last 10 minutes of the boil to optimize hop character and minimize edgy bitterness. Whirlpool/hopstand hops are a good idea too, though the jury is out on whether they are better than additional late additions.
  • Dry hop before the beer has finished fermenting. I shoot for when I see the krausen has mostly fallen, but the airlock is still burping every few seconds. You can also add a second dry hop post-fermentation or in the keg if you want raw hop freshness.

Totes McOats

Totes McOats gristThe base of this beer is pretty similar to some of the other pale ales I have done in the past, I am a big fan of 10% Weyermann Munich II and 5% each of Victory and Crystal to give a firm malt backbone I believe is mandatory for pale ales. Though in this case I used some Honey Malt from Gambrinus instead of my usual C60 because I was worried about getting too dark with all the haze. Otherwise, I swapped out 20% of the 2-Row for an equal amount of oats for that primo NE haze. You could easily turn this recipe into a full-blooded NEIPA by removing the specialty malts and increasing the OG by another 10 points or so.

I chose Vermont IPA (a Conan strain) for this batch because 1) I already had some on-hand, as it is my go-to hop-forward yeast of late and 2) it is almost literally impossible to find any yeast but White Labs in San Diego. I pitched at 65ºF then ramped up to 68ºF the following morning, where left it for the rest of fermentation.

I should note I fined this beer with gelatin in a vain attempt to see how clear I could get this beer–is it really yeast or hops in suspension making it hazy (which would get pull out by the gelatin) or something else? Turns out it did not make too much of a dent on the haze, so I feel pretty confident about the haze just being protein from the oats a la hefeweizen or wit.

Though to be honest, this beer was destined to be a winner from the very start: using a heavy hand with “cheater” hops like Mosaic and Galaxy practically guarantees whatever I make will taste awesome. Seriously, if you have not checked these varieties out yet, do yourself a favor and brew a batch with one or both.

Recipe Details

Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV
5.5 gal 60 min 54.3 IBUs 6.8 SRM 1.054 1.012 5.6 %

Style Details

Name Cat. OG Range FG Range IBU SRM Carb ABV
American Pale Ale 18 B 1.045 - 1.06 1.01 - 1.015 30 - 50 5 - 10 2.3 - 3 4.5 - 6.2 %

Fermentables

Name Amount %
Pale Malt, 2-Row (Rahr) 6.75 lbs 60
Oats, Flaked 2.25 lbs 20
Munich II (Weyermann) 1.125 lbs 10
Honey Malt (Gambrinus) 9 oz 5
Victory Malt (Breiss) 9 oz 5

Hops

Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha %
Galaxy 1 oz 10 min Boil Pellet 15.1
Mosaic 1 oz 10 min Boil Pellet 12.5
Galaxy 1 oz 5 min Boil Pellet 15.1
Mosaic 1 oz 5 min Boil Pellet 12.5
Galaxy 2 oz 3 days Dry Hop Pellet 15.1
Mosaic 2 oz 3 days Dry Hop Pellet 12.5

Yeast

Name Lab Attenuation Temperature
Vermont IPA (GY054) Giga Yeast 80% 62°F - 75°F

Mash

Step Temperature Time
Beta Glucan 113°F 15 min
Sacc 155°F 45 min
Mash Out 168°F 10 min

Notes

Water profile: Ca 78 | Mg 6 | Na 22 | Cl 94 | SO4 99

Download

Download this recipe's BeerXML file

Tasting Notes

Totes McOats closeupFollow along with the BJCP guide for American Pale Ale [PDF].

Aroma

This beer smells awesome! Juicy is a terrible descriptor if you have not experienced it, but this beer nails it 100%. I always know a beer hit the jackpot when I am content to just smell the beer forever and do not feel compelled to immediately take a sip.

Light doughy/oaty malt with a dash of honey sweetness and biscuit in the background. Intense juicy tropical fruit salad hops with notes of papaya, passionfruit, mango, and a dash of tangerine and rose blossoms. Moderate peachy esters blend into and complement the fruit salad hops. Super clean, super fresh. Perfection.

Appearance

I am not going to pull any punches: this beer looks like garbage. I am convinced folks only say they prefer the haze due to some kind of knee-jerk response to haters saying the style as a whole is garbage. Listen: the style has plenty of attributes that more than make up for poor appearance, it is okay to admit it does not look awesome; on a BJCP scoresheet appearance is a whopping three out of a total fifty points.

That said, I think it is important to keep the color as light as possible for a New England style ale. This beer at SRM ~7 is almost too dark for the style, as the haze will, as Mike Tonsmeire puts it, “turn grey” as the beer gets darker. Next time I would limit myself to ~5% speciality malts of even the lightest color to ensure I do not get too dark.

About a finger and a half of dense, fluffy white head that has moderate retention. The head does not stay thick for long, but at worst fades to a low covering that sticks around for the entire duration. Beautiful, sticky lacing.

Flavor

Again, light doughy/oaty malt with a dash of honey and biscuit. Intense tropical fruit salad (papaya, passionfruit, mango) from the hops, but this time I notice more notes of bitter orange than tangerine. The hops are luscious and vibrant and definitely lend a fresh squeezed juice with pulp character. The bitterness is very smooth and only does just enough to balance the malt then get out of the way of the fruity character. Moderate peachy yeast esters hide mid-palate and blend nicely with the hops.

I should note that the bitterness seems much lower than the IBU calculations suggest. As someone who has never been too into piny/dank/edgy hop character I am really digging this expression of the hops. I am sold on this style!

Mouthfeel

I am struck with how luscious the mouthfeel is, velvety soft and full without being overwhelming or cloying. Very low relative bitterness and no astringency leave a very clean finish while still being assertive enough to know there are plenty of hops in here. Thankfully there is no grittiness in this batch like I experienced in a handful of commercial styles I sampled, likely due to the fact I fined the beer and pulled out any yeast or hops in suspension.

Overall Impression

This beer is maybe one of the best I have ever brewed: smooth, luscious, and jam-packed with juicy hop character–this style is legit! Fellow West Coasters: I challenge you to look beyond the haze and embrace the juice. New England friends: stop fooling yourselves into thinking the haze looks good–it really does not–just embrace the fact style has more than enough to offer outside of appearance. The New England style is not a classic (India) Pale Ale, it is its own beautiful, delicious creature–just like White, Black, or Red IPA before it.

I personally still do not buy the idea that the haze is hop oils clinging to yeast, proteins, or whatever, nor have I seen any hard evidence to support that claim. I have had plenty of crystal clear megahopped beers (Pliny the Elder anyone?) that I know a similar hop character can be achieved without the haze. I would like to experiment how close I can get to the luscious, juicy character of this style while maintaining my precious West Coast clarity.

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Comments

    • Derek Springer says

      Thanks! I worry folks get too wound around the axle with the haze and it’ll eventually become a self-fulfilling prophecy. My goal for the rest of the year is to try to recreate many of the same characteristics but without the megahaze.

      Reply

      • Rob Coombs says

        I like the idea. I’m brewing a hoppy Hefeweizen today, I normally do a hop steep like you mentioned but I’m going to change it to a 5 minute addition and see if there’s any perceptible difference I can pick up on.

        Reply

  3. Josh Nacey says

    I’ve gotten mine to clear with gelatin and an extended cold crash — like 5-7 days. I’m like you, I love the flavor but I’m “meh” on the appearance. I find that my fined beers don’t really taste less “juicy” than the unfined, at least not that I can notice.

    Reply

  4. Colin L says

    I think you’ll find as you try to clarify your NEIPA (which I’ll try not to rightfully shame you for… F- my ass :D) you’ll find that it’s not really the hop flavors you lose, but more the smooth mouthfeel. I don’t think that mouthfeel is possible without the hazy byproduct. If you let this beer sit in the keg for long enough, the haze will eventually settle out but it takes at least a month, if not longer.

    Reply

    • Derek Springer says

      ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

      I’ve already noticed it getting a tiny bit clearer since I’ve had it cold crashing, but it’s still pretty darn turbid. Mouthfeel has stayed about the same though.

      Reply

      • Colin L says

        Yeah, I didn’t notice a real change until I could almost read text through the glass. Those pours were also the last 15% of the keg or so.

        Next time you make this, try using wlp007. You get a lot of the same biotransformation and mouthfeel benefits but a little less of the haze. Something about 1318 and Conan that turns your dryhop into gravy vs other yeasts.

        John Kimmich of The Alchemist also mentions that in addition to the hop haze, a lot of the turbidity comes from beta glucans in the grain. I feel like he’s someone trustworthy when it comes to this style 🙂

        Reply

  5. Scott C. says

    Why not take the beer you made and fine it with gelatin and report if you notice any change in flavor.

    Reply

    • Derek Springer says

      That’s the secret: it has already been fined! Ain’t nothin’ pulling this haze out.

      Also, Ed and Marshall tested gelatin fining on NEIPAs and all of Homebrew Con wasn’t able to tell the difference.

      Reply

  6. mystikhybrid says

    This rings so true for me, I want it to be a hokey poster or something “I always know a beer hit the jackpot when I am content to just smell the beer forever and do not feel compelled to immediately take a sip.”

    Reply

  7. Rob says

    Hey. Great Post as usual.
    I’m in the Anti-Haze campo, but I’m doing my best to not take it into account.
    I have had some pretty good beers, which have been hazy. but I’ve always sort of sturggled somewhat.

    so my plan is to brew Ed’s Hopwards recipe, but I am buckingthe trend and brewing as normal, so fermentation finishes and i add the dry hop, i cold crash, and fine with gelatin, i am using a special yeast, ive wanted to use as a house yeast (WY1469) to see what I can get.
    Should be “Juicy” and probably hazy (although I dropped the Oats to 15% and replaced with malted Wheat.

    Reply

      • Rob says

        Well, I’ve been drinking it for a couple ofweeks now.
        Tasting nice and juicy – it does have actual similarities with orange juice.
        At the last minute i decided on wY1318, and saved my 11469 for a brown porter.

        i used grew up some slurry to test out the reason for haze, in a lagunitas LSS clone, which is still hazy, but definitely not hazy like hop hands.
        murky vs hazy i’d say.

        I’ll be brewing hopwards again soon, but I’m planning to test out somedry yeasts to see what I can get out of them. (Mangove Jacks Burton Union is a top candidate – (Now Liberty Bell) )

        Reply

  8. Rob Coombs says

    A little unrelated, but how long from brew day are you kegging? I have a 12 day schedule now that I use, but I’m wondering if anyone is pushing that shorter?

    Reply

    • Derek Springer says

      Depends on the strength, but I’m generally carbed and serving by the end of 2 weeks. So typically ~10 days fermenting (dry hop after 7 days), then crash 24 hours, fine w/ gelatin 24 hours, transfer to keg and force carb.

      I’m considering moving it up even faster, it seems like it’s pretty much finished with a clean ale strain after ~5 days.

      Reply

  9. Sean Malloy says

    Great info, I’ve been building a recipe to try to mimic this style for a while now. I’m going to be experimenting on my next few batches, and you filled in a lot of the holes I was unsure about. First grain bill is going to be 85% (2-row/marris otter) and 15% oats. The hops are going to be very heavy towards the back end. I’m going to add a very small amount in FWH or at the start of boil, a small amount near the end of boil then majority of them during a whirlpool rest at 170 and then again at 120. I will also add a bunch during dry hop and possibly keg hop. The additions post boil will be aggressive, so I’m hoping the beer doesn’t turn out too grassy.

    Quick question about the flaked oats; When I make oatmeal stouts, I toast the oats a few days ahead of time and then also let them sit in 120 F water for twenty minutes to pre-cook them before beginning my mash. Is this good practice when using them in a NE IPA style recipe? Or do you just add them into your mash tun like the rest of the grain bill? I’m going to experiment with both approaches but wanted to get your opinion. Have you tried the toast/pre-cook approach at all?

    Reply

    • Derek Springer says

      If you’re using flaked/instant oats there’s no need to pre-soak. I haven’t tried toasting them for a NEIPA, but I think it might add some interesting nutty character; it’s worth a shot!

      Reply

  10. Thomas Rybarski says

    There seems to be an issue with the recipe xml file where the recipe quantities are less than what is stated in the article text; e.g. 6.75 lb of pale malt in your article is scaled down to 2.0448684 kg = 4.5 lb.in the xml file.

    Reply

  11. Dave says

    Great read! I am a huge fan of this style, not so much the haze either. I still am a fan of nice bright clarity with huge hop flavor. I’ve brewed this style before as well and use Oat malt to bring some mouth feel and head retention. I’ve cold crashed mine with no finings and it cleared out by the time my keg kicked. The haze craze is just that, a craze. It will pass but I hope this style, or a form of it, remains after the insanity dwindles.
    Cheers!

    Reply

  12. Wesley says

    What do you think about kettle souring a recipe like this? I’ve been thinking recently about kettle souring an NEIPA recipe and splitting the wort before hopping and having a berliner like and NEIPA with the other half.

    Reply

  13. Calvin Silver says

    Thanks for this recipe. It’s turned out great thus far.

    When do you feel this beer reaches its peak? I see in the above comments that you are drinking off the keg by week 2. Fresh is best, but there is a sort of “hop break in” period for a lot of heavy hop beers. Do you find the beer to be more balanced after 3 weeks, 4?

    When do you start to see a degradation in flavor? I know a great deal of this has to do with oxygenation, but I was just wondering what your experience with the beer has been?

    Again, thank you for posting! Cheers.

    Reply

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