Brew By Numbers has created a new version of its 05 IPA, a collaboration this time with White Labs, utilising its new Thiol yeast.
Thiol yeast has been used in the wine industry to unlock flavour compounds to enhance fruit characteristics. Now, the White Labs team have adapted the strain for use in beer, its new WLP077 tropical yeast blend.
“Our goal with this collab was to try and create the fruit New England flavours of our other IPAs that come from using fruity US hops,” said the brewer.
“English hops traditionally don’t have these characteristics, but some of the new varieties coming onto the market are certainly getting closer, with higher oil content and interesting fruity flavours. From hop selection, we chose to use Ernest, Jester, and Olicana for these characters.”
Combining the hops with the new thiol yeast means there’s more juiciness in the IPA. “The fruit flavours presented are not exactly the same as US versions, but it’s really tasty and we think this could eventually become a new sub genre of IPA that stands out from the crowd,” the brewer added.
The beer has notes of banana, mango, and peach. A rich, silky mouthfeel leads to a smooth, soft finish, with a low bitterness.
