IDEA
I wanted to brew a similar beer to one of my all-time favorites, Kattegat Kitty from Zentus. So I checked the ingredient list and put together a recipe which I thought could be a close match. It’s important to note, that the goal of this first attempt was not to replicate the beer, but to get a similar beer which I can fine tune.
Recipe
To achieve a similar beer to the original, I tried to be as close to the stats as much as I could.
Stats:
Est. OG: 1.048
Est. FG: 1.010
ABV 5.1%
Color: 3.7 SRM
IBU: 36.4
Est. Brewhouse Efficiency: 85%
Boil-Time: 60 minutes
Water Profile: Pale Ale/IPA
| Name | Temperature (Metric) | Temperature (US) | Time (minute) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mash In | 67.8C | 154.04F | 60 | |||||||
| Mash Out | 75.6C | 168.08F | 10 | |||||||
| Boil | 100C | 212F | 60 |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | Percentage | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flaked Wheat | 0.3 kg | 0.66 lb | 7.5% | |||||||
| Flaked Oats | 0.5 kg | 1.1 lb | 12.5% | |||||||
| Weyermann Pale Wheat | 0.6 kg | 1.32 lb | 15% | |||||||
| Weyermann Pale Malt | 2.2 kg | 4.85 lb | 55% | |||||||
| Rice Hulls | 0.4 kg | 0.88 lb | 10% |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | IBU | Alpha Acid | Time (minute) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosaic | 17g | 0.60 oz | 13.9 | 12.5% | 15 | |||||
| Simcoe | 17g | 0.60 oz | 16.1 | 14.5% | 15 | |||||
| Mosaic | 23g | 0.81 oz | 3 | 12.5% | 20 (Whirpool) | |||||
| Simcoe | 23g | 0.81 oz | 3.5 | 14.5% | 20 (Whirpool) | |||||
| Mosaic | 60g | 2.12 oz | 0 | 12.5% | 3 days (Dry Hop) | |||||
| Simcoe | 60g | 2.12 oz | 0 | 14.5% | 3 days (Dry Hop) |
| Name | Producer | Type | Style | Dry Alternatives | Liquid Alternatives | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotspur Viking (YF-503) | Yeastflow | Liquid | Voss Kveik | - | Yeastbay Voss Kveik |
| Strike Water (Metric) | Strike Water (US) | Sparge Water (Metric) | Sparge Water (US) | Ca | Mg | Na | SO4 | Cl | HCO3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.19L | 3.75 gal | 14.15L | 3.74 gal | 57.6 ppm | 6.5 ppm | 6.6 ppm | 135.8 ppm | 27 ppm | 6.8 ppm |
| Name | Weight (Metric) | Weight (US) | Time (minute) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yeast Nutrient | 2g | 0.07 oz | 15 | |||||||
| L-Ascorbic Acid | 3g | 0.11 oz | 60 |
Brewday
Since I already collected the RO water yesterday, I only needed to crush the malts to begin the brewday.
I've added the crushed malts, flakes, and hulls to the kettle. While doing this, I stirred the water to avoid clumping and dry spots.
After 10 minutes of mashing, I measured the PH of the wort, which was 5.65. I added 5ml of 80% lactic acid to lower the PH.
After the correction, the PH decreased to 5.28.
The pre-boil gravity was 1.037 instead of 1.040. I continued the brewday with no addition to correct this difference.
At 15 minutes I added the first hop additions and the adjuncts.
After the boil was done I cooled down the wort to 73C (163.4), added the whirlpool hops and started a 20 minutes long steeping. After the whirlpool and chilling was done, I took a OG reading, which shows a value of 1.042, which is below the predicted 1.046.
The fermentation went well, and within 5 days the beer reached its final gravity. The temperature was high and started to lower as the fermentation slowed. The temperature was between 21.4C (70.52F) - 29.8C (85.64F), with an average of 23.6C (74.48F).
Please note that the gravity readings by my iSpindel are used for the tracking of the fermentation and should not be taken as specific gravity.
After the fermentation finished, I took a final gravity reading which showed the value 1.010, two points higher than the expected 1.008. It was not a big surprise to me, as I've had experienced such behavior with this yeast strain from Yeastflow. I racked the beer into a corny keg and force carbonated it for three days.
Tasting
First week: The beer had a strong tropical fruit aroma and flavor, reminiscent of passion fruit, citrus and sweet fruits. The body was lighter than I expected, but not watery. There was a slight spicy and green aftertaste to the beer.
Later on: As the beer aged, the hop flavor got a little smoother, but still kept the fruit punch. The body got a bit lighter.
Conclusion
My plan with this beer was to get an approximation of how I could reproduce the original beer (If I can at all). Keeping this in mind, I think the beer achieved what I wanted and even more, it came out as perfectly enjoyable hazy IPA.
Left: Homebrew | Right: Original
There are definitely changes that need to be made. First of all I need to use more wheat and oat to achieve a smoother and fuller body. I need to use cryo hops for the dry hoping to avoid the green, spicy taste. I also noticed when comparing the two beers that the original had a slightly darker color, which will be addressed in the new recipe.