Selecting the right yeast strain and understanding its interaction with the hops and other ingredients is key to creating a balanced and flavorful hazy IPA. Verdant IPA yeast is a strain developed in collaboration with Verdant Brewing, a UK brewery known for producing hazies, and brewers from homebrewers to pros have been experimenting and utilizing this yeast for a few years now.
“It’s got a short lag time, it’s flexible, and exceptionally fast,” said Lake Superior Smokehouse Brewpub’s Scott Arbour.
Going in to his first use of the yeast strain, Arbour said he wasn’t sure what to expect beyond supporting more haze and stone fruit attributions.
“It wasn’t until I began to underpitch, and warm up fermentation, that I really started to notice the apricot, orange, mango notes,” he told Brewer. “Now I build my recipes, using this to my advantage, actually reducing some of the hop use.”
A yeast specifically designed to enhance hop-forward beers, it can promotes fruity and estery flavors, complementing the hop aromas it can leave some residual sweetness to balances out hop bitterness, enhancing the juicy mouthfeel.
Will Gomez, head brewer of The Brew Bridge explained that Verdant has become a staple for the Owensboro, Kentucky brewery as well, especially its “2nd & Elm” New England IPA style. They’ve also used Verdant in a variety of hazy and Double IPAs.
BREWER: What styles of beers have you used Verdant in … or can you tell us an interesting brand you have used it in?
ARBOUR: The first time I used Verdant, was in a New England style IPA. I had heard some rumor and hype about the haze and fruity character. Over the past 2 years I’ve now pushed some limits, underpitching a little and even fermenting it warmer than manufacturer guides state. We then used it in our Imperial Mango Milkshake IPA, and wow! Really enjoyed what it brought to the table. I believe it really enhanced the mango, I perceive a nice malt balance, while fermenting reliably and consistent every time.
BREWER: What sets Verdant apart from other similar dry yeast strains, in your mind?
GOMEZ: Verdant IPA yeast is just a workhorse with an explosive array of esters ranging from peach, vanilla and nectarines.
BREWER: Are there any technical challenges or tips you have for using Verdant that make it work best for you?
GOMEZ: The only challenge we’ve run into with Verdant yeast is its explosive fermentation. We usually add some fermcap to control the massive amount of kausen that develops. Also, I wouldn’t call this a challenge but we’ve noticed that Verdant attenuates a bit more than other hazy strains which has led us to either mash higher to keep some sugars in the end product or use more adjuncts such as oats, wheat or maltodextrin to help boost body in the beer.
ARBOUR: I haven’t really come across much challenge, but really recommend playing with it, testing the boundaries. It’s very resilient, and very reliable. It supports a soft and balanced malt profile, that I think gets perceived as a little more body than some more typical yeast strains
BREWER: What do you feel are great complementary hops that go with Verdant?
ARBOUR: Without giving up to much, Verdant works and compliments Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy hops very well, within my professional experience.
GOMEZ: New Zealand and Southern hemisphere hops work beautifully with Verdant. The combination of stone fruit, melon, canteloup, and tropical fruit create a complex bouquet that works very well together.
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BREWER: What flavors/aromas did you expect … and didn’t expect from Verdant? How did you use them to your advantage or have to alter the idea of the beer?
GOMEZ: Our expectations were in line with what was advertised so we never had any issues in that area.
BREWER: Do you have any ‘out of the box’ ideas for Verdant that you want to share or plan to work on?
ARBOUR: I’m looking forward to experiment Verdant yeast in a Porter and … I believe it is going to support an awesome Amber Ale!
GOMEZ: We would like to use Verdant in styles outside of IPAs and more in line with traditional UK styles such as Milds, Bitters, Barleywines and Stouts. I believe that the fruity esters can work well in tandem with a more expressive malt character. Also, We’ve tried dry hopping early, mid and post-fermentation. Each method has produced different results. Early fermentation has produced more dank beers, mid fermentation produces a more stable haze while late fermentation produces a more tropical and long lasting fruity aroma. We’ve also experimented with using NZ Phantasm powder and fermenting at different temps. For us fermenting at 68F and free rising to 72F has produced the best and most consistent results.
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