Chasing Ghosts Hazy IPA Recipe: Citra, Simcoe and Kveik
A Citra and Simcoe hazy IPA fermented with Opshaug kveik: 6.8% ABV, whirlpool and dry hops only, with our 15 gallon brew day and tasting notes. Switches between 5 to 30 gallons.
In this post
Chasing Ghosts at a glance: 6.8% ABV, OG 1.066, FG 1.014. A Citra and Simcoe hazy IPA on a soft base of oat malt, wheat and a little Carafoam, fermented hot and fast with Opshaug kveik. Every hop goes in after the boil: a whirlpool charge, then a big dry hop at cold crash.
Bräu Supply recipe · All-grain
Chasing Ghosts Hazy IPA
Grain · for 5 gal into the fermenter
| 9.1 lb (4.13 kg) | Pale 2-row malt | 65% |
| 1.9 lb (0.86 kg) | Oat malt | 14% |
| 1.9 lb (0.86 kg) | Wheat malt | 14% |
| 0.55 lb (0.25 kg) | Carafoam | 4% |
| 0.35 lb (0.16 kg) | Flaked wheat | 3% |
| 0.15 lb (0.07 kg) | Flaked oats | 1% |
Hops
| 2 oz (57 g) | Citra · 12% AA | Whirlpool at 176°F (80°C) |
| 2 oz (57 g) | Simcoe · 14.2% AA | Whirlpool at 176°F (80°C) |
| 2.5 oz (71 g) | Citra · 12% AA | Dry hop at cold crash |
| 2.5 oz (71 g) | Simcoe · 14.2% AA | Dry hop at cold crash |
Water salts
| 5 g | Calcium chloride (CaCl₂) | Strike water |
Yeast and water
| 1 pack | Opshaug kveik (White Labs WLP518). One pack fermented our full 15 gal batch; kveik is happy to be under-pitched. | |
| Water | Calcium chloride only, for a soft, round finish that suits the haze. | |
Process
- Mash: 149°F (65°C) for 45 minutes, then mash out at 169°F (76°C) for 10 minutes
- Boil: 60 minutes with no boil hops
- Whirlpool: Cool to 176°F (80°C), add the whirlpool hops
- Ferment: Pitch at 86 to 95°F (30 to 35°C) and ferment at 86°F (30°C); done in about 4 days
- Dry hop: Add the dry hops as you start the cold crash, then keg
Brew it on
Based on 72% brewhouse efficiency and about 5.5 gal after the boil for a 5 gal batch. Hazy IPAs lose a lot of beer to hops: our 15 gal batch filled 11 gal of kegs. Brew a little extra if you want full kegs.
The brew day
Every brew day starts with a plan. This one was a 10 gallon Strata and Sultana hazy until I set up the equipment and realised the batch size wouldn’t suit the system, so it became 15 gallons. There weren’t enough Strata and Sultana hops for that, so we switched to Citra and Simcoe, a classic hazy IPA pair, and made up the short oat malt and flaked oats with wheat we had on hand. With a kveik strain, a bigger batch wasn’t a worry.
- Brewed on a 20 gallon Unibräu Pro V2 with one 5,500 W element and our wall-mounted controller.
- Added 15 g of calcium chloride to the strike water (5 g per 5 gal).
- Mashed at 149°F (65°C) for 45 minutes, raised to 169°F (76°C) for a 10 minute mash out, then sparged with 4.8 gallons of water pre-heated in the fermenter’s jacket.
- No boil hops. We whirlpooled, cooled the wort to 176°F (80°C), and added 6 oz each of Citra (12% AA) and Simcoe (14.2% AA).
- Pitched one pack of Opshaug kveik at 104°F (40°C) and fermented at 86°F (30°C). OG 1.066, FG 1.014 after 4 days: 6.8% ABV.
- At the end of fermentation we added the dry hops, 7.5 oz each of Citra and Simcoe, and started the cold crash.
- Packaged 11 gallons into corny kegs, carbonated, and canned into 473 ml cans.
How it turned out
| Tasting notes | |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Very opaque, hazy orange-yellow, dense and visually thick. |
| Aroma | Pithy orange and tart grapefruit. |
| Flavour | Smooth and creamy, with a wave of fresh citrus: lots of orange, then grapefruit tartness at the back that dries the beer out and almost reads as bitterness. |
What makes a hazy IPA hazy
If it isn’t thick, opaque and really hazy, I don’t call it hazy. My advice: use oat malt, flaked wheat or flaked oats, and a low-flocculating yeast. I like kveik strains for their consistent flavour, fast fermentation and low to medium flocculation. More in what makes hazy IPA hazy and our kveik yeast guide.
Tips
- Keep oxygen out after fermentation. Oxygen turns hazy IPAs dull and brown within weeks. Dry hop through a closed port, like a HopDrop, and transfer to a purged keg. See keeping oxygen out.
- Pitch between 86 and 95°F (30 and 35°C). We pitched this batch at 104°F (40°C), above the top of Opshaug’s recommended range; pitching cooler is safer. Kveik likes it hot. Holding 86°F (30°C) usually means adding heat, not removing it: use a heat wrap, or run warm water through a jacketed fermenter.
- Swap the hops freely: Strata and Sultana, Mosaic, Galaxy or Nelson all suit this base. See getting the most from dry hops.
Frequently asked questions
Can I ferment this with a regular ale yeast?
Yes. Use a low-flocculating ale strain such as London Ale III or Verdant and ferment at 66 to 68°F (19 to 20°C). It will take 7 to 10 days instead of 4.
Why are there no boil hops?
Hazy IPAs aim for huge aroma and low bitterness. Hops added in a cooler whirlpool and as dry hops give flavour and aroma with little bitterness.
Why did 15 gallons only fill 11 gallons of kegs?
Hops soak up a lot of beer, and hazy IPAs use a lot of hops, so expect to leave several gallons behind with the hop and yeast sediment.
More recipes
Try our other hazy, Cloud Walker, the dank pale ale and IPA, or a clear, bitter West Coast IPA. Browse all our recipes.