Paul Sangster, cofounder of Rip Current Brewing in San Marcos, California, first brewed this over-the-top IPA in 2014 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of O’Brien’s Pub in San Diego.
This beer demands special attention to fermentation to ensure that it gets dry enough to have that dangerously drinkable West Coast quality. “All the credit for this amazing beer went to the yeast doing their job in a crazy-challenging environment,” Sangster says. “If you try this at home, watch things closely, as the beer won’t be great if the FG is much over 1.015. Be ready to re-pitch a starter or top-cropped yeast from another fermenting beer.”
For more from the pros on brewing extra-big IPAs, see Brewing Triple IPAs and Beyond: Battling Against Nature.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.126
FG: 1.008
IBUs: 150+
ABV: 16%
