At my local homebrew shop I buy mostly hops by the ounce. In most cases I don’t need the full ounce, so I tend to end up with some leftover hops I throw in the freezer. This time, in order to not be wasteful, I decided to make more beer! (That’s how that works, right?)

The "leftovers" of the Leftovers Session IPA.

As part of my Spruce Tip Ale I needed just half an ounce of Chinook hops. Plus I had some leftover Cascade and Hallertau hops from previous brews. So I decided to turn it into a double batch, using the same base wort to produce two beers, similar to my Wheat Ale Three Ways experiment. I gathered my spare hops for a “leftovers” IPA and diluted the wort to make it session strength. The result was a light, hoppy, piney, easy drinking beer.

Specs

Styles Specialty IPA (BJCP 21B)
Recipe Type All Grain
Batch Size 2 Gallons
Original Gravity 1.045
Final Gravity 1.015
ABV 4%
IBUs 60
Color 6 SRM

Ingredients

Fermentables    
Kind Amount Color
US 2-Row 3 lb 2°L
Crystal 20L 0.25 lb 20°L
Wheat Malt 0.25 lb 2°L
Hops      
Kind Amount % AA Time
Hallertau 0.2 oz 4.5% 60 min
Chinook 0.1 oz 13% 60 min
Cascade 0.5 oz 5.5% 10 min
Chinook 0.5 oz 13% 10 min
Other      
Kind Amount Stage Time
Whirlfloc Tablet 1 Tablet Boil 15 min
Yeast  
Kind Amount
Safale US-05 1 pouch

All the ingredients for the Spruce Tip Pale Ale and the Leftovers Session IPA.

The Chinook hops have a “pine needle” flavor and aroma, so this beer will be earthy rather than fruity. However, the Cascade hops should balance it out nicely with some citrus notes, and the Crystal and Wheat malts will add a touch of residual sweetness. I stuck with Safale US-05 for this once, not only because it was already in my fridge, but because it ferments crisp and clean.

Recipe

Note: I originally made this as a double batch, half of which became my Spruce Tip Ale. Until I brew this beer again, the water amounts listed below are estimates.

The combined Spruce Tip Ale and Leftover IPA wort steeping.

Bring two and a half gallons of water up to 155°F. Steep your grains for an hour, then remove the grain and bring the wort to a boil. Once boiling, add the Hallertau hops and 0.1 oz of Chinook hops and let sit for a full 60 minutes. With ten minutes left in the boil, add the Cascade hops and the rest of the Chinook hops. Cool the wort down to about 72°F, transfer to your fermentor, pitch the yeast, and wait!

Of course, remember to check your starting gravity before pitching the yeast!

Result

Better than anticipated, this is a light, bitter, and refreshing session IPA.

I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty this beer was! The piney Chinook hops definitely shone through, blending well with the citrus of the Cascade. I don’t know what I expected, but I ended up with a bright yet bitter, light and drinkable session IPA. I might even make it again one day…

Appearance Almost clear, yellow gold, thin white head.
Aroma Fruit rind , bitter with a hint of sweet, almost orange.
Mouthfeel Light body, thin but malty, gentle fizz, on the dry side.
Flavor Bitter, melony, more orange, grapefruit, berry, piney, earthy.
Overall Much better than expected, could use even more citrus to balance out.