Dry hopping with hop extract?

So I’ve got it into my head to make a Ballantine IPA clone and let it sit in the basement for a good long spell. My understanding is that the original beer used a distilled hop oil for the dry hop. I could see it working well, with all the tannins and other plant material removed from the dry hop, and might lead to fewer off flavors during long aging.

So I got to thinking, how about substituting some hop extract instead? Obviously not going to find bullion hop extract, but maybe something like cascade extract might work in its place. Any thoughts on this? It’ll probably be a real bugger to dissolve at cold temperatures, but maybe letting it sit for an extended period may help.

I would be interested how that stuff would dissolve into the beer if at all. Seems like it would just surface like oil. Maybe put a small amount into a glass of water to see how it dissolves first before you put it all into your beer. I mean what’s the worst case… it doesn’t take and it floats… you can work around that. Good luck!

1 Like

Post your recipe and notes when you brew. I looked for it a few times when I was in NJ and NY but never found the new version. Hopefully @the_professor will sound in on this one. I’m sure he’ll have a few thoughts.

Do think it leaves a sticky mess. Most the time they do use. It as first hops

My ears were ringing!
A few thoughts??? LOL. This is the beer that blew me away in 1969, and I’ve been chasing after it since I started brewing just a few short years later.
As far as the new version goes…it’s a good attempt at reviving the original product, and quite fine in its own right…but alas, in the end, it’s a miss…but it’s still definitely worth seeking out.

I do know that the original version was both dry hopped (with Bullion hops) and dosed (quite generously) with a distilled hop oil which was made at the brewery, and added to the IPA (at bottling). I think you could probably successfully substitute the Bullion with Cascades (they are actually quite different, but the floral quality of the Cascades is quite nice).
However, regular hop extract will not suffice as a substitute…you need a distillate that focuses on capturing the aromatic qualities of the hop, Sourcing that is more difficult, though there is a company in England that produces such a product…and it’s quite expensive (so much so that I’ve yet to try it.)

But I think you’re on the right track with the long aging. Historically speaking, that is essential to they stye. At Ballantine/Newark, they had massive tanks, lined with brewer’s pitch. The IPA would spend up to a year in there, aging in bulk.
The result was a beer with a “woody” character (which I now know was a characteristic of the hops). That being said, samples tasted 40+ years after the brew was bottled very definitely exhibits that “woody” character.

As far as the recent revival of Ballantine IPA goes, as I said, it is a miss, made without he benefit of a recipe (which was apparently lost with time), however, it is the closest anyone has come to the original (and is every bit as worthwhile as anything made today). Unfortunately, it is not aged for a year…and that was the heart of the original IPA, along with the legendary aroma…which strangely, no modern brewer has been able to replicate.

I eventually settled of the original (including the long aging) since 1980 or so and while it doesn’t quite capture the original, it is pretty close. I think it’s only failing is the lack of the intense aroma.

Go for it…and discover what age can do for a beer like this (and similarly, for other high strength beers). Just know going in that you’ll need to brew it regularly to ensure a good supply!
And make no mistake…that year of bulk aging makes all the difference.
Bonus Round:
If you have the patience, make an extra strong batch, and after a year blend it (if there’s any left) with a new batch, and enjoy the famous “Burton Ale” that they made each year as a gift for V.I.P. customers.

1 Like

I was hoping you might drop by! The year of aging isn’t an issue for me, as I’ve been spending quite a bit of time making 1800s style IPA with moderate gravities and insane hopping levels with EKG. The extended maturation period certainly is needed with this much hop material in the beer. This one seems like a natural next thing to try.

Agreed about cascade being nothing like bullion, but I thought it might be the best choice considering the single varietal options out there (why don’t they make a goldings extract?? That would be awesome.)

What do you think of the authenticity of the recipe in Mitch Steele’s ipa book? I believe that it’s the same one from BYO.

@the_professor, what do you think of this? It’s listed as an alternative to dry hopping. A bit spendy, but not too bad.

Ever heard of a SUPER C EXTRACTOR? I never thought to look until I read this post. Kinda crazy how far things have come…
I saw the video on the good ol YouTube also Ocolabs.com

Here’s what I’m thinking for the recipe… amounts rounded to the closest reasonable number.

11# pale malt (might toss in some 6-row for fun)
2# flaked maize
2# munich 10L
8oz c60

Mash at 150F, 90 minute boil
2oz cluster @ 60
1oz brewer’s gold @ 30
1oz EKG @ flameout

OG 1.074, IBU 62

1 vial ECY-10 Old Newark Ale

Dry hop with 1oz EKG
Add some of the above EKG hop oil at bottling (maybe?)

Couple things about which I’m not sure… Age on the dry hops like a stock ale, or add a couple weeks before bottling? How significant is the oak character in this beer? Should it be aged in oak? Some cubes close enough? I have a barrel that could house this, but it’s infected with brett anomala. Would probably make a great beer, but not sure I want to go there with this one.

Is it safe for work? :laughing:

Yeah wait till the potheads catch onto that machine!

too late

1 Like