How to Brew The Best IPA

The malt base sets the foundation for your IPA’s body, mouthfeel, and color. Every IPA’s malt base will vary per the style. For instance, a West Coast IPA requires a light, clean malt bill, while a New England IPA benefits from high-protein grains that create haze and a soft mouthfeel. 

• Pilsen Dry Malt Extract (DME) – A great base for nearly any IPA style, providing clean fermentable sugars. 
• Caramel 10L Malt – Adds a hint of color and mild sweetness, great for balancing bitterness. 
• Flaked Oats & Wheat Malt (For Hazy IPAs) – Adds body, haze stability, and a silky mouthfeel. 
• Table Sugar or Corn Sugar (For West Coast IPAs) – Helps dry out the beer, increasing its crispness and drinkability, while helping increase the ABV.

Hop selection is crucial to defining how to brew IPA at home since this beer style relies heavily on bold hop flavors and aromas. Different IPA styles highlight hops in unique ways: 

• West Coast IPA – High bitterness, citrus, pine, and resinous notes. 
• New England IPA – Low bitterness, juicy, tropical fruit, and soft mouthfeel. 
• Black IPA – Balanced bitterness with subtle roasted malt complexity. 
• Double IPA – Intense hop aroma with higher alcohol content. 

Here are some classic hop varieties that are perfect for IPAs:

• Cascade & Centennial – Bright citrus and grapefruit flavors. 
• Simcoe & Chinook – Piney, dank, and resinous bitterness. 
• Citra & Mosaic – Juicy tropical fruit and mango notes (great for Hazy IPAs). 
• Summit – Strong bitterness with herbal and citrus undertones.

The right yeast strain determines how IPA is brewed by influencing fermentation and flavor. A clean, neutral yeast lets the hops shine, while a fruit-forward yeast adds soft, juicy esters to enhance hazy IPAs.

• US-05 Dry Ale Yeast – Perfect for West Coast IPAs, it ferments clean and crisp. 
• LalBrew Pomona IPA Yeast – Ideal for New England IPAs, creating peach, citrus, and tropical fruit flavors while promoting haze. 
• BRY-97 West Coast Ale Yeast – A great option for bitter, hop-forward IPAs with excellent hop biotransformation. 
• Nottingham Yeast – A balanced strain that works well for classic American IPAs.

Water is considered THE most important of your beer ingredients. Any imperfections in the water will come through in the finished product. Generally, if your tap water is safe to drink and tastes fine then it will be okay for brewing. If you’re not sure about the quality of your water or just want the best possible beer, we recommend running the water through a filter (like a Brita® filter) or buying a gallon of spring water to use on brew day. DO NOT use distilled water - it’s stripped of important minerals that help fermentation. You can use water adjustment minerals and ingredients to correct deficiencies in water or improve flavor of your tap water, like Campden Tablets or Calcium Chloride.

Your IPA ingredients become wort (unfermented beer) in a stock pot on your stove! You’ll need a 1-2 gallon pot for small batches, or a 5+ gallon pot for full-sized brews. Choose a pot with enough room to prevent boil-overs while keeping evaporation under control.

Temperature control is key to how to brew the best IPA at home. A classic glass lab thermometer is included in every Craft a Brew IPA making kit, but a digital thermometer works just as well. A thermometer helps maintain key brewing temperatures: 

• Mash temperature: 155ºF for steeping grains. 
• Yeast pitching temperature: Below 75ºF for clean fermentation.

A funnel helps you transfer wort into your fermenter efficiently, reducing risk of spills.

Fermentation is where the magic happens! A 1-gallon glass carboy or 5-gallon plastic fermenter ensures proper yeast activity while keeping the beer sealed from contaminants.

A racking cane is used to siphon beer from the fermenter into bottles, reducing oxidation and preventing unwanted hop sediment from entering your final product.

After fermentation, you’ll need bottles to carbonate and store your IPA. For a 1-gallon batch, you’ll need: 

• Ten 12oz pry-off bottles & crown caps 
• Eight 16oz pry-off bottles & caps, or
• Four 32oz pry-off bottles & caps

When using large hop additions, a nylon hop straining bag helps keep hop matter out of the fermenter and bottles, preventing grassy flavors and excess sediment.

The first step in home IPA brewing is brew day, where you'll extract flavors from grains, add hops, and prepare the wort for fermentation. 

Step 1: Sanitize Everything 

Proper sanitation is crucial to prevent unwanted bacteria or wild yeast from contaminating your beer. 

• Mix half of the sanitizer packet with approximately 1 gallon of water in a bucket.
• Sanitize all brewing equipment, including the fermenter, airlock, thermometer, and yeast packet. 
• Let the sanitized equipment air dry on clean paper towels. 

Step 2: Heat the Water & Steep the Grains 

• Pour at least 2.5 gallons of water into a large brew pot and heat it to 155°F. 
• Place your specialty grains into a steeping bag and submerge it in the water for 20 minutes.
• For West Coast IPAs and bitter IPAs: add some hops to the boil during this 20 minute steep to increase bitterness. This is called “First Wort Hopping.”
• Remove the grain bag and discard—do not squeeze, as this can extract unwanted bitterness. 

Step 3: Boiling & Adding Malt Extract 

• Bring the wort to a boil, then turn off the heat. 
• Stir in half of the malt extract (Pilsen Dry Malt Extract) to prevent clumping. 
• Bring the wort back to a slow rolling boil 
• For West Coast & highly hopped IPAs, set a 60-minute timer. 
• For New England IPAs or hazy IPAs, set a 20-minute timer.

Step 4: Hop Additions 

Hops define the character of an IPA, and the timing of hop additions is key to balancing bitterness, flavor, and aroma. 

NOTE: New England IPAs and hazy IPAs typically do not get hopped during the boil. Instead, they focus on post-boil additions or dry hop additions directly into the fermenter in secondary fermentation.

These are some common hop additions you may use in most other IPA styles:

• 60 minutes left – Add bittering hops. These contribute strong, clean bitterness. 
• 30 minutes left – Add mid-boil hops for flavor development. 
• 10-15 minutes left – Add late boil hops for flavor & aroma.
• 2-5 minutes left – Add aroma hops to enhance the beer’s fresh, bright hop character. 
• End of the Boil – Turn off the burner and immediately add flameout hops for maximum aroma. This technique is commonly used in NEIPAs and Hazy IPAs, but can also be used in other IPA styles for a layered, pervasive hop profile.

Step 5: Cooling the Wort 

• Quickly cool the wort to below 75°F by placing the pot in an ice bath in your sink. 
• Cover the pot with a lid to prevent contamination. 
• While cooling, sanitize your fermenter and all equipment that will touch the beer post-boil. 

Step 6: Transferring & Pitching Yeast 

• Once the wort reaches 75°F or lower, transfer it to the fermenter, leaving behind thick sediment. 
• Add cold water as needed to bring the total volume up to 5 gallons. 
• Pitch the yeast:
• For West Coast IPA: Use US-05 yeast for a clean, crisp fermentation. 
• For Hazy IPA: Use LalBrew Pomona IPA Yeast for fruity esters and haze stability. 
• Aerate the wort by sealing the fermenter and gently rocking it back and forth.
• Fill the airlock with water and insert it into the rubber stopper. 
• Place the fermenter in a cool, dark area (60-75°F) for fermentation. 

Fermentation is where yeast converts sugars into alcohol and CO₂. 

• Within 12-72 hours, fermentation will become active. Expect bubbling in the airlock and foam on the surface. 
• After the first 72 hours, fermentation will slow down, but let the beer sit for two full weeks to ensure complete fermentation. 
• For West Coast IPA: Keep fermentation temperatures on the lower end (65-68°F) for a crisp, clean beer. 
• For Hazy IPA: Ferment slightly warmer (68-72°F) to enhance fruit-forward esters.

Dry hopping is essential for how to brew IPA at home, as it enhances hop aroma without increasing bitterness. This technique is almost always used in any modern IPA or hazy IPA, but can be used in intensely bitter IPAs like West Coast IPAs, too. 

• Add dry hops directly into the fermenter through the lid hole. 
• West Coast IPA: Use Cascade & Centennial for pine and citrus. 
• Hazy IPA: Use Citra & Mosaic for juicy, tropical flavors. 
• Seal the fermenter again and let the hops infuse for 5 days.

Now that fermentation is complete, it's time to bottle and carbonate your beer. 

Step 1: Sanitize Bottling Equipment 

• Mix the remaining half of the sanitizer packet with water. 
• Sanitize bottles, caps, bottling attachment, and flexible tubing. 

Step 2: Prepare the Priming Solution 

• Mix 2/3 cup of white table sugar with 2 cups of water. 
• Bring it to a boil, then let it cool to room temperature. 
• Pour the cooled priming solution into the fermenter and gently stir. 

Step 3: Bottle Your Beer 

• Fill sanitized bottles, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top. 
• Cap the bottles and store them in a dark, room-temperature area for conditioning.

• Let bottles condition at room temperature for two weeks to develop natural carbonation. 
• After 14 days, refrigerate and enjoy your homemade IPA! 
• For West Coast IPA: Chill for 24 hours before drinking to enhance crispness. 
• For Hazy IPA: Drink fresh to preserve the juicy hop aroma.

✅ How to Avoid It: 

• For a West Coast IPA, use hard water with high sulfate levels (add Calcium Sulfate/Gypsum) to emphasize bitterness and a crisp finish. 
• For a New England IPA, use softer water with more chloride to create a smooth, rounded mouthfeel that enhances juicy hop flavors. 
• If using Reverse Osmosis (RO) water, be sure to add brewing salts to adjust pH and enhance hop character. 

✅ How to Avoid It: 

• Bittering hops (like Summit) should be added early in the boil (60 minutes left) for strong bitterness. 
• Flavor hops (like Cascade or Citra) should be added in the last 10-15 minutes for balanced hop character. 
• Aroma hops should be added at flameout (after the heat is turned off) to maximize fresh, bright hop notes. 
• Dry hopping (adding hops after fermentation) is crucial for boosting aroma without increasing bitterness.

✅ How to Avoid It: Stick to simple, highly fermentable malt bases like Pilsen Dry Malt Extract. Use light caramel malts sparingly (like Caramel 10L) to add subtle sweetness without overpowering the hops. For hazy IPAs, include flaked oats or wheat for a fuller body and haze stability.

✅ How to Avoid It: Keep fermentation temperatures between 65-70°F for clean yeast performance. Use a temperature-controlled space or a simple water bath to maintain stability. Avoid extreme temperature swings, which can stress the yeast and create off-flavors.

✅ How to Avoid It: When transferring beer, always use a siphon or racking cane to minimize splashing. When dry hopping, work quickly to limit oxygen exposure and reseal the fermenter immediately. Store bottled beer in a cool, dark place to slow oxidation and keep hop flavors fresh.

✅ How to Avoid It: For West Coast IPAs: Use US-05 or BRY-97 for a clean, dry fermentation that enhances bitterness. For New England IPAs: Use LalBrew Pomona IPA Yeast to promote hazy, juicy hop flavors. For Double IPAs: Use a high-attenuation yeast that can handle higher alcohol levels without leaving excessive sweetness.

• First Wort Hopping (FWH) is a method where hops are added to the kettle before the boil begins. The prolonged exposure to the boil allows the hops to infuse the wort with even more bitterness! 
• Add a small portion of the hops for your IPA (such as Summit or Chinook) to the kettle when steeping your specialty grains. 

Dry hopping is one of the most important steps in brewing IPA, as it maximizes the fresh, aromatic hop character without adding extra bitterness. However, improper dry hop timing or technique can lead to grassy flavors, oxidation, or poor aroma retention. 

• Add dry hops after fermentation slows down (around Day 10) to allow for better hop oil absorption. 
• Choose hops based on the IPA style: 

West Coast IPA: Use Cascade, Chinook, or Centennial for bold pine and citrus. 

Hazy IPA: Use Citra, Mosaic, and El Dorado for juicy, tropical fruit notes. 

Black IPA: Use Simcoe and Warrior for a resinous, slightly earthy aroma. 

• Avoid dry hopping for more than 5 days—longer contact can lead to unwanted grassy or vegetal flavors.
• Limit oxygen exposure by working quickly when adding hops and keeping the fermenter sealed.

• With IPAs, large hop additions can lead to excess debris in your fermenter and bottles. If hop particles aren’t properly strained, they can create harsh grassy flavors and reduce clarity. 
• Use a nylon hop straining bag or mesh strainer on brew day to filter out hop matter before fermentation. 
• When dry hopping, use a sanitized hop bag to contain hops while still extracting aroma and flavor. 
• If transferring to bottles or a keg, siphon carefully to avoid carrying hop sediment into the final beer.

Yeast plays a huge role in how your IPA turns out, affecting clarity, mouthfeel, and hop expression. 

• West Coast IPA: Use a clean, neutral fermenting yeast like US-05 or Wyeast 1056 for a crisp, dry finish that lets the hops shine. 
• Hazy/New England IPA: Use a low-flocculating, ester-producing yeast like LalBrew New England or London Ale III to enhance fruitiness and maintain haze. 
• Double IPA: Use a high-attenuating yeast like Nottingham or WLP090 to handle high alcohol levels while keeping the beer from being too sweet. 

 If you want to brew a higher-alcohol IPA, like a Double IPA, you need to boost fermentable sugars while maintaining drinkability. 

• Add Brewer’s Crystals or simple sugars (like corn sugar or honey) in the last 15 minutes of the boil to increase fermentable sugars without making the beer too heavy. 
• Use a high-attenuating yeast strain to ensure complete fermentation and a dry finish.