There are no shortage of aggressively fruity IPAs out there right now — most of them take the form of hazy New England-style IPAs.
Double Shift decided to go the opposite direction with Monster Tribe, building this cocktail of strawberry, banana and tamarind using an ultra-dry and clear brut IPA base (see page 61).
It’s got all the big, juicy fruit flavors smoothie-seekers look for in a milkshake IPA but with a light and clear body.
Double Shift head brewer Bryan Stewart takes a culinary approach to brewing, yielding flavor-forward beers that sidestep rigid beer styles. Monster Tribe was created for American Craft Beer Week in May. Stewart likes the brut style, as it “drinks well, looks great and is the antithesis to hazy IPAs.”
For Monster Tribe, Stewart used a grain bill of pilsner malt and flaked corn. He added the sugar-gobbling enzymes to leave no residual sugar and relied instead on flaked corn and specific hops to create the impression of sweetness. Peachy Callista hops and small quantities of tropical El Dorado and Citra boost the aroma and flavor without increasing bitterness.
Stewart took the craft beer week event as an opportunity to “geek the hell out on ingredients,” making a variant that not only has strawberry and banana but also tamarind, an ingredient he loves to use in his home kitchen.
Using such ingredients “inspires the hell out of me,” Stewart says. “You’ll definitely see a slight shift in our products moving forward to reflect that. We want to exercise range, process, sincerity and quality in everything we do — even if it’s damn weird.”
