Sapwood Cellars’ Cheater X clone

Sapwood Cellars’ Cheater X clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.079  FG = 1.026
IBU = 80+  SRM = 4.5   ABV = 7.1%

This is the culmination of what we learned during our first year of brewing hazy IPAs. It utilizes two of our favorite “cheater” hops for dry hopping for an intense aroma of passion fruit, gooseberry, and all sorts of citrus.

Ingredients
8.5 lbs. (3.9 kg) Rahr Standard 2-row malt
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) Weyermann Pilsner malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) Crisp naked malted oats
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) Rahr white wheat malt
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) BestMalz chit malt
1 oz. (28 g) Comet hops (mash)
3 oz. (85 g) Simcoe® hops (0 min.)
2.5 oz. (71 g) Galaxy^TM hops (0 min.)
5.5 oz. (156 g) Nelson Sauvin® hops (dry hop)
5.5 oz. (156 g) Galaxy^TM hops (dry hop)
RVA 132 (Manchester Ale), Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III), Imperial Yeast A38 (Juice), or LalBrew New England yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by step
Mash at 156 °F (69 °C) with the mash hops added at the outset. Adjust brewing water by adding calcium chloride to achieve 150 ppm chloride and gypsum to achieve 150 ppm sulfate. If needed, add phosphoric acid to achieve a mash pH of 5.2. Collect wort and boil for 60 minutes, adding hops as noted. When the boil is complete add the whirlpool hops without cooling the wort, and allow to sit for 45 minutes before force chilling to 66 °F (19 °C). Transfer the chilled wort to an oversized fermenter. Aerate the wort well as this yeast is sensitive to under-oxygenating, then pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). 

Once the gravity stabilizes, chill to 55 °F (13 °C). Transfer to a purged keg with dry hops placed in screens. Dry hop for three days at 55 °F (13 °C), agitating once or twice daily for 30 seconds. Transfer off the hops to a serving keg. Pressurize to reach 2.4 volumes of CO₂.

Partial mash option: Replace 2-row, Pilsner, and wheat malts with 4 lbs. (1.8 kg) extra light dried malt extract, 2 lbs. (0.91 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract, and 1.6 lbs. (0.73 kg) wheat dried malt extract. In a muslin bag, heat the crushed oats, chit malt, and mash hops in 4 qts. (4 L) of water to 164 °F (73 °C). Mash at around 156 °F (69 °C) for 45–60 minutes. When the mash is done, remove the grains and wash with 1 gallon (4 L) of hot water. Bring volume up to 6 gallons (23 L) and stir in the malt extract. Follow the remainder of the all-grain recipe.