BSI A-72- An Excellent Yeast for Brewing Hazy IPA
Best Selling Beer Style
Hazy IPA has maintained its position as the best-selling beer style for the past few years. With its rapid rise and consistency in popularity, brewers have been experimenting with different ingredients and techniques to craft their own distinctive versions of hazy IPAs. While the inclusion of oats and wheat adjuncts is crucial, the interaction between yeast and hop compounds has been found to significantly influence beer haze formation and stability. A-18 London Ale III and Barbarian yeasts are common choices for brewing hazy IPAs and NEIPAs, however, some brewers have explored other strains, including American ale yeast such as A-72 American Microbrewery yeast.
Fidens Brewing and BSI
In a podcast, Steve Parker from Fidens Brewing shared a success story using BSI’s A-72 yeast for their hazy IPA. He noted that the A-72 yeast excelled in highlighting both yeast and hop characteristics. Additionally, the strain contributed to the desired mouthfeel and color through its interaction with hops. The slight tart finish of the this BSI yeast strain balanced out the hops and other flavors in the beer.
A-72 Yeast is Versatile
A-72 yeast produces a soft, clean, and slightly nutty flavor profile, finishing with a hint of tartness and fruitiness. This yeast is sourced from a renowned brewery in San Francisco. Like other American yeasts, it features high flocculation, medium alcohol tolerance, and an ideal fermentation temperature of 62-72°F, with attenuation ranging from 72-76%. In highly hopped beers, attenuation can climb to 80-82%. In terms of flocculation, A-72 is found to be more flocculant than widely used A-56 Chico Ale. All these characteristics make this strain versatile for arrays of beer styles, similar to other American strains. It’s certain that this strain is another excellent candidate for becoming a house strain in a brewery.
A-72 Characteristics
Attenuation: 72%-76%
Temp Range: 62-72 °F
Flocculation: High
ABV: 10%
STA1: Negative
References:
Craft Beer and Brewing Podcast: https://beerandbrewing.com/podcast-episode-342-hazy-ipa-panel/