Homebrew Finds: Brewing Harriet's West Side Belgian IPA from Midwest Supplies

Monday, October 22, 2012

Brewing Harriet's West Side Belgian IPA from Midwest Supplies

I recently brewed Midwest's West Side Belgian IPA kit. Midwest has partnered with Minneapolis based Harriet Brewing to put this kit together.

Description from Midwest Supplies:

West Side Belgian-Style IPA
Harriet's West Side is an eclectic ale brewed to balance the brightest West Coast hops with a prolific Belgian yeast strain. It pours light copper with a vigorous white head. Subtle malt gives way to a fruity, citrusy, and slightly spicy aroma and flavor. Light bodied, effervescent, and seductively approachable.

At Harriet Brewing we emphasize intention as the primary component in recipe development. It's what makes good beer special. We take pride in using our knowledge of traditional beer styles, our open minds, and eclectic palates to brew both unique and traditional beer styles. Our goal with every recipe is authenticity... to develop a particular character that allows the beer to stand out and be remembered. It's authenticity that we crave as beer drinkers; so, it's authenticity that we strive for as brewers. We study beer, determine what we want, then manifest it! For most of us here, it's not just in brewing; it's a way of life.

Specialty grains going in

Just prior to adding the malt extract. It had been a while since I had brewed an extract beer. I had forgotten just how much color comes from steeped specialty grains.

Scary hot break. Need to stir instead of taking pictures!

Ready to cool

Tasty beer in a glass

I chose the Wyeast yeast option which is Wyeast Belgian Ardennes 3522. That yeast works well in the 65 to 72 deg F temperature range. I fermented in the middle of that range at 68. I wanted to get some of Belgian spice and esters without going overboard.

This is a tasty beer. It has some of those Belgian yeast components along with a nice hop bitterness and west coast hop flavor. I like the combination of those two types of flavors when the Belgian yeast component is not over the top. Overall, I'm a fan of this beer and would certainly brew it again.

Harriet's West Side Belgian IPA Extract - $44.99