All Things Beer Episode 52 – AMP English IPA

We recently recorded our 50th episode, a feat that took just over 8 years. It seemed like a milestone worth celebrating, as getting to 100 episodes is by no means a sure thing. That idea led to a wonderful collaboration with Angelo Signorino of Barley’s Brewing. The first task was to decide what style to brew. We all wanted something not too common, but familiar enough to sell at Barley’s; something reasonably sessionable that would lend itself to serving on cask. Eventually, we landed on the idea of an English IPA. After all when was the last time you had an English IPA? I bet it’s been a long time. Even though Barley’s has always had a beer selection that leaned into British styles, Angelo informed us that an English IPA had never before been brewed at Barley’s.

The next piece to fall into place was the name. Angelo suggested we name the beer AMP (short for Angelo, Mark, Pat) and each choose a hop to include that started with the same letter as our first names. Angelo chose Amarillo, Mark chose Mandarina Bavaria, and I chose a somewhat obscure hop called Pacifica, a New Zealand hop bred from Hallertauer Mittelfruher. I know that some of you are wondering how authentically English can a beer be if made with hops from America, Germany, and New Zealand. In response I would suggest that you get out of the 19th century and join us here in the 21st century. These days the Brits use fruity hops from other parts of the world, just like the rest of us. In fact, the beer that was an inspiration for AMP, Green Devil IPA from Oakham Ales in Cambridgeshire, is made exclusively with Citra hops, and Green Devil has twice been named CAMRA Champion Golden Beer of Britain. The English character of the beer comes in part from the grain bill – floor-malted Maris Otter from the UK, with a bit of wheat malt to boost the mouthfeel and help with head retention – and in part from the Barley’s house yeast, which is descended from the Fuller’s strain.

I couldn’t be more happy with our collaboration beer. The Maris Otter malts give a toasty, almost crackery base, and the hop combination imparts lovely citrusy orange, slightly floral accents. It finishes dry with just a hint of bitterness to reset the palate. Mark might have summed it up best, when he described the beer as being reminiscent of marmalade on toast. I was pleased to see that it hit many of the descriptors given in the BJCP description of an English IPA. For example, the hop flavor should be floral, spicy-peppery, or citrus-orange. The malts should be somewhat bready with light to medium-light biscuit, toast, toffee or caramel aspects. The finish should be medium dry to very dry, and the bitterness should linger into the aftertaste but not be harsh.

Brewing on the commercial scale at Barley’s with Angelo and assistant brewer Liam, was a fun experience. Just like homebrewing there is quite a bit of standing around, interspersed with various bursts of cleaning. However, at the commercial scale the cleaning tasks are more demanding. The biggest burst of activity was raking the spent grains out of the mash tun into plastic garbage cans that were then lugged upstairs (thankfully there is an elevator), where a farmer swung by and picked them up to feed to his livestock.

The culmination of our efforts was a 50th episode party that we threw upstairs at Barley’s Brewcadia on Saturday, Feb 17. Angelo had prepared a pin of AMP IPA so we could experience the ritual of tapping a cask and then share it with past guests and friends of the podcast. In Episode 52, that I share below, we discuss the brewing of this beer and you can hear audio from the party. It’s a short but fun listen and we finish by highlighting some of the best episodes from our first 8 years. I’d also encourage those of you who live in Central Ohio to make a trip down to Barley’s for a pint of AMP IPA. It’s available both on keg and on cask, served through a beer engine. I’ve had it both ways and I’d say the cask version is superior. The cask presentation is a bit softer and fuller. The malts are just a smidge more prominent and the orange flavors a touch less acidic. If you do give it a try feel free to give it a review in the comments section.

Don’t forget you can find this episode and earlier ones on our podcast page, as well as Apple Music, Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, and various other podcast apps. Just search for the All Things Beer podcast, and don’t hesitate to leave a comment or a rating.

Related Links

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