After a long break from brewing—thanks to a recent move to sunny San Diego—I’ve been itching to get back into it. While exploring the local craft beer scene, I came across a fantastic brew: Latitude 33 Blood Orange IPA. It struck me with its balance of citrus and hops, not overly sweet, and a blood orange flavor that really stands out. That’s when I decided to create my own version of a blood orange IPA.
I haven’t worked with blood orange in a beer before, but as a homebrewer, the experimentation is half the fun. Since I wanted a citrus-forward IPA, blood orange puree seemed like an obvious choice. To add an extra punch, I wanted to make sure I had the right hop selection that would accentuate the citrus flavors I was looking for.
For the malt bill, I knew I wanted something more than just a standard pale malt base. A bit of complexity would go a long way here. Maybe a touch of rye for that spicy kick, or some crystal malt for sweetness and color? It’s important to have balance in a beer like this, so it’s not all about the fruit.
Of course, I’d use my go-to yeast, Imperial Organic Yeast—I’ve always had good results with them. As I was imagining this beer, I decided on the A24 Dry Hop strain, which is perfect for hop-forward beers and really allows the fruity and citrus notes to shine.
Using AI: Formulating the Recipe with ChatGPT 4o
Even though I haven’t brewed in a while, the process of coming up with a recipe felt familiar—except this time, I wanted to use OpenAI's gpt-4o model to verify my initial thinking.
I started with the basic idea of a blood orange IPA, targeting an ABV around 7.5%. From there, ChatGPT helped me refine the details. For example, it recommended using sweet orange peel during the boil, which I hadn’t originally considered, and suggested a hop combination that would complement the blood orange without overwhelming it—Centennial, Citra, Amarillo, and Cascade.
Prompt: I want to create a 5-gallon BIAB blood orange IPA similar to Latitude 33 Brewing’s Blood Orange IPA, with an ABV of around 7.5%. The beer should have a citrus-forward hop profile and a golden-orange color. I prefer to use Imperial Yeast strains. The malt bill should be complex but not overpowering, with pale malt as the base and a mix of other malts for added depth. My water profile is from San Diego, CA, with moderate calcium levels and slightly hard water, so I'd like to adjust it for optimal hop expression.
One of the most helpful aspects was fine-tuning the malt bill. ChatGPT helped me find a balance between pale malt, Munich malt, and a small amount of wheat for body and head retention, while also accounting for clarity—something that’s important to me for this beer.
Water chemistry was another area where AI stepped in. Based on my San Diego water profile that I provided, ChatGPT suggested adding gypsum and calcium chloride to enhance the hops and create a more balanced beer. While these recommendations were incredibly helpful, I’ll also be verifying them using Brewfather, which allows me to input my specific water data and dial in the adjustments for optimal flavor. Brewfather provides a great way to double-check the AI’s suggestions, ensuring that I achieve the right balance of sulfate and chloride to accentuate both hop bitterness and malt sweetness.
If you're interested in learning more about how to use ChatGPT to analyze and adjust water profiles for brewing, be sure to check out my article, Mastering Homebrewing: A Guide to Analyzing Water Profiles with ChatGPT and PDF Integration.
🍊 Zest Coast IPA Recipe (5-Gallon BIAB)
Target Profile:
Target OG: 1.070
Target FG: 1.012
ABV: ~7.5%
IBU: 45
SRM: 7-8 (golden to orange)
Grain Bill:
10.5 lbs Pale Malt (2-row)
1.5 lbs Munich Malt (10L)
1 lb Wheat Malt
8 oz CaraPils
8 oz Crystal Malt (20L)
Hops:
1 oz Centennial (60 min)
1 oz Citra (15 min)
1 oz Amarillo (10 min)
1 oz Cascade (5 min)
1 oz Citra (Flameout)
1 oz Amarillo (Flameout)
Yeast:
Imperial Yeast "A24 Dry Hop"
Other Ingredients:
48 oz Blood Orange Puree (add in secondary)
1 oz Sweet Orange Peel (5 min in boil)
1 Whirlfloc Tablet (add in the last 15 minutes of the boil)
Water Adjustments (San Diego profile):
1 tsp Gypsum (in mash)
1/2 tsp Calcium Chloride (in mash)
Process:
Mash:
Mash grains at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes.
Mash out at 170°F (77°C) for 10 minutes.
Boil:
60-minute boil, following the hop schedule.
Add 1 Whirlfloc tablet at 15 minutes remaining.
Add sweet orange peel in the last 5 minutes of the boil.
Fermentation:
Cool wort to 68°F (20°C) and pitch yeast.
Ferment at 68°F for 10-14 days.
Secondary Fermentation:
After primary fermentation, transfer to secondary and add 48 oz of blood orange puree.
Let it condition for 7-10 days.
Kegging:
Keg and carbonate to 2.4 volumes of CO2.
Label Design
After crafting a recipe, the next exciting step for many homebrewers is designing a custom beer label. With the help of AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Designer, creating and printing personalized labels for your homebrews is easier than ever. These tools allow you to describe your vision, and within moments, you can have a unique, visually stunning design to reflect your beer's personality.
In fact, I previously wrote an article titled Create Beer Labels Using ChatGPT and DALL·E 3, which goes in-depth on how to use these AI-powered tools to generate beautiful beer labels, step by step. Whether you want a minimalist design or something vibrant and detailed, AI gives you full creative control and the ability to iterate in real-time until you have the perfect label for your brew. If you’re looking to personalize your next homebrew with a label that stands out, I highly recommend checking out that article for detailed guidance.
Here is the prompt I used for the Zest Coast IPA followed by some initial design ideas which I can then iterate on:
Prompt: Design a label for 'Zest Coast IPA'. The label should have a vibrant, citrusy feel, using colors like orange and yellow to reflect the blood orange flavor. Include bold, modern typography for 'Zest Coast IPA' with a tagline 'Bold Blood Orange Flavor'. Incorporate elements like sliced blood oranges, hops, and waves to represent the coastal influence. The overall design should be clean and eye-catching.
Conclusion
Brewing is all about creativity and experimentation, and this process of designing Zest Coast IPA has reignited my passion for crafting unique beers. With the help of ChatGPT and tools like Brewfather, I’ve been able to fine-tune everything from the hop schedule to water adjustments, all without even starting the brew yet. As I prepare to gather the remaining equipment and finally brew this beer, I’m excited to see how these AI-assisted adjustments come together in the final product.
I invite you to join me on this continued journey at Homebrewing.ai. Whether you're an experienced brewer or new to the craft, there's always something new to discover, especially at the intersection of brewing, technology, and tradition. Here's to the next chapter and the many brews it will bring. Cheers! 🍻
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