Ingredients Master List: Dancing Gnome – Pittsburgh, PA
This is the first article in our series Ingredients Master List (IML). This new series of posts will explore the ingredients within some of the most popular brews at some of the most popular breweries. While these may not be full-blown recipes, but they should create a good base for any homebrewer that wants to attempt to clone their favorite commercial beer.
This week we picked my favorite Pittsburgh brewery, Dancing Gnome. Located in the Lawrenceville section of the ‘Burgh, Dancing Gnome is well known for their juicy, hazy and hoppy IPAs.
Brewery: Dancing Gnome
Location: 925 Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15215
Founded: 2016
All data shown here has been compiled from Untapped, Beer Advocate and RateBeer profiles, Facebook & Instagram postings and various interviews done by the brewery’s owners.
Recipe Synopsis
Andrew Witchey, the owner and brewmaster at Dancing Gnome once told a local newspaper that he “uses a lot of oats and wheat, sometimes accounting for 30 percent of the grain“, which is important to those trying to match DG’s famous haze.
I’ve compiled this list of 18 of Dancing Gnome’s top rotating IPAs and a few things stuck out to me as I was putting it together:
- Golden Promise seems to be a common base malt.
- Dextrose is commonly used to increase the ABV since it is 100% fermentable.
- Despite their IPAs being extremely juicy, no fruit is mentioned at all.
- Columbus appears as a minor hop in a handful of recipes, leading me to believe that it may be used as the bittering hop of choice.
- I was unable to find the strain of yeast they use, but if you want to brew it at home, the Conan/Vermont or London Ale III strains are good choices.
Jam (American IPA)
Jam is Dancing Gnome’s closest thing to a “house IPA” and it comes in a few different “single hop” versions.
ABV: 6.8%
Grains: Golden Promise
Specialty Additions: Flaked Rye, Flaked Oats, Dextrose
Hops: Vic Secret (default), but other single hop varieties include Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra, Nelson Sauvin & Galaxy.
Better One or Two (Double IPA)
ABV: 8%
IBU: 65
Grains: Golden Promise, American 2-Row
Specialty Additions: Flaked Barley, White Wheat, Dextrine and Dextrose
Hops: Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic, and a smaller addition of Columbus
Lustra (American Pale Ale)
Dancing Gnome also has Half (3.6%), Double (8.5%) and Triple (11%) Lustra versions.
ABV: 5.8%
IBU: 45
Grains: American 2-Row
Specialty Additions: Flaked Barley, White Wheat
Hops: Citra, Amarillo
Astroid (West Coast IPA)
ABV: 7.2%
Grains: Golden Promise
Specialty Additions: Flaked Wheat, Dextrine, Dextrose
Hops: Denali, Citra and Chinook (Sultana was replaced by Denali)
Exquisite Beast (Double IPA)
ABV: 8.2%
Grains: Winter English Barley and Spring English Barley
Specialty Additions: Spelt, Oats and Flaked Wheat
Hops: Denali, Amarillo, Mosaic and smaller addition of Columbus.
Infinite Highway (Double IPA)
ABV: 8%
Grains: Golden Promise
Specialty Additions: Flaked Barley, Dextrine, Dextrose
Hops: Galaxy, Citra, Mosaic
Infinite Hand Splash (Double IPA)
ABV: 8.5%
Hops: Galaxy & Citra
Flock (American IPA)
ABV: 6.7%
Hops: A mix of Pellet and Lupulin powdered Simcoe and Mosaic
Etch (American IPA)
ABV: 6.6%
Hops: Enigma, Citra Cryo
Beyond Infinity (Double IPA)
ABV: 8.2%
Hops: Galaxy, Citra, Denali, Mosaic, and Simcoe
Wishbone (Pale Ale)
The “double” version of Wishbone is called Warm Hand Splash (8%).
ABV: 5%
Hops: Single hop of 100% Citra
Spy Dolphin (Double IPA)
ABV: 8.5%
Hops: Idaho 7, Citra, and Simcoe
Tentacle Squad (American IPA)
ABV: 7.5%
Hops: Vic Secret, Mosaic
Stained Glass Ceilings (Double IPA)
ABV: 8%
Hops: Mosaic, Amarillo, Citra
Pounce (American IPA)
ABV: 6%
Hops: Mix of Lupulin powder and Pellets of Mosaic and Citra
Orbital Convoy (Double IPA)
ABV: 8%
Hops: Topaz, Galaxy, Citra and smaller addition of Columbus.
Painter Pigment (American IPA)
ABV: 7%
Hops: Citra, Strata
After Dark (American IPA)
ABV: 7%
Hops: Vic Secret, Amarillo
