Homebrew Summer: Pair O’ Docs

Each year, fans of Night Parade Brewing rejoice over the Scripps Ranch brewery’s annual release of its fruited double IPA. That grapefruit- and orange-infused double IPA goes by the name Pair O’ Docs, and its creation predates the birth of the business, going back to the days when its trio of founders homebrewed for fun. Four years after making the leap to the pro ranks, Pair O’ Docs remains one of their favorites, so they felt there was no better beer to pluck from their repertoire for inclusion in the sixth-annual edition of our Homebrew Summer initiative. We appreciate their generosity and hope you have as much as fun as they have brewing this recipe (which you can download below in all-grain or extract form) below.

This is one of over 20 beers we’ll be sharing recipes for throughout the summer, so be sure to check back with us often. Or, if you prefer, you can sign up for our email newsletter, and we’ll send all of the recipes directly to your inbox. Cheers to homebrewing and another fun Homebrew Summer!

James McCanna
Co-founder, Night Parade Brewing

Pair ‘O Docs is a special beer to the Night Parade team because it was and is the first true recipe collaboration between the company’s founders, long before the company existed. It features two hops that we fell in love with during our homebrew years: Chinook and Simcoe. These varietals provide a flavor profile dominated by fruit, citrus and pine, while the added sweet orange and grapefruit peels grant a rich, deep, rounded citrus bitterness. The hops blend seamlessly with the citrus peels to create a very unique and crisp, yet rich double IPA. Night Parade only brews this beer once per year, and it deserves more time on a tap, wherever it may be! Outside of sanitation, the most important part of brewing this beer is the timing for adding the orange and grapefruit peels. Adding them right before the end of the boil (approximately two minutes) allows just enough time for the oils to fully extract from the peel without adding too much bitterness from the pith. The standard recipe is a 50/50 blend of orange and grapefruit, but a new brewer can adjust that ratio to their liking. Grapefruit is more potent than sweet orange, so adding too much of the former can overpower the hop profile. Adding the dextrose toward the end of the boil is also recommended to avoid extra caramelization of the simple sugars and maintain a crisp malt profile.

Night Parade Brewing is located at 9879 Hibert Street in Scripps Ranch