The Denny Kong IPA recipe (Denny Kong WCIPA | 1217-PC West Coast IPA - Wyeast Lab) calls for “removing yeast” and adding ALDC along with the first dry hops. I understand the motivation here regarding hop creep and possible diacetyl production. I have no way to remove the yeast from my fermenter, though, and I am also a bit reluctant to add any more complications to my process such as ALDC. Lately I have been adding dry hops during the cold crash, at 36 F or lower. It seems to me that the yeast would be inactive at that point so there would be no hop creep and no possible diacetyl production. Would this allow me to skip the ALDC and get similar results?
I followed the recipe exactly, except for using ALDC. Even dry hopped warmer and longer than I usually do, just to stick to the recipe. Not a hint of hop creep or diacetyl. Remember, this was originally made as a 30 bbl commercial batch. Kelsey used ALDC as a precaution, as he does in every batch. He can’t afford to dump 30 bbl, so it’s added as a precaution without knowing whether it’s necessary or not. My experience homebrewing the beer is that it’s not.