Fusel alcohol or just a bit green?

If you were controlling temps using ambient temperature, it could very well be fusels. That said, it could also be green flavors...but I must admit that I have not had fusel flavors in my green beer.

For instance, the Rye IPA I made was OG 1.074, and after 3 weeks, and 1 day in the keg...no fusels...or even a young/green taste.

 

Dallspaw you are entering a world of pain. A world of pain. (In the parlance of our times.)

IMO a 1.071 beer isn't "big" enough to require extra conditioning time for that reason alone. But one thing that can happen is that strongly dry hopped beers can taste a little harsh at first and can benefit from a couple weeks of conditioning. Maybe that's what's going on here? Generally speaking, I think IPAs hit their peak after about 2-3 weeks of conditioning. I would continue to test samples every couple days. A tough job but someone has to do it.

 

As has been discussed, the bottle conditioning process will likely permit flavors to ‘meld’. I tasted an IPA last night that I bottled two weeks ago and the beer still needs more conditioning time. I will try another bottle a week from now.

Cheers!

 

If you are sure your ambient never went higher than 66, I would not expect fusels. I keep my freezers at 64 and have never once gotten anything even vaguely resembling fusels (but then perhaps it's possible, just that I haven't happened to get them, who knows).

Since this post really doesn't tell you anything, I can only offer additional uselessness in the form of criticism: you mis-spelled sarcasm.

 

What makes you so sure that your 66F beer only went up to 70F during the height of fermentation?

 

As a fellow non-White Walter enthusiast, I say to forget about it for a couple of weeks. Temps could have just gotten away from you and you didn't notice. You'll be able to tell better once it's carbonated. I know my hoppy beers are pretty harsh at bottling.

Mark it zero...

 

If it was 66 ambient temp it could have easily risen 6-10 degrees in the fermenter. I'd still bet it more on green flavors though. Time will tell.

 

Another thought.... Sometimes a very hoppy beer that is sampled when young might still have lots of hop particulates in suspension, which can give the sample a "rough" taste quality that some might describe as a bit astringent or slightly solvent like. Since this is your first DIPA, perhaps you just aren't used to tasting a young sample with this much hops in it or had a lot of hop particulates carry over into the bottle. If the latter, after you carbonated the bottles adequately and then move them into the refrigerator the cold temperatures and gravity will help settle the particulates to the bottom of the bottles. When you pour them into glasses for consumption, make sure to leave the settled particulates in the bottom of the bottles for a better tasting beverage.

 

If the heat is not off-putting, count yourself lucky. For me, fusels conjure up memories and instantaneous headaches followed by a full day of limited productivity due to a depressive self-loathing funk. I had a berry mead with fusels that I kept around for several years. I would try a bottle about every 4 months to see if the bad juju faded. It never did. Those bottles would laugh at me whenever I went down to my beer cellar, taunting my weak, pathetic soul. After nearly 4 years, I summoned up the courage to drainpour every last one of those sons of bitches.

 

“ …drainpour every last one of those sons of bitches.” You taught that berry mead a thing or two (or three).

You da man!

Cheers!