IPA and DIPA homebrew not hoppy

Try buying spring water...I bought 6 gallons of water at the Wal Mart for only 88 cents per.

 

Water could be the culprit, even in an extract brew. If your water is too low or too high in key ions, it can greatly impact the flavor of the beer. Also, tap water is typically treated with chloramine or other chlorine-based chemicals for sanitary purposes; that can mask other flavors in beer. Try to find a water quality report for your area, and tell us what it says. You should be able to find one on your water company's website.

How does your boil go? Do you get a nice rolling boil? A vigorous boil is crucial to extracting flavor and bittering compounds from hops.

How old are the hops? Old or improperly stored hops can contribute less flavor and bitterness than expected.

When do you add the extract to the boil? Adding it at the beginning could cause some carmelization of the extract that might accentuate maltiness or sweetness and mask the flavors of the hops. Also, adding it all at once could cause some scorching; add it a little at a time and stir it in rather than dumping it all in at once.

 

Water certainly could be the issue. Chlorinated water will lessen the positive effect of sulfate of making hop flavor and aroma pop. (Chlorine is a molecule with chloride, so it's affecting the chloride:sulfate ratio.) Chlorine is also an oxidative agent, which is bad for hop flavor and aroma. Conversely, OP said he made a brown ale and porter that turned out well, which is what you would expect from a beer higher in chloride. A saison that doesn't rely on a lot of hop character will turn out ok with the chloride presence. The recipe is light on hops but a decent water supply should still produce a beer that has obvious hop flavor and aroma.

Try brewing a batch of something hoppy with bulk drinking water, RO water, or distilled water from the store and see if that fixes your problem.

 

Told ya water was a major culprit. Especially since it wasn't treated.

 

RO water is less than half of that. Spring water depends on the spring. what is the analysis?

 

Jeff, there is some discussion about water. The OP is brewing extract beer.

What advice to you provide to extract brewers when it come to water.

Cheers!

Jack

 

Used distilled or RO. The extract has minerals. Maybe add a tsp or a little more of Gypsum for 5 gallons to give more hop dryness. that will not accentuate aroma.

 

If the extract brewers decide to use their tap water instead, what do you think of that?

As a further discussion topic, what do you think f what John Palmer states in his on-line book How to Brew:

"Water is very important to beer. After all, beer is mostly water. Some waters are famous for brewing: the soft water of Pilsen, the hard water of Burton, Midlands, and pure Rocky Mtn. spring water. Each of these waters contributed to the production of a unique tasting beer. But what about your water? Can it make a good beer? When using malt extract, the answer is almost always "Yes". If you are brewing with grain, the answer can vary from "Sometimes" to "Absolutely".

The reason for the difference between the brewing methods is that the minerals in the water can affect the starch conversion of the mash, but once the sugars have been produced, the affect of water chemistry on the flavor of the beer is greatly reduced. When brewing with malt extract, if the water tastes good to begin with, the beer should taste good. "

Cheers!

Jack

 

I think he's wrong. Sodium, chloride, and sulfate affect flavor. Too much, too little, or the wrong ratio of these ions may not be perceptible, or may not lend an unpleasant flavor to water, but will absolutely affect the flavor. A moderately hopped pale ale that has a high chloride:sulfate ratio may accentuate the malty sweetness too much and mute the hop flavors. Such water may taste perfectly fine, but not be suitable for the style of beer being made.

 

I agree, I used to balance the ratios pretty closely, and while I was happy with that method the hops were definitely not as "pop-y" as I'd like. So I added more sulfate to my latest IPA, and it really helped with the hop pop I was missing in other brews. I could have probably lowered the chloride further, but my Red IPA was supposed to have quite a bit of maltiness as well.

 

No reason the OP's recipe(s) won't deliver good flavor and aroma unless the serving temperature is too fookin'cold.