The Elusive NEIPA (HELP!)

Discribe your titling process

 

Classic oxidation. Bottling makes it more difficult than kegging, for sure, in terms of preventing this. There are methods to prevent it (such as bottling near FG, naturally carbonating without priming sugar). But that takes very close watch to bottle at the right time and ensuring you know what your FG will be with a forced fermentation test. Otherwise, you need to look at your bottling and fermentation technique.


The best thing you can do is add all your dry hopping before is reached so the yeast can scrub the O2. Once it hits FG, don't let it sit, get it in bottles quickly with a sound method. Purge bottles with CO2 if possible and using a bottling wand to fill from the bottom in the CO2 filled environment. Cap immediately and check bottles for full carbonation as soon as 3-4 days (they won't take two weeks, rarely). Then get them in the cold, ASAP to stall oxidation. That is about the best you can do on that front.

When I was still bottling, the last few batches of IPA never had any issue darkening or anything like that. They would stay light in color and remain quite aromatic, contrary to what most people say that kegging is required. It can be done, it's just more difficult for sure. Kegging allows for a well purged enviroment and getting the beer cold as soon as it goes in (stalling oxidation). That is a big factor. Warm temps don't help for that week or two while the bottles carb.

 

Agreed with alleged of the above. One of the reasons I no longer make neipa regularly. When I do, it's 2.5 gallons and it's getting consumed on day3. It's disappointing , when bottleing the old style,
To have the nose but the taste falls off rapidly.

 

Ya that is definitely oxidation. Nothing you can really do while bottling. Time to buy a kegging setup!

 

This is too cold. Try ~180° and you want a vigorous whirlpool action for at least 20 minutes (pump or stirring).

I agree oxidation may be contributing to hop flavor/aroma decline, but also review the freshness of your hops. My brew club members always say they buy fresh hops, but unless the package is dated (rare) you don't know the age and you almost never know how they have been stored. I regularly see retail outlets that store hops poorly . . . an unsuspecting buyer is blindsided. Try and find a reliable source of current year hops, I find it's best to buy in bulk when the new hops arrive (late in the year). GIGO is the enemy.

Are you treating your water?

 

I would also say you need to bump up your hop input quite a bit.

Whirlpool at around 160~ with a few more ounces of hops. I don't think I've ever done a NEIPA without at least 12+oz of whirpool+dry hopping.

Do your first dry hop about 48 hours into active fermentation, the hops breakdown in a unique way and will give you much more of the NEIPA nose.

Also, yes, get a keg system. Oxidizing

 

That would mean everyone bottling would have the same issue, and that's not the case soooo.....

 

In my experience brewing, homebrewclub meetjngs,and also reading through three beer forums daily I find most people complain about NE ipa oxidation pretty frequently when bottling. I salute you that you are able to bypass this and maybe you can provide some useful information to the OP. I’ve never attempted bottling this style so I have no real world experience to offer.

 

Agreed on this bit.

Not so much on this.

Never had an issue with bottling NEIPAs and that's all I've been making over the past year or so.

 

@EvenMoreJesus I thought you kegged your beer

 

Nope. I bottle everything. My brewing and packaging setup is pretty Spartan.

 

I never had issues bottling my IPA's either, but I will admit, I never brewed NE IPA's back when I was bottling. My "normal" ones were fine though and held up decently. I noticed improvement with kegging, but also, my experience was farther along as well... So it's a moot point.

 

I bottle all of my beers. I had no issues with the 'NEIPA' that I brewed.

Cheers!

 

For those bottling.. please explain how you do it to avoid O2 ingress... I’ve only bottle conditioned mixed ferment beers, everything else has been kegged since day 1. And even when bottle conditioning those I try to do it in as O2 free environment as possible.

I can tell a huge difference between when I used to think I was purging kegs well and my present method. I’ve never had a visible oxidation based color change nor a huge flavor impact but the difference in aroma from a meticulously purged keg to one I thought was good enough was ridiculous. I cant imagine when bottling, especially without any CO2, you could do better than a closed transfer to a somewhat purged keg... but I’m all ears.

 

I don't think that anyone's saying this. I don't do anything special when I bottle. I just bottle as soon as the beer is finished and do so as quickly as possible. No real secret with any of it.

 

I bottle a 'NEIPA' the same way I bottle all of my other beer styles.

Cheers!