Improving my homebrewed IPAs...

Going all grain, so I can control my percentages. Putting a cease and desist on using c malts, which typically get in the way of most ipa's currently being made that people drool over, and age terribly into malt bombs.
I've switched my hop schedule to limiting my boil additions to a 40 minute and then pushing everything else to flame out so that I can still use the temp, but I'm not really getting much bittering and I'm avoiding hop burn from too much being exposed to a boiling environment.
Working on a larger scale with professional equipment taught me that a little can go a long way, and its easy to go overboard if you aren't careful.
I'm far more comfortable bottling because I can control the c02 vols to get exactly what I want, and bottles are portable.

 

I have brewed many IPAs using malt extract with no issues.

Maybe if you could provide a more details on your brewing process we can provide better help here.

You should not need to go to all grain to produce a quality IPA. I have had no issues with IPAs and bottle conditioning; switching to kegs may be less labor intensive for you? What is your dry hopping process? When brewing with malt extracts you could use distilled/RO water if you want.

Cheers!

 

I recently made very good IPA using extract. The key I think is a lot of late hops and dry hops. Assuming a 5-gallon batch, add a big charge 4-5 oz in the last couple minutes of the boil. Then when fermentation is halfway done or so, add another charge of 4-5 oz dry hops, or you can (should?) split these with two additions of 2-3 oz each over the course of 3 days or so.

I agree with this too -- avoid crystal/caramel malts as they're just not needed in this style, or limit the amount to just a few percent, maybe <5%.

 

Looks like the crystal police are back!?!

Cheers!

 

I wasn't aware such a thing existed. Count me out.

 

Maybe this was before your time?

Below is something I posted in 2017 in a reply to @SFACRKnight:

“Jason, it was likely before your time (5+ years ago) a number of BA homebrewers would comment to proposed IPA recipes with comments like:

• You can't use that amount of crystal malt. You should half it.
• Eliminate the crystal malt entirely; substitute some Munich Malt instead.
• etc.

These people got nicknamed "the crystal police". Thank goodness they 'went away'. I never listened to them then and needless to say I wouldn't listen to them now.”

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...ipa-still-relevant.502778/page-3#post-5379333

Cheers!

 

Water chemistry (more pH related than anything)

Kegging

Keeping O2 exposure to the absolute minimum on the cold side (ideally as close to none as possible)

You can make perfectly fine hoppy beer with extract and dry yeast as long as you know what you’re doing.

 

This 110%.

Cheers!

 

Two things that can really make an IPA ****-eyed: hop freshness & water chemistry

I see LHBS do things with their hops that make me cringe. Have seen bulk hops broken down and stored in zip-lock bags in a file cabinet. Another supplier stores his hops in glass jars at fridge temps, then just opens and shakes out an ounce or two and reseals the jar. I've seen bulk hops stored at room temps because the owner says temp control isn't important until they are unsealed. Many wholesalers don't put a date on hops so they never get old. I could go on . . . but I go to extremes to buy fresh and store sealed in vacuum bags at sub-zero temps.

Water chemistry is difficult to understand, some real expense to get your water tested, and no real consensus on the best profiles. I have struggled to understand it all and have made some progress. It's probably the toughest nut I've had to crack. Good water helps make an IPA shine.

Oh yeah, if not whirlpooling your late hops below boiling temps you should check it out . . . maybe spend some time researching hop oils versus alpha acids.

 

I will add : Full Wort Boil. Many extract brewers boil part of the wort and decant into cold water to make up the rest of the volume. This is bad in many ways. The cold water may not be totally sanitary, might even be chlorinated in many cases. Yeast is generally pitched at high temperature in this scenario. Boiling a concentrated wort can result in excessive caramelization. Etc.

If you are doing a full wort boil, then, sanitation, correct pitching temperature (I like to pitch most ales at 60F and let the yeast's metabolic activity raise the temperature if needed) and avoiding oxidation after the primary fermentation is over.

 

I brew almost strictly IPAs.

Nothing wrong with extract. Just more precise control over your process with AG.

Crystal/ Caramel malts in an IPA. Depends on your palate. I prefer lighter c-malts if that’s the IPA I’m shooting for. Classic West Coast IPAs, C-10 up to C-40. Also Honey Malt is a good specialty malt as well in small percentages. 2-5% is where I like using these malts.

Keg. For IPAs, only way to get that fresh hoppy beer dude.

Yeast, dry or liquid. Both are good. Dry is cheap and easy. Liquid is finicky and a little more expensive but has a very wide selection to fit your style, be mindful of your pitching rate. US-05 is your best buddy for American IPA.

Water. Carbon filter or use RO. Calcium Chloride and Gypsum, Lactic Acid if adjusting for PH. Don’t go crazy.

Hopping. Depends on how bitter you like your beer. A lot of good software out there to help you dial in. Your equipment and process will take you a handful of brews to find where you like it. Bitter in the beginning of the boil and all late hopping/whirlpool additions for flavor/aroma. A healthy dry hop, 1-2 ozs per gallon.

Hope some of that helps.

 

And, of course,,, I'm all over the place.

I e made good and awful beers AG and extract.

Use C hops up to L60 and then non.

Love dry yeast, and have used liquid.

bottle exclusively.

I think if you are interested in BIAB , try it.

AG brewing lets you really fine tune any beer style which is great, but no garantee u will produce a great IPA.

Tell us what commercial IPAs you like.

 

I still have my badge.

 

I'm a partial mash / extract brewer, and I make a lot of hoppy pale ales. I think it would help if you posted both your brewing process details and your recipe.

I agree with a lot of what's already been posted, and like a lot of things in homebrewing they are based on individual brewers' experience and taste. For instance, I don't like crystal malts - I get that some do, but for me cutting those out improved my enjoyment of my hoppy pale ales. I also recently switched to kegging after years of bottles - I believe that's helped the shelf life of my hoppy pales, but my bottled beer was good when fresh.

The one thing I haven't seen in the thread - are you using dry or liquid extract? I highly recommend using dry extract.

 

LOL!

I would have figured you for a "We don't need no stinkin' badges" guy.

Cheers!

 

Dry is definitely the lesser of two extract evils. But for freshness, control of body/attenuability/ flavor/color/water profile, and cost control, all grain is the winner.

 

God bless Mel Brooks.

On another note I have done comps in the past with my hoppybeers, the only one to win a gold medal was my American pale ale brewed with LME, a mini mash of some wheat and munich, and hopped lightly with citra. Maybe 2 oz total. It included a touch of c60 as well. All the things people will tell you to ditch worked in my favor that day FWIW.

 

Firstly, congratulations on your Gold Medal.

There are lots of differing ways to brew beer. The implicit aspect of brewing your Gold Medal beer is the skill of the brewer (you).

Ingredient selection and brewing ‘high tech’ is not worth a damn if the brewer lacks skills.

Cheers to you and your skills!

 

There's truth to that, but I'd add that ingredient selection and the prudent selection, development, and use of 'high tech' are also impactful brewing skills.