Advice on my first original recipe.

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Punch_You_In_The_IPA, May 27, 2016.

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  1. Punch_You_In_The_IPA

    Punch_You_In_The_IPA Initiate (0) May 27, 2016 Ohio

    I just got into homebrewing and I opened the first bottle yesterday and it tastes fine but the hop flavor was VERY weak. I admit I made multiple mistakes on this batch but as I'm just now getting into homebrewing I thought I would describe my process and seek advice for any errors I made. I thought the amount of hops added would have been sufficient but the flavor just wasn't there. Below is my recipe and steps. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    1 gallon batch 1st original IPA recipe
    2.5 lb Malted Barley Blend (from a single hop cascade Brooklyn Brewing kit)
    3/8 oz. Nugget hops @ 60 min.
    1/4 oz. Cascade hops @ 45 min.
    1/4 oz. Galena hops @ 0 min. hop stand

    Cold crash to 70°F
    Pitch 1/2 packet of White Labs California Ale yeast

    Fermented in carboy for 2 weeks.

    Primed with 1 TBSP table sugar into 1 cup water then bottled.

    I mistakenly put all my bottles of beer in the fridge for 2 weeks thinking it would carbonate. 2 weeks later I cracked a beer without carbonation. After researching I believe the fridge rendered my yeast dormant and thus no carbonation. I pulled them out of the fridge and 1 week later I have lightly carbonated beer. I'm going to open another in 1 week and I believe I should be good after that.

    The beer was extremely mellow. Being new to brewing I thought .875 oz of hops all with pretty high alpha % would be ok but its not bitter at all with a very light hops flavor. The smell was nice and this is where the hops fragrance really shined but the flavor just wasn't there. My thought was to use the nugget hops as my bittering hops, cascade hops to add some citrus notes then a Galena hop stand at the end to add citrusy/tropical fruit notes. Color was very pail yellow and not golden at all.

    FYI I'm in the process of upgrading my equipment. Bottling was a major pain using the siphon from a kit and brewing only 1 gallon sure was a lot of work for minimal beers. I will be switching to a 5 gallon batch for my next attempt (I'm obviously hooked). Any advice or tips is greatly appreciated! Cheers!
     
    #1 Punch_You_In_The_IPA, May 27, 2016
  2. CurtFromHershey

    CurtFromHershey Initiate (0) Oct 4, 2012 Minnesota

    Hop flavor traditionally comes from additions with 5-15 minutes left in the boil. Having none during that time period would be a likely culprit for beign disappointed in the hop flavor in your beer
     
    #2 CurtFromHershey, May 27, 2016
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  3. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I always dry hop when I brew IPAs. I would recommend that you dry hop the next time you brew an IPA. Dry hopping adds a lot of hop aroma/flavor.

    Cheers!
     
    #3 JackHorzempa, May 27, 2016
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  4. Punch_You_In_The_IPA

    Punch_You_In_The_IPA Initiate (0) May 27, 2016 Ohio

    When you dry hop do you dry hop in a muslin bag? Do you ever get any particulates in your beer post dry hopping? I opted for the hop stand @ 0 min thinking it would be the same as dry hopping but easier to strain since I would already have to strain out the rest of the hops. Also how long do you typically dry hop? I love a strong hop aroma/flavor (and would like to brew imperial IPAs once I get standard IPAs under my belt).
     
    #4 Punch_You_In_The_IPA, May 27, 2016
  5. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I would double the cascade addition and put it in at ten minutes.
    then change the galena to citra and double it too.
    Lastly, I would dryhop with an ounce of either of those hops, possibly a half ounce of each.
     
    #5 SFACRKnight, May 27, 2016
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  6. JuliusPepperwood

    JuliusPepperwood Initiate (0) Jul 21, 2013 North Carolina

    Looks like you caught your carbonation issue. After bottling let them sit at room temp for about 2 weeks. Test 1 bottle and if it's carbonated to your liking put the rest in the fridge. If it's still too flat let them condition a few more days and test again.

    I also second the recommendation of moving your hop additions to the 15-0min range for more flavor and aroma.

    Not sure if you left out anything here:
    But make sure you are boiling that water/sugar mix to sanitize it. Check out the steps here for a 5 gallon batch from How to Brew. http://howtobrew.com/book/section-1/priming-and-bottling/priming-solutions

    And lastly I highly recommend playing around with this recipe calculator. It's free and lets you tweak grain choices, quantities, hop additions, and learn how that effects the color, IBU, and ABV of your beer.
    http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator/
     
    #6 JuliusPepperwood, May 27, 2016
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  7. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I personally place the hop pellets in a sanitized muslin bag weighed down with glass marbles; I sanitize by boiling the bag plus glass marbles. I do not get any hop particulates in my beer via this method.
    My homebrewing practice is a minimum of 7 days of contact time but typically I go longer. Foe example I bottled a batch yeasterday after 10 days of dry hopping.

    Cheers!
     
    #7 JackHorzempa, May 27, 2016
  8. Punch_You_In_The_IPA

    Punch_You_In_The_IPA Initiate (0) May 27, 2016 Ohio

    My apologies, yes I did boil the sugar in 1 cup of water before adding.
     
    #8 Punch_You_In_The_IPA, May 27, 2016
  9. Punch_You_In_The_IPA

    Punch_You_In_The_IPA Initiate (0) May 27, 2016 Ohio

    Thank you for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it and everyone at BeerAdvocates!
     
    #9 Punch_You_In_The_IPA, May 27, 2016
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