I've done several IPAs all with mostly fruity hops. I've been doing late additions at 15,10,5, and 0 with a big hop steep and I've noticed all my beers have a big fruityness to them but the flavors aren't as clearly defined as in commercial beers. Could this be due to me maybe using too many hops?
IMO, no. I have brewed BA APA IPA several times with a hop schedule identical to what you post. Flavors come through loud and clear and serious tasters can identify the hops with little trouble. Variables that I see causing problems are old hops and steeping at too high a temp. I also tend to cold-crash/add-finings before dh'ing . . . trying to eke out every little bit. In a blind taste my APA IPA bested SN Celebration . . . although in fairness the brew from Chico traveled a greater distance at the hands of strangers . . .
I believe it. Celebration is a great beer by any measure but to my tastes it isn't dry enough to let the hops shine.
I think you can, actually. Homebrew systems aren't generally as efficient as a pro level system. Before anyone comments on the comparison, most homebrewers are attempting to replicate something they can get and have had, commercially. We end up putting more hops into a set amount of beer, that if expanded out, is WAY more than most breweries use in their beers. I think as it's progressed where people want saturated hop flavors, homebrewers end up putting in boat loads of hops, all late, and muddling up the beer. Old hops, poor storage, poor handling of beer, such as oxidizing it during transfer/dry hopping/kegging/bottling, will make it worse. Adding a ton of different varieties doesn't help, but I don't think it makes it worse, as I've had and made several beers with more than 4 varieties and all came out fine.
your hop addition, both the amount and the timing, is going to dictate the bitterness, aroma and flavor that the hops contribute. there is no correct answer to your questions though. if you find that you are not getting a certain profile that you find in a commercial brew then your hop additions are not as they should be. one thing is certain though. hop additions are not linear. 2 ounces does not contribute twice anything. and 4 ounces is not going to double the effect of 2 ounces. you may find that reducing the amount of hops you use leaves a bnit more room for things to happen. more is not always better. hop variety, timing and quantity is probably the single biggest variable homebrewers experiment with. Cheers.
I will disagree with some others and say yes. Yes you can over hop an IPA. Too many varieties can easily jump the line from complex to muddled. Using a couple varieties is better than a handful. You can also do one variety at 15 another at 10 the first again at 5 and 3 kinds at knock out. Dryhop with 3 and do a second with 1. Even Point has only a few in the boil, then layers in a couple others in the DH.
I think you can over hop a beer to the point that you lose your hop balance with the malt, but that's a personal taste issue. Many of us really like super-hopped beers regardless of balance. But I think the real question that the OP is asking is whether you can use too may varieties and end up with a muddled mess, and I think that answer to that question is, yes. IMO the flavors of some hops clash with each other and it becomes impossible to end up with the 'crisp' flavor that the OP wants. If there is some good source of documentation about which hops clash and which compliment, that's what would be helpful for the large hop additions. Is there any good one-stop source for this info?
I read the books for the love of hops, which made the case that you can over hop. Many hops provide numerous flavors, but if too many hops are added, then some of the favors get masked by the others. It's like really spicy food, other flavors are there, they just are not able to be tasted. As with many things there are way too many variables to determine how much is too much without experimentation with ones own equipment and ingredients. I know that 16oz of citra hops is the max I would want to use in a 10 gallon batch. I did 10oz in a 5 gallon batch and it was too apricot flavored.
I dry hopped once before adding gelatin and it stripped a lot of hops from the beer. I think I might give adding the gelatin, cold crashing, then dry hopping a try though.
I've had commercial beers and homebrews that were overhopped to the point of taking away from the flavor of the beer.
Hiding flavors can come from water profile, too much complexity in recipe/hops and from a beer that is too young. For an IPA, you can go 70-90IBU and make up for it with a crapload of late hops. If you go heavy early, just go heavy in the boil. The late hops fade first and you'll find your sweet spot for the beer. This is usually weeks 4-8 for me. One thing that I'll touch on twice is hop variety and quantity. If you have 10 hop varieties in a recipe, then you'll have issues with muddled flavors. I usually pick two or three of my favorite hops and blend them pretty equally late in the boil. Dry hop additions are usually more of what I added for the flavor/aroma hops.
