Hello fine folks, I sadly must drain pour an IPA that never really got going - no pine, very little fruit character other than peach and an off taste of alcohol heat. All this despite copious amounts of Cascade, Centennial and Chinook. I used Verdant yeast, and after two weeks there was still some sediment up top. I am now wondering if it was done fermenting. I know, I know, take a gravity sample... Anyhow, it's replacement is going to be my first APA, with a simple grain bill, US 05 yeast and lots o'hops. It should come in at 5.5%, so one won't end up on the business end of a yard tool. How does this order look to you all? 1 ounce Simcoe at 60 1 ounce Mandarina Bavaria, 1 ounce Amarillo at 15 I ounce each Simcoe, MB and Amarillo at 5 Day 7 - dry hop with one ounce MB and one ounce Amarillo Thanks in advance
That sounds like higher alcohols (fusel oils) were produced during fermentation. What temperature did you ferment this batch? As regards the hop schedule for your APA that is more hops than I would personally use for this beer style but it should make for quite a hoppy APA, which I presume is your goal. I have never brewed using Mandarina Bavaria hops but based upon the commercial beers I had which feature this hop it seems to be a subtle (i.e., less intensity of aroma/flavor) hop as compared to Simcoe and Amarillo. Best of luck with this batch. Cheers!
The krausen on Verdant definitely doesn't like to drop, so gravity readings are a must. Hopping looks good to me.
My experience with MB is that it’s not exactly the profile of what’s described. Very subtle hop. You might also use a neutral bittering hop and couple of hop burts for more flavor less bittering in the apa. Cheers bud
Amarillo and Simcoe are one of the best pair of hops . . . ever. I've never used MB, it might be good but if subtle like the Bomb mentioned it will be overpowered and contribute very little. If I were making a Pale Ale the bittering would be a dab of Magnum or Warrior or Hop Extract. Then an ounce of Amarillo (or Simcoe or combo) at ten minutes, followed by a whirlpool of an ounce of each Ama/Sim. Dry hop with another ounce of each. A couple of thoughts: Quality of hops is key. All suppliers will tell you their hops are great, but the final test is what comes through in the beer. If shipped/stored poorly you will end up with very little fruit character. So do some sleuthing for fresh/high-quality hops. Consider keeping the overall bitterness low (for style) or at least moderate to allow the hop flavor/aroma to shine. Whirlpooling (below 212) is to prevent the delicious hop oils from going up in vapor. This can be done by simply stirring the wort for 20'ish minutes. This is your flavor addition, although it will add some bitterness that can't be ignored. Recommend some good software like Brewcipher to help compute this. Consider a FG on the high side (for style) to balance any alcohol and/or bitterness. With US05 I would take whatever steps necessary to make sure the fermenting wort never got above 66F.
Thanks for all the input! @PortLargo, I will try to take these things into consideration. Controlling fermentation temps is a challenge for me. I have two options: upstairs with heat or basement.
For myself, lose the MB, then start your. Hop additions @ 15 with the sim on and Amarillo then continue with your hopping schedual minus the MB. I have made nasty beers with Simco when I used it @ 60 min ,but, wonderful brews using it for late addition. Or DH. also MB is not a fav of mine , so i am biased.
My bigger focus here would be the fermentation temp. It sounds like you were high with you IPA. What is the temperature of your upstairs vs your basement? US-05 can work at a good temperature range, so either might work, you will just have to use your gravity more than just waiting a couple of weeks. If you put your beer upstairs and it is 80 degrees F, then you will have the same result.
I'll let you know - I brewed it yesterday with Simcoe at 60... I am trying to make a very citrus/tangerine forward beer, hence the MB. Thanks
Just measured the basement temp and it came in at 63º. Temps won't go up for the next week or so, so I should be OK. Others have pointed out that US-05 works best under 66º. Will keep the fermenter down there, as temps are going above 80º here on some days. Thanks,
I ferment with US05 in my basement all the time. As long as temps are above 60 or so F, (15 or 16 C) I have no problems. In fact, I think |I get better results than fermented warmer. The tradeoff is that it takes a bit longer to complete. |I got in the habit years ago of giving my beers 3 weeks fermentation. Occasionally it'll take longer, but I'm in no rush.
