IPA/NEIPA off flavors

Permit me to suggest this is likely due to hop 'quality' variability (e.g., crop year variability).

Cheers!

 

I am starting to question my hop additions as a homebrewer these days. I have a pale ale that I dryhopped with chinook for a total of two weeks that has awful hop burn. I have a grisette that got three oz of nelson for three days of dryhopping and the distinct nelson flavor is still there, no nelson in the boil at all. While anecdotal, this tells me I am getting extraction quickly while extended exposure is netting undesirable results on my system. What this means for me is shortened dryhop schedules with larger quantities. Instead of two or more additions my neipa is going to get one blast at the end.

 

I'd agree. I dry hop for 3 days with excellent results, if I do say so myself.

 

Jason, is there something unique to your system as regards the dry hoping process?

I dry hop in my primary (a bucket) after all signs of fermentation are complete and I sometimes have a dry hop contact time up to 14 days with no ill effects (e.g., no hop burn, no grassy flavors, ...).

Cheers!

 

That's how I do it as well. I'm not sure why I got hop burn with one oz, but I'm over it. Next time it's gonna be 2oz for three days tops.

 

Yeah, you got me perplexed there.

My most recent hoppy beer was an IPA and I dry hopped that beer with 4 ounces of hops with a contact time of 14 days. There was zero hop burn (or any other 'off' issues) in that beer.

Cheers!

P.S. In case you are wondering it was 1.5 oz. Mosaic and 2.5 oz. Citra. That beer was my version of Alchemist Focal Banger and the batch turned out great.

 

This past neipa that I just did I dry hopped it for 24 hours then cold crashed for 48 then kegged it, I threw the hops in commando. The results from this batch were incredible. All of the people I handed beers out to this go around said this is by far my best version it and I have to agree with them.
Grain to glass 11 days with zero hop burn. It seems so well balanced too! I also mashed this one a tab bit higher than I normally do (154) and it put the mouth feel right where I've been trying to get it

 

I've been getting my NEIPAs packaged in about 7 days. They seem to hit the sweet spot for conditioning in about 2 weeks in the bottle.

 

It is a mixed bag (pun intended). I sometimes buy hops from my LHBS and those hop bags are branded YCH. I also purchase hops from online vendors (e.g., More Beer) and those hops have varying branding: some are in plain mylar bags with stick on labels while others are branded as "Artisan hops" in bags similar to the YCH bags.

If you are wondering if I know which hop farms these hops came from the answer to that question is no.

Cheers!

 

I have had it with chinook, cascade, citra, mosaic, el dorado.

 

@Curmudgeon the level of hop burn I have right now with one oz of chinook feels the same as what I had with 12oz of citra el dorado and mosaic in my last neipa. I'm not sure if hop burn is quantifiable, but it seems to have the same intensity in both my beers. I will say I only get it with dryhopping, and all pellets involved were pelletized. I will say I am tired of letting beer sit for weeks, and am looking forward to finding a way around this crap.

 

Just a general question for you all that keg your NEIPAs.... how long after, is your beer ready to drink/ reaches its best point after it is carbed? I would ferment for about 7 days until I reach the completed final FG then force/ burst carb for two days. carb is good at this point but shit is Bitter AF. Does it take time for that bitterness to settle???

No boiling hops.
6oz total simcoe/ citra mosaic Whirlpool at 150
6oz during fermentation
4 oz in serving keg

 

I say about a week after kegging it finds its sweet spot for me, with my procedures.

 

That bitterness is yeast and Hop polyphenols still in suspension. You did nothing to get them out of the beer before kegging it.

 

I cold crashed for a couple days. Think if I let the hop and yeast settle for a while and run a few more pints out, the bitterness will clear out? Or am I stuck w this and SOL? As of right now, I had it carb for a couple days and ran a couple pints out so far. I Did notice some sediment in there.

 

What would you suggest?

 

Give it time. Let it chill and settle more. Or you could even fine it. That might help or not.

 

Another vote for "give it time". With time things will settle out and the cold aspect should encourage this settling aspect.

Taste you beer a week from now and see how it tastes. If it is still too bitter/hot just give it some more time.

Just keep in mind the initial pours may be 'heavy' in the stuff that settled out so maybe dump the first pint and enjoy the second pour?

Cheers!