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adamjackson · 12-22-2012, 06:17 PM

It seems these days, the only IPAs I care to buy are local Vermont beers like Heady and Hill Farmstead. Any IPA that's nation-wide at my local beer store simply doesn't match my homebrew. I'm a terrible homebrew but I keg so usually I'm drinking an IPA 14 days after brewing it...it is just the freshness that makes my homebrew my favorite go to IPA? Or is it something else?

Am I alone in this one?

***Yooper*** · 12-22-2012, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamjackson

It seems these days, the only IPAs I care to buy are local Vermont beers like Heady and Hill Farmstead. Any IPA that's nation-wide at my local beer store simply doesn't match my homebrew. I'm a terrible homebrew but I keg so usually I'm drinking an IPA 14 days after brewing it...it is just the freshness that makes my homebrew my favorite go to IPA? Or is it something else?

Am I alone in this one?

You know, I still love commercial IPAs but Bob has become a hophead over the last few years and really doesn't love commercial IPAs anymore!

I asked him why, and he said there are three reasons. He said, first, "afteraffects". He said he often gets a headache from 3-4 commercial beers, but never from homebrew. He also said that he doesn't like the super-bitter IPAs, so mine are less bitter for our tastes. The last thing he said was he loved the super-fresh "in your face" hopping with a nice young fresh IPA on tap at our house.

It's true that most beers are on tap at about day 14 at our house, unless I've done a dryhop at day 12 and then it's day 17 or so. And then sometimes, I also dryhop in the keg. It makes for a big hop flavor and aroma, which we love.

**jammin** · 12-22-2012, 06:23 PM

Grain to glass in 14 days is fast or an IPA!

Anyhow - as a homebrewer, you're not nearly as limited by what you can do with hops. I imagine that imparts a degree of separation. Many breweries get caught in the IBU arms race. I believe this is a derivative of cost (hops, esp dry hops!) and consumers not understanding where hop aroma and flavor come from.

***Yooper*** · 12-22-2012, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jammin

Grain to glass in 14 days is fast or an IPA!

It is? Not at my house!

Effingbeer · 12-22-2012, 06:26 PM

I prefer mine and my friends' brews over most of their commercial counterparts regardless of style. Especially IPAs. It's definitely freshness. I live about an hour from Founders and Bells. I love their IPAs. Even they start to lose that fresh hop flavor when they have been on the shelf for a while. You're lucky to have two really nice breweries to choose from

Effingbeer · 12-22-2012, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yooper

It is? Not at my house!

Mine either!!

**jammin** · 12-22-2012, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yooper

It is? Not at my house!

To let the beer condition/dry hop/drop clear and fully carb - 14 days is faster than I can do it. I haven't brewed nearly as many batches as you though. My beers always seem to taste better with a little more time. Especially when dry hopping in the keg.

***Yooper*** · 12-22-2012, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jammin

To let the beer condition/dry hop/drop clear and fully carb - 14 days is faster than I can do it. I haven't brewed nearly as many batches as you though. My beers always seem to taste better with a little more time. Especially when dry hopping in the keg.

Ah. Well, I use pretty flocculant yeast when I can (WlP001 has been pretty good for me), but sometimes I use Denny's Favorite 50 when I want a strong malt presence too, and it takes forever to floc out! But normally, the beers are done by about day 5, pretty clear by day 8-9, dryhopped for 5 days and then kegged. If I add more hops to the keg, it takes a while for that aroma to "work", since it's at fridge temps but normally the aroma is just fine.

I think pitching a healthy yeast starter, having the OG in the 60s, using whirlfloc in the kettle, and kegging clear beer means having mine ready really early.

ChillWill · 12-22-2012, 07:21 PM

Depends on the brewery and how it's travelled.

I live in the UK and have had some American IPAs that have travelled really well; still nice and fresh. I've also had IPAs from local breweries that are incredibly bland.

Then there's my homebrew which I really enjoy; although as I don't (well, didn't) have any way of purging vessels I do tend to pick up a little oxygen and they do degrade more quickly than commercial examples. However, they don't usually last long enough for that to happen.

Coff · 12-22-2012, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamjackson

It seems these days, the only IPAs I care to buy are local Vermont beers like Heady and Hill Farmstead. Any IPA that's nation-wide at my local beer store simply doesn't match my homebrew. I'm a terrible homebrew but I keg so usually I'm drinking an IPA 14 days after brewing it...it is just the freshness that makes my homebrew my favorite go to IPA? Or is it something else?

Am I alone in this one?

Yea well there aren't many IPAs ion the world don't measure up to Heady or Hill Farm so I don't blame you for being that way. Not everyone has that access.