What causes "hotness"?

I have an IPA that has a little alcohol "hotness" at first taste. What causes this and how can I get rid of it?

abv %6.7

the high alcohol content is a primary contributor to the hotness of the beer. there are other factors but alcohol is a big one, with a little bit of aging this will go away

side note, I had a Mead 12% ABV that was HOT when tasting it...waited a few months, now its smooth and nice, you probably wont have to wait near as long being that the alc content in your IPA isn't near as high.

erockomania said:

I have an IPA that has a little alcohol "hotness" at first taste. What causes this and how can I get rid of it?

abv %6.7

Click to expand...

That depends....how long has it been in the bottle (also how long since you brewed it) What temp did you ferment at?

Just wait. An alcohol hotness is normally a sign of a higher alcohol beer that's too young still. 6.7% is a decently big IPA. When was it brewed? My guess it needs a little more aging time.

3 weeks in primary, 3 weeks in bottle. Fermented at 64-68deg. I'd think it would calm down by now... no?

Most commonly this is a result of high temps in the early stages of fermentation, but that doesn't make sense for your temps OR times... I'm stumped.

Can water profile contribute to hotness?

That's a really interesting question, I had hoped someone else would have chimed it by the time I signed back on.

My gut tells me no. The reason why I think that is because it seems all of the water adjustments we do seem to change the flavor of the beer and not really the aroma. "Hotness" to me seems like a flavor/aroma combo... you get a waft of it when you smell the beer because it burns your nose a little, and then when you taste it, it not only burns on the tongue, but it continues to creep up the back of your nose.

For me, water adjustments are all about the "feel" of the beer on your tongue.

And that's my completely unscientific opinion.

recipe?