Taste of Simcoe in a IIPA

I recently brewed the following recipe and I am looking for some help on troubleshooting what seems to be a sweetness issue with the beer. It's very slight and may actually be the hop flavors but I just wanted some others experiences with brewing with simcoe.

Here is the recipe

Batch Size 5.5 Gallons

12 lbs 2 Row
1 lb Crystal 40
.5 lb Carapils
2 lbs of dextrose at start of the boil

Mashed @ 149 for 3 Hours (needed to mash long due to schedule)
4.5 Gallons of Mash Water at Dough In
Mashed out at 170
Sparged with 4.5 Gallons of 170

Drained about 7.25 Gallons into the Kettle
Boil Time 60 Minutes

Hop Schedule (all pellets)

1 oz Simcoe @ 60
1 oz Simcoe @ 15
1 oz Simcoe @ 5
Yeast Nutrient and Irish Moss added at 15 Minutes (standard amounts)
Immersion Chilled to 180 Degrees
1 oz of Simcoe @ 180 (HopStand) for 15 minutes
Cooled to 62 Degrees and aerated for 3 minutes with wine degausser and electric drill

OG (Post Boil) - 1.070 (@62 degrees)

Pitched 2 Packs of US05 (did not rehydrate)
Fermented at 62 Degrees for
Dryhopped at Day 11 (1 oz Simcoe) - Took a gravity reading and got 1.010
Let the wort ferment out on the dry hopped Simcoe for 7 more days

Final Gravitiy - 1.005

Kegged at 19PSI (Force Carb)

After carbonating for a couple days it tastes really strong of grapefruit. The beer finished quite dry at 1.005 but it's still got a sweet taste to it. Is this the hop? I know a majority of the hops were added late in the boil but I wouldn't think it would give me a sweet taste, just more floral.

I was hoping for more IBUs but I calculated this one at 63 IBUs, probably should have gone for more like 90 or 100.

Any thoughts as to why I might be getting some sweetness in this beer vs more bitterness.

Could it be from the dextrose? the mash temp and dextrose addition definately dried out the beer and with carbonation it has a medium body to it. I just can't figure out if what I am tasting is normal from the ingredients or something flawed in the recipe or process.

It's definately higher ABV - 8-9% - the yeast didn't stall out but I know pitching them unhydrated hurts their vitality and at the rate of 2 packs I just figured I would still have enough. Maybe I underpitched it a bit but I would expect more phenolics from that not sweetness.

Did I use too much corn sugar as a % of the grain bill or is this all normal?

Thanks for any feedback.

Louisbrew

I am no expert, usually partial mash. But possibly you have too much crystal which gave the residual sweetness. I usually use 1/2 # in 5.2 gallons in ipas. i have seen recipes with over 1#, but it just may not be to your liking. Still finished nice and dry though! Maybe just give it a little more time to condition.

Agree it's the crystal. I'd skip the carapils and maybe do 1/2 lbs of the C40, although you could consider not using any crystal and add something else like a biscuit/victory or amber malt for a touch of color/flavor. Dextrose is definitely not the problem as that is 100% fermentable and is your saving grace to keeping the beer dry.

I don't think a pound of C40 in a 13+ lb grist is excessive at all. I don't know what the cause of the sweetness is, but its not the C40.

i agree, definitely not the crystal causing sweetness, especially since the FG is 1.005. gotta be the hops, though only 5 oz for an IIPA isnt really all that much... it think its the fact that its only 63 ibus in an 8-9% ale, not enough bittering to cover the residual sweetness from the grainbill.

nicklepickles said:

i agree, definitely not the crystal causing sweetness, especially since the FG is 1.005. gotta be the hops, though only 5 oz for an IIPA isnt really all that much... it think its the fact that its only 63 ibus in an 8-9% ale, not enough bittering to cover the residual sweetness from the grainbill.

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I'm with ol nicpic here. Not enough bittering for such a big beer. If you've dried out to to 1.005 I don't think you had any recipe problems with the malt.

Laguintas sucks imperial IPA is 1.085 at 63 Ibus. It's great. I would think it would have the same problem right?

"Designing Great Beers" recommends a BU:GU ratio of around 1.10 for an IPA. Your IIPA is only around .90. It needs more bitterness.

Lagunitas Sucks IPA also adds 2 lbs of Rye to the grain bill. The spiciness of the Rye will mute some of the malt sweetness.

EllisTX said:

I'm with ol nicpic here. Not enough bittering for such a big beer. If you've dried out to to 1.005 I don't think you had any recipe problems with the malt.

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Also good points.

That is a very low amount of hops and way more dextrose than I would personally ever use in an American DIPA, especially at boil start. But I have no idea why you are sensing any detracting sweetness at 1.005 FG. The only thing I can think of is that 10% C40 & Carapils might be a bit too much for your tastes.

It isn't the hops. Simcoe is full of pine, tropical musky fruit, and some grapefruit. In larger amounts, you obviously sense these flavors more and a certain perceived sweetness can become apparent. But in smaller amounts, like you used here, you get more clean and subtle flavors.

My thought would be that adding the dextrose at 60 minutes could have caused a bit of caramelization and maybe thats what you're tasting. Try adding it around 10 minutes instead.

Who wants a bombers? Send me your addy and I will ship inside US. Maybe it's all in my taste buds and I need a second opinion. Please taste it sober though and give me an honest review..

Update


Everyone from my family to friends to strangers who I just met (yes I offer beer to strangers for taste tests) liked this beer. Everyone commented on the grapefruit and no one on the sweetness. It got better with Ike but if I had to do over I would defiantly only change the hop bittering addition to bring the brew up to 90 or 100 ibu. This was still a great beer.

Carapils and crystal are too high, add dextrose later in the boil, also I like to throw in a little Munich or victory to increase maltiness, and round out sweetness. I am not a big fan of Simcoe for a bittering hop, I love warrior, nugget and Columbus