IPA tastes like soap

Hello. I am brewing an IPA for the first time. After 7days in the primary fermenter I tasted the batch like I have done many times before transfering to my secondary. This batch tasted like soap.. is this normal? If not anyway to fix?

Thank you.

I think I have heard certain hops can lead a soapy flavor. What hops are in your IPA?

It's really early too, let it age a little and see if the flavor goes away.

Hops used are as followed:

3/4 oz yakima magnum
1oz amarillo
2oz cascade

I'd really give it a day or so and try again. There is a commercial IPA that I really like. A few times I've had it I thought the soap thing and wondered if it was no good. Then after a day or so I would get another from the same six pack and love it. It may have something to do with your palate. My not be the right answer but I've had it happen to me.

HERE is a good article.. it may help with an answer.. but, maybe not with a solution for this batch. Time will tell if this one changes.. and I hope it does. Tossing a batch is the last thing I'd want

That article attributes a soapy taste to autolyosis. I very much doubt that is the problem here.

The article points to possibly using old yeast and insufficient aeration. Read the first few paragraphs. It appears autolysis can occur from this as well as the more common reason of letting the beer sit on the yeast for too long a period.

I used new yeast and it only sat in the primary for 7 days. I think it may be an age thing.. the only other thing I can think of is something that came on contact with the cooled wort.. we will see after it sits on the secondary for a few weeks..

I'd give it some time. My wife (more sensitive to such nuances than me) picks up a soap character from many IPA's.

The very first time I tried an IPA, 17 years ago at noble romans pizza in West Lafayette, IN I thought it had a dish soap aftertaste. It was a sierra nevada pale ale. It is the first time you brewed an IPA... just checking- is it the first time you have tasted one? Maybe your initial reaction to fresh cascade hops is the same as mine was all those years ago!

Well I don't drink IPA's too often.. I could be over reacting a bit.. I had a sierra Nevada before but don't remember it tasting like soap. The more research I do, seems like it could be an age thing.. and yes first time brewing an IPA.

Also, 3.5 years ago in this forum:

"My Pale Ale tastes kind of like soap"
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/my-pale-ale-tastes-kind-like-soap-117529/

2 months ago
IPAs and ME Soap Suds
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ipas-me-soap-suds-360661/

Here someone says that their roomate thinks two hearted tastes like soapy water:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/when-beer-supposed-taste-like-beer-what-do-hops-taste-like-215384/

All the above are cascade hops related...but here:

http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/archive/index.php/t-17905.html

people claim a lot of other hops to have soapy flavors.


It seems to be a common theme that people that are relating the soapy flavor to hops claim that it mellows with aging.


As mentioned above, other sources of soapy flavors are written about. Check here for a guide to "off flavors"
http://morebeer.com/content/homebrew-off-flavors

Gordon Strong mentioned that higher pH can cause a soapy flavor when using large quantities of hops. He said once you get into the high 5s this can become an issue, although I have no personal experience to add.