Why isn't my IPA hoppy?

I just brewed my first batch ever, an IPA recipe kit from Brewer's Best (recipe in link below) and my only mistake I'm aware of was that I added the aroma hops toward the beginning of the boil, instead of at the last 5 minutes.

I left it in the primary fermenter for 13 days, then bottled. I drank one tonight and it was well-carbed and I was happy with the taste, but it just seemed more like a slightly sweet amber ale than a hoppy IPA. Will it start tasting like an IPA after conditioning for a few weeks?

P.S. It fermented at a very stable 70F and maintained that temp post-bottling.


http://www.brewersbestkits.com/recipes.html

Probably not. Without the "late" hops which give it a hoppy flavor and aroma, you won't really have an IPA. I'd go ahead and call it an "amber" and make another IPA but be more careful with the hopping schedule on the next one.

So you want a pale ale that tastes like grapefruit?

ha, sorry, couldn't resist!


Hard to tell from that recipe. All it says is 3.5oz bittering and 1oz aroma. Doesn't give specific type or AA%. It does say the recipe will give 45-49 IBUs, which is kind of on the lower end, esp if you are looking for the in your face bitterness.

I'd really suggest going away from the Brewers Best kits and either getting an extract kit directly from an online retailer like Austin Homebrew, or getting a recipe off of our database.

Edcculus said:

So you want a pale ale that tastes like grapefruit?

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i read on the internet that simcoe hops taste like grapefruit.



You've GOTTA have the late hop additions to make things taste hoppy. I agree with Yooper, just call it an amber and next time be sure the hops go in at the right time!!

Thanks for the replies. There were cascade hops and columbus hops in the kit. I realized my error soon after I screwed up the hop schedule, I just wasn't sure if it would add more hop bitterness in the end or less.

It's still a solid amber ale, but I really prefer beers on the hoppier end of the spectrum, so will have to try again and won't use brewer's best.

I also have my first IPA fermenting, and this thread has me a little concerned. The recipe called for a 90-minute boil with the following hop additions:

90 min = 1/2 oz Chinook
60 min = 1-3/4 oz Cascade

Both of those were listed as bittering hops, with no aroma or flavor hops. After 2 weeks in the primary, I will be transferring this to a secondary and adding the following dry hops:

1/3 oz Centennial
1/4 oz Cascade
1/4 oz Columbus
1/3 oz Amarillo

I guess what confuses me is that you guys are calling the bittering hops the "late" hops, but I've always considered them the "early" hops since they are added near the beginning of the boil. Then again, I'm a novice. Please enlighten me for future reference.

My understanding of dry-hopping is that its sole purpose is to add aroma to the beer, so that wouldn't really affect bitterness.

I think you're OK - My aroma hops were supposed to be the "late hops" not the bittering hops, I correctly added the bittering hops early, but I added the aroma hops just after that, way too early so I had no "late hops".

Ok so everyone is correct here about being strict about your hop schedule, it really makes all the difference.
But, I have heard of folks putting whole hops in a glass of brew to get more aroma/flavor in the glass. So, if you are that concerned about hoppiness you may look into doing that, even though that is the expensive labor intensive solution.

But

You already stated your beer turned out tasty, even though it wasn't what you were shooting for, so record the recipe and procedure for future reference to make it again, and make the IPA you wanted on your next brewday or later.

As for a name I'm thinking... "Accidental Amber"?

drycreek said:

I guess what confuses me is that you guys are calling the bittering hops the "late" hops, but I've always considered them the "early" hops since they are added near the beginning of the boil. Then again, I'm a novice. Please enlighten me for future reference.

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Late hops would refer to hops added with 5 minutes or less remaining in the boil. They are the ones that give big hop aroma, which is perceived as both aroma and flavor when drinking.

I didn't read all the replies, but here is my IPA experience.

I made one with my father in law, all went well, and after 3 weeks in bottles we cracked it open. There was hops flavor but no bitterness, and a distinct honey note. It was REALLY good, but no IPA by my standards.

4 weeks later the honey note has almost disappeared and the hops are starting to come through strong. Is much more of an IPA, though pleasantly mild.

Thus, the general advice- give it time and check back!

Good point Tall. Time can have a huge effect on how taste and aroma are presented. I'm still trying to learn how to predict how certain hops will age. Am beginning to think it's not possible.

I should have mentioned - it was only bottled 5 days ago. I got really overeager and couldn't wait 2 weeks +. The carbonation level seemed normal though.

strat_thru_marshall said:

Late hops would refer to hops added with 5 minutes or less remaining in the boil. They are the ones that give big hop aroma, which is perceived as both aroma and flavor when drinking.

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In the case of my IPA, there were no late hop additions whatsoever. The last hops were added with 60 minutes remaining in the boil.

However, since the recipe calls for dry-hopping with over 1 oz of hops, that should make up for the lack of aroma hops in the boil, correct? fwiw, I plan to dry-hop for ~10 days in the secondary before bottling.

TheMagnanimous said:

I should have mentioned - it was only bottled 5 days ago. I got really overeager and couldn't wait 2 weeks +. The carbonation level seemed normal though.

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Yep. I try to give my IPA's a month before breaking into them, but rarely make it that long. Now that I'm kegging, I think it's going to be even more difficult.

drycreek said:

In the case of my IPA, there were no late hop additions whatsoever. The last hops were added with 60 minutes remaining in the boil.

However, since the recipe calls for dry-hopping with over 1 oz of hops, that should make up for the lack of aroma hops in the boil, correct? fwiw, I plan to dry-hop for ~10 days in the secondary before bottling.

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That'll give you some aroma/flavor.

You can make a Randall if you are kegging. It is basically a box of hops that you filter the beer thru right before drinking. There are post on this technique on HBT.

Dry hopping would definitely have salvaged this beer, but once in the bottles, there is little you can do other than adding a few hop cones into the glass when you serve the beer.

Simcoe tastes/smells delicious as a dry hop - pretty complex, almost cat-pee like (in a good way). Using Simcoe along with some bitter orange peel salvaged my Summit SMaSH, which was too onion/garlic-like in aroma to be enjoyable.

Amarillo will give you some mango notes, whereas Centennial and Cascade are more citrus/grapefruit-like. I am playing around with Bramling Cross hops right now and am hoping to get some black currant aroma from them in the dry hop.

drycreek said:

In the case of my IPA, there were no late hop additions whatsoever. The last hops were added with 60 minutes remaining in the boil.

However, since the recipe calls for dry-hopping with over 1 oz of hops, that should make up for the lack of aroma hops in the boil, correct? fwiw, I plan to dry-hop for ~10 days in the secondary before bottling.

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No, in my experience dry hopping does not compensate for the lack of flavor/aroma hops. The oil extraction profiles are different. You will get some aroma, but very little flavor.

ArcaneXor said:

Simcoe tastes/smells delicious as a dry hop - pretty complex, almost cat-pee like (in a good way).

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I'm not going to lie: I'm having a hard time imagining a flavor or aroma as cat-pee like in a good way. Perhaps that just means I should stay away from simcoe.

No, Simcoe is IMO the best dry-hop, amorma/flavor hop there is.

robbyg said:

I'm not going to lie: I'm having a hard time imagining a flavor or aroma as cat-pee like in a good way. Perhaps that just means I should stay away from simcoe.

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It's good in the same way that a sweaty horseblanket can be delicious in a Brett beer.