How do companies keep hop aroma in the bottle for months?

Whenever I attempt to make an IPA, even dry hopping with up to 2 ounces of pellets, the hop taste and aroma can be intense and often a bit harsh right after kegging/bottling, but it always fades in just a month or two, until my beers have minimal hop aroma, although smoother bitterness, after a few months in the bottle. Should I use more dry hops? Use more whole hops? Use different dry-hops? Use more late boil additions?

I'm trying for a fruity, aroma-y west-coast IPA like Alaska IPA, Torpedo, or Ranger. I never get it right, and I'm starting to think that Dallas water has something to do with it.

i've found most commercial hoppy beers suffer as they age in the bottle as well

are you sure that those commercial beers you are drinking are months old? they are likely much fresher than that since they are regular beers from big craft breweries

I've sampled beers on the bottling line at my friends brewery, and I have to say, it was best then.

Dallas water is probably a culprit in some fashion. I live in Dallas and I brew with Ozarka spring water. Are you filtering at all? The water out of my taps tastes like dirt and has all kinds of stuff in it at all the wrong levels.

Fading hop aroma will happen even with the best water/process but especially if the bitterness or flavor is muted- the water profile can do that.

I've been brewing with Richardson water with campden tablets to take the chlorine out. When I made my latest brew (pilsner) I used about 80% distilled water. I would use spring water, but that will add 5-10 dollars to my costs. I'm considering trying glacier water which is only a couple dollars, but I would probably have to add some minerals since I think the glacier kiosks are basically RO water.

Most big IPA breweries are making extensive use of whirlpool hopping to really drive the flavor and aroma profile up. If you have the equipment, you can try that. If not, the easy fix is to add more dry hops or do multiple dry hop additions.

And then...... drink them young. Modern IPA's aren't supposed to sit around for months. I know, I know..... it's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

What hops to use? Centennial and Cascade and sometimes Northern Brewer are my standby for APAs. My strategy of just using more of those isn't giving me either a smooth bitter or a fruity aroma. Should I use different hops for bittering? For dry hopping?

Magnum is about as smooth a bittering hop as you can get. So smooth, in fact, that I usually double up the size of the addition on big ipas compared with equivalent centennial or chinook

Yea, if you want a nice clean bittering try magnum. Centennial and Cascade are common IPA hops, I don't know if northern brewer will give you the kind of fruity you're looking for. I'd try an even split between Cascade, Amarillo, and something like Citra or Simcoe or any of those newer hops that give off more of the tropical fruit type notes.

I did an IIPA with Magnum to bitter, and a blend of Citra and Simcoe for all the late hopping and dry hops. It came out really fruity, but with some stank on it from the simcoe. I reallly recommend the combo of Citra and Simcoe if thats the flavor profile you're after.