Holy hoppy IRA! Too hoppy...

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p4ck37p1mp

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OK, so I read putting hops in bags reduced hops utilization. Then I brewed a batch of IRA and tossed it right in with no bags. Well, my tried and true IRA recipe is now almost an IPA. I really really don't dig it. Its been in kegs for 2 weeks, in primary for 3 before that. Will this mellow out? It was made as a 20 gallon batch with 4 oz Glacier at 60 minutes, 2 oz Liberty at 15 min and 2 oz Liberty at 5 min. I'm wondering if not straining it helped it pick up a lot more hoppiness in the primary also. I like experimenting, but wow is this hoppy for an IRA. This thing I know now is I can probably use half as much hops if I don't use bags.
 
Yes, this is too much for an IRA. I'm not a hop head and don't really care for IPAs.

I'm finding I don't care for most IPA recipes due to excessive hopping. I love a good IPA, but most that I've brewed, and these are from kits, have been much hoppier than the IPAs I grew up with.
 
there is no such thing as too much hops! :rockin:

Seriously though, it will mellow out over time, a couple months of conditioning and the in your face hop aroma will fade.
 
Gnome, look for English IPA recipes. The American version of the style is usually more assertive in hop flavor and aroma, and up until the hop shortage, the trend was to cram in as much hop flavor as possible.
 
Gnome, look for English IPA recipes. The American version of the style is usually more assertive in hop flavor and aroma, and up until the hop shortage, the trend was to cram in as much hop flavor as possible.

Thanks Yuri. I realise the difference, but I was using kits while improving at the basics. Even Midwest's supposed English IPA is on the over hoppy side. I'm now doing recipes. Although still extract at the moment, I am working my way through the learning process until Fully understand what I'm doing. After that, watch out AG English IPA! Here I come! :)
 
yes there is. too much hops = waste of money. most of the overly hopped beers i've tasted are just ridiculous. i can enjoy a good IPA, but rarely when it is loaded to the max.

granted, i do prefer maltier beers in general but i think this hopping the hell out of beers is just costly and silly, especially with a hop shortage.

that being said...yes, it will mellow with time. let it age and brew something else up in the meantime. it could be a very good brew if you can stand to let it sit.

one question, tho...what is an IRA?
 
:drunk:

of course it is...I knew that :eek:

Thinking about the original OP...your calculations should determine your IBUs regardless of whether you use a bag or not. You may end up SHORT on hop utilization if you have a small bag that doesn't allow the hops to flow freely in the wort, but as long as you use a large enough bag, the loss should be minimal.

Doing a partial boil and using too small a bag will affect it, and if this is the case I would rework your process so you can save money on hops in the future.
 
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