No hop flavor in IPA?

Does it seem reasonable that I wouldn't get a pretty decent hops kick out of this recipe? The beer was only brewed on Sept 12, so still very young and green tasting, but I was expecting some hops. I got very little!

This is kegged and I've bottled in the past, so never tasted a beer this young with carbonation. Is it normal for hops assertiveness to increase with a little age? I hope so, but it doesn't seem right.

Type: All Grain
Date: 9/12/2008
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer: Almaden Valley Brewery
Boil Size: 7.00 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (7.5 gal) and Cooler (50 qt)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 62.40
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
11 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 78.57 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 10.71 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 7.14 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3.57 %
1.00 oz Chinook [11.90 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 43.5 IBU
0.50 oz Centennial [9.10 %] (25 min) Hops 10.5 IBU
0.50 oz Centennial [8.80 %] (20 min) Hops 8.9 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [7.00 %] (15 min) Hops 5.8 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [7.00 %] (10 min) Hops 4.2 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [7.00 %] (5 min) Hops 2.3 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [7.00 %] (1 min) Hops 0.5 IBU
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
4.00 tsp Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Safale (Fermentis #US-56) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.063 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.063 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.015 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.86 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.27 %
Bitterness: 75.6 IBU Calories: 283 cal/pint
Est Color: 7.1 SRM Color: Color

Hmmm...that is very odd. I've hopped beers very similarly to yours and gotten ample hop character. I wouldn't expect the hop character to increase with age, usually does the opposite.

It's way too early to judge. Give it another 3-4 weeks.

I got nothing. That hop bill looks like nothin' but DELICIOUS. You sure you didn't carb the wrong keg, or something????? You haven't had a bad allergy week, or a cold, or something, right?

That's really, really weird. How long has it been carbing on gas?

Man. That's a really strange issue. Sorry your hops aren't cooperating!

I have had what should be hoppy pale ales come out tasting somewhat flat in the hop flavor department. I find that if you dry hop with 0.5-1.0oz of hops it will really open the flavor and aroma right up.

Maybe its the dry hops, maybe its the extra aging. Either way, it has worked for me.

I hate to boast, but I just made an IPA with a similar hopping schedule and the only differences being a first wort addition at 90 min. and all Amarillo hops. The hop aroma is a little more subtle then I like but the hop flavor is ridiculously good.

Beerrific - the Raiders are going to kick the Aints' A$$

And I do not like using Gypsum in IPA's. I feel it gives my IPA's a minerally harsh bitterness.

Beerrific has a good point, dry hopping gives you a good hop aroma which as we all know increases our taste perceptions. It's much like having a cold and not being able to taste very well, getting that wiff of hops in the nose really helps you perceive that taste of the hops in the beer. That being said it looks like you have a good amount of late additions so you should still have a hoppy beer on your hands.

King of Cascade said:

And I do not like using Gypsum in IPA's. I feel it gives my IPA's a minerally harsh bitterness.

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I OTOH found that gypsum was the key to really getting my IPAs to pop...it's got everything to do with your brewing water that you're starting with.

I have had this problem too, I hope you find the answer. I did the dfh 60 clone twice. The first time it was awesome, the second batch had very little hop taste and lots of caramel taste to me. On the second batch I used a hop stopper with the paint strainer bag. When I pulled it out the hops and wort in the bag drained very slowly. I'm wondering if it stops the hops from getting used completely. I am going back to brewing without it the next time. I also did a plae ale with very little hop flavor and I used the paint strainer on that one too.

How cold are drinking the beer at? If it's in the thirties you will start losing all flavor, and hop character. I dryhopped my last beer, at until it warmed up, absolutely no aroma.

brewt00l said:

I OTOH found that gypsum was the key to really getting my IPAs to pop...it's got everything to do with your brewing water that you're starting with.

Click to expand...

True... It has to do with your own water.

I have found that with my water if I want to add Ca (Calcium) to bring out the hop flavor I use chalk because gypsum adds Ca along with SO4 (sulfate). I feel the SO4 reacts with the hops giving that unwanted harshness. Just trying to throw out possible solutions for BrewBrain's IPA problem. I know plenty of people who make wonderful IPA's using gypsum but this works for me and maybe BrewBrain too.

Well, I'm only three weeks out of the kettle, so maybe things will improve. I just expected 75 IBUs of hops to be overly harsh if anything at this point.

I used almost this same hops bill, just a little lighter, on my last IPA and it was a little light on flavor then, but the grain bill had a lot more crystal, so I chalked it up to the malty sweetness masking the hops some. But, like I said, I've never tasted carbonated beer this young since I've always bottled before.

I have my keezer set at 42 and it had warmed up a bit from there, so probably was drinking around 45* or so. I see it says 4 tsp - it was actually only 1.

I didn't dry hop, but I think I have some amarillo around I could toss in the keg.

Oh, on the gypsum, I've used it on every hoppy beer (pales and IPA's) with no harshness issues. I guess I have the water for it. I see it says 4 tsp - it was actually only 1.

1tsp of Gypsum you are fine.

Hmm. You can always send me some to try.

Always let late hops sit for a while before chilling after the boil. A half hour gives the hops a chance to saturate the wort. I then chill as fast as I can to lock in the flavor and aroma. I ferment at 65F and always dry hop an IPA 2 weeks at 70F. It does well at this temperature.

Put them amarillies in that there keg.

IPAs are almost always dry hopped, and you would be surprised at the hop character added by them. Not only aroma, but plenty pf flavor, and even the perception of more bitterness. IBUs don't corrospond directly to hoppiness, just the perception of hoppiness by cutting the sweetness of the malt. It'sa the flavor and aroma, specifically the dry hopping, that really gives that IPA huge hoppiness.