Why does my IPA taste like chocolate?

Been in the keg four days. Fermented in the low 70's for 2 weeks. 8 days in secondary with 2 oz fuggles.
My first batch of this was perfect and the only difference was crystal 10 in that one and crystal 20 in this one.
Should that give it a strong chocolate taste? I REALLY hope this flavor fades soon.



Size: 5.5 gal
Efficiency: 80%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 204.16 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.061 (1.056 - 1.075)
Terminal Gravity: 1.015 (1.010 - 1.018)
Color: 10.81 (6.0 - 15.0)
Alcohol: 6.03% (5.5% - 7.5%)
Bitterness: 56.4 (40.0 - 70.0)

Ingredients:
.5 oz Chinook (11.4%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
.5 oz Simcoe (11.9%) - added during boil, boiled 40.0 min
.25 oz Simcoe (11.9%) - added during boil, boiled 30.0 min
.5 oz Cascade (6.3%) - added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
.5 oz Cascade (6.3%) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
.5 oz Amarillo (8.5%) - added during boil, boiled 5.0 min
.25 oz Simcoe (11.9%) - added during boil, boiled 0.0 min
10.0 lb 2-Row Brewers Malt
1 lb Amber
1 lb Crystal Malt 20°L (store was out of crystal 10)
1.0 tsp Irish Moss - added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
2.0 oz Fuggle (4.8%) - added dry to secondary fermenter
1.0 ea WYeast 1187 Ringwood Ale

1 lb Amber malt? whats that?

Lando said:

Been in the keg four days. Fermented in the low 70's for 2 weeks. 8 days in secondary with 2 oz fuggles.
My first batch of this was perfect and the only difference was crystal 10 in that one and crystal 20 in this one.
Should that give it a strong chocolate taste? I REALLY hope this flavor fades soon.

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Fermenting in the low to mid 70's for this style can sometimes produce odd flavors. Esters and fusel alchohols can combine to make some really interesting flavors. Not always what you like in an IPA.

I had similar issues before really getting a handle on fermentation temps. For this style you likely want most of the fermentation to happen in the high 60's. A few degrees makes a huge difference for me.

Jamil has a great podcast on fermentation and temp issues. Was a great help to me.

The amber malt was pretty much because I had it to use.
Could the Ringgood Ale yeast have anything to do with it at that temp?

What was previously in the keg?

Awhile back my roommate made and legged some rootbeer that forever ingrained itself in the keg lines. The porter that we kegged after that had a strong rootbeer aroma and a distinct rootbeer flavor.

Did you have something with a significant amount of chocolate or chocolate malt in the keg before?

Ringwood is going to give you a buttery taste, especially at those temps. Is that what it tastes like?

My guess it's the pound of Amber malt & the pound of C20.

Amber malt is VERY chocolaty.

Amber malt and likely the diacetyl from the ringwood- best guess.

I was thinking it was the amber too, but I did a batch before this with it and it had no hint of this taste. It was a diffferent brand, so that could have done it I guess.
No buttery taste and the keg has had nothing out of the ordinary. It had the same IPA in it previously and was cleaned prior to racking. The new IPA had this taste in secondary so I know it's not the keg.

Tonedef131 said:

Amber malt is VERY chocolaty.

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I don't think amber malt is really chocolately, but it's strong that's for sure. I only 6 ounces in my DFH clone, and even with all those hops I think you can taste it. That's alot of amber malt for a relatively low OG IPA. It may mellow. The temp was kinda high, too, for ringwood ale yeast which might bring out some odd flavors.