Loss of Hops Flavor

I'm obviously going to lose some hop aroma and flavor, but I feel like I'm losing it rather quickly.

I brewed an IPA two weeks ago as follows:

10.5# 2row
1lb C20

1oz Centennial @ 15
1 oz Mosaic/1 oz Cascade @ 10
1 oz Mosaic/1 oz Cascade @ 5
1 oz Mosaic at FO

1 oz each Mosaic and Centennial after 1 week DH for 4 days and then kegged it.

After I keg it its great. Huge hop bomb, blueberry, citrus, mango and really dry.

Problem is, after 2 weeks, it's dropped out pretty significantly. Still a true blue IPA, but not as in your face.

This is my first recipe I made with a 15 minute addition, so I'm guessing one of three things:

-I should add an earlier hop addition
-This kinda thing just happens with IPA
-Oxidation

Thoughts?

I've read on here that oxidation is the enemy in hoppy beers. You're kegging so you should be able to avoid most of the oxidation.

In addition to dry hopping in primary I put additional hops in the keg. Seems to keep the hoppyness going for a good amount of time.

Maybe a bit too much C20 that drowns out the hops quickly. But yes, IPA's are best at their freshest. Drink faster!

What does your racking and purge the keg process look like? I have been going through tons of c02 but my hoppy kegs last a month with good aroma/flavor.

khillian said:

What does your racking and purge the keg process look like? I have been going through tons of c02 but my hoppy kegs last a month with good aroma/flavor.

Click to expand...

Do a 100% liquid purge. You only need 5 gallons of CO2 to push out a fully Starsan-filled 5 gallon keg. Now you've got a keg with 100% CO2. Fill through the liquid out post, leaving the lid on, but open the PRV. Once transfer has completed, you can do a few headspace purges for peace of mind.

IslandLizard said:

Do a 100% liquid purge. You only need 5 gallons of CO2 to push out a fully Starsan-filled 5 gallon keg. Now you've got a keg with 100% CO2. Fill through the liquid out post, leaving the lid on, but open the PRV. Once transfer has completed, you can do a few headspace purges for peace of mind.

Click to expand...

+1

but also- dont do too many purges if not necessary, the co2 can scrub out the hop aromas.

also- im suspecting you're getting alot of your "hoppiness" character from dry hops. it tends to fade more quickly than kettle hops.

Jhu1321 said:

Maybe a bit too much C20 that drowns out the hops quickly. But yes, IPA's are best at their freshest. Drink faster!

Click to expand...

I don't think 1lb of C20 is ridiculous. If it was 40 or higher I'd question is, but C20 doesn't give you a lot of sweetness. I can really taste the water in this one, meaning it's really dry.

khillian said:

What does your racking and purge the keg process look like? I have been going through tons of c02 but my hoppy kegs last a month with good aroma/flavor.

Click to expand...

I've been doing a standard "dry" pressurize the keg and purge, transfer, then purge the headspace a few times. Am not purging my fermenter headspace before transfer, but I feel pretty safe about that.

SanPancho said:

+1

but also- dont do too many purges if not necessary, the co2 can scrub out the hop aromas.

also- im suspecting you're getting alot of your "hoppiness" character from dry hops. it tends to fade more quickly than kettle hops.

Click to expand...

I'm only dry hopping with 2 oz's, I'm fairly certain I'm getting most of my aroma from the late additions.

So, you all tend to think it's a combination of just natural hops fading and oxidation? Maybe when I do hoppy beers I'll try the liquid purge (sounds disgusting).

Thanks all.

Get a fine mesh bag and use it to put 2 more ounces of hops directly into the keg.