Aging affects on IPAs

[bhughes]

I only brew IPAs because they are my favorite. Currently, I have two batches in their 2nd week in the primary. I plan on giving them 1 more week, then transfering them both to kegs. Since I will only be drinking one at a time, I will proceed to dryhop one of the kegs now by adding a couple ounces of hops into the keg and letting it sit for about 2 weeks. I will wait on dryhopping the other one until I'm about half way through the first keg, this way I won't lose any of the dryhoped flavor by dryhopping it too early.

I say this b/c I know homebrewed beer has a very long shelflife since it's unfiltered, but the few times I've saved a bottle or two of my IPAs for more than a few months, they still had the bitterness from the hops but all of the aroma and flavor had deminished.

Does this logic seem correct about IPAs and hop flavors in general? I know I saw on that Brew Masters show with Dogfishhead brewery, they were doing some taste tests on their 120 minute IPAs from all the way back to 2006, and they didn't mention anything about it not having the hop aromas. They were saying the 2006 tasted the best.

 

[smizak]

My hoppy beers last about two months. It's just the nature of the beast. DFH 120 min. is a whole other animal, that things about 20%ABV with an ungodly amount of hops. A standard IPA or APA should be drank fresh. If you've ever seen a Pliny the Elder bottle, it's covered with warnings telling you to drink this beer now and don't age it.

 

[Chipman]

I've experience that with IPAs from months ago, they're still bitter and all that but the hop flavor and aroma has diminished significantly. Sound slike a good plan with your dryhopping staggering.

 

[bknifefight]

Every beer is different but you have the basic idea behind it. Hop flavor and aroma fade big time. From each batch of beer I brew I set aside a bottle or two to try after 1 year. So far my IPA was the most changed after a year in the bottle.