jwbeard
Well-Known Member
I'm brewing an IPA in a few weeks for my wedding, and the schedule calls for Belma and Cascade hops (to about 65IBU). I've brewed it twice before, with the second batch currently conditioning (it finished bubbling on Sunday).
With the first batch, there was a pretty strong diacetyl smell and some slickness in the mouthfeel, or something similar. I thought something had gone awry in fermentation. After maturing just a little bit, the smell calmed down - I served it at a house party and the last few pints I got to enjoy myself were amazing.
Fast forward to batch 2: same off flavor and smell. I pitched a little hot by accident, but used 2 satchels for 4.5 gallons.
If anyone has experience with Belma, is it just not good for use as an aroma hop? Could the improvement in smell be from degradation of the aroma hops, or am I having a diacetyl issue? Just trying to figure if I should redo the recipe to use only cascade in the last 20 min...
Thanks!
With the first batch, there was a pretty strong diacetyl smell and some slickness in the mouthfeel, or something similar. I thought something had gone awry in fermentation. After maturing just a little bit, the smell calmed down - I served it at a house party and the last few pints I got to enjoy myself were amazing.
Fast forward to batch 2: same off flavor and smell. I pitched a little hot by accident, but used 2 satchels for 4.5 gallons.
If anyone has experience with Belma, is it just not good for use as an aroma hop? Could the improvement in smell be from degradation of the aroma hops, or am I having a diacetyl issue? Just trying to figure if I should redo the recipe to use only cascade in the last 20 min...
Thanks!