DFH 60 Minute Help

[boltsfan]

I posted this in the DFH 60 Minute thread but thought I might get more of a response in this forum.

Used Yoopers extract recipe. Slightly modified due to some specific ingredients not available at local HBS.

Primary (70-74*) – 2 weeks
Dry hop primary (70-75*) – 1 week
Carb at room temp (72-76*) – 2 weeks
Frig for 5 days before first taste test

Have tested 2 beers from the 5 gallon batch a few days apart. Both had some profiles.

I used Irish moss but the beer is still “hazy”. What else could I have done to fix this? Maybe dry hop in secondary? Not a huge deal but would prefer IPAs to have more clarity.

Since I could not get the same hops (Simcoe) as the recipe calls for, obviously the profile is not the same as the DFH 60 IPA. I substituted Summit hops per staff recommendation at local HBS. It is a more bitter of an IPA then I usually care for, so will this mellow at all over time?

It is carbed ok (used 3/4 cup corn sugar with 1 cup water) but could be a little more carbed (my preference). Not sure it would help to take all out of the frig, shake and set at room temp for a few more days. I figured 2 weeks would be plenty. Any thoughts?

Head retention is lacking so not sure if my dishwasher left behind some nasties. We do not use Jet Dry but there is always a little bit of crusty detergent left in the dishwasher. Prior beer at great head retention though…

Any help is appreciated

 

[cuttsjp]

Haze is a hard thing to combat in a homebrewed IPA, simply because of the large volume of hops. They tend to add the haze to the beer, so even when it's filtered it will often still look hazy.

Bitterness as a general rule does indeed mellow out over time. The problem is that the fresh hop flavor and aroma fades as well. I would keep this in mind when you do your next IPA recipe and scale back the bitterness a bit.

As for carbonation, how long has it been in the bottle? Sometimes things carb slowly. You may discover in a few days that they are more sufficiently carbonated. Honestly, if you are mostly satisfied with the carbonation, I wouldn't mess with it, but if you really want to up it a little bit I would do your method of rousing the yeast a bit, but only with a few bottles to see how it goes. Some people will also just sprinkle in a very small amount of dry yeast if their bottles end up uncarbonated or undercarbonated.

No idea what's up with the head retention. May have something to do with the slightly low carbonation? Beers that are very hoppy are known for having excellent head retention most of the time. The hops actually aid in head retention.

 

[boltsfan]

Tasted a few of the 22oz bombers and all seem a tad too sweet on the finish. Read a few others posts where guys had the same issue. It was an extract and my boil was approx. 2.5g. All went ok on brew day and I followed everything exactly as I normally do.

Hop profile is ok.

It is carbed ok.

Head retention is ok but could be better.

I think the issue is my ferment temps and getting the fruity esters. I had a similar prob with an American Wheat last Summer. Seems beers I brew in Fall\Winter come out much better due to cooler temps.

 

[blackbear219]

I think the issue is my ferment temps and getting the fruity esters. I had a similar prob with an American Wheat last Summer. Seems beers I brew in Fall\Winter come out much better due to cooler temps.

You're probably on to something there. Next time you brew it, try it in the low-mid 60s instead of the low-mid 70s. I bet it would come out much better.

 

[boltsfan]

How do I keep in low\mid 60s in the Summer?

Is a dedicated frig the only option?

On the DFH 60 I placed carboy in a plastic keg bucket and filled halfway with water and rotated frozen water bottles twice a day and could barely keep it at 72*.

 

[boltsfan]

bump

 

[dave1226]

I do the swamp cooler method too. I don't seem to have a problem with keeping the temps down in the 60's. Try putting a wet towel over the carboy leaving only the bubbler visible. That should hold the cold in longer so that you don't have to use as much ice.