I know there are a few threads on this already, but I just can't wrap my head around this one for my particular situation. I recently did a 10 gallon IPA batch. The best tasting IPA I've ever brewed (single hop simcoe IPA). I split it into 2 5 gallon carboys and fermented one with WLP002 (english ale) and the other with WLP051 (cali ale V). They finished at 1.013 and 1.015 respectively and taste pretty damn amazing. Simcoe might be my favorite hop!
-pitched a 1L starter of each at 59-60F
- fermentation peaked at 62F
- fermented for 1.5-2 weeks
Now, I've just finished dry hopping the english ale one because it reached FG quicker. I used 2oz simcoe and dry hopped for 3.5 days. I tried it after I kegged it, and tried it again when I got home. Obviously it's not carbed yet, but there is a distinct vegetal/plant like taste. The awesome IPA that it was pre-dry hopping is no more. I'm pretty bummed and not sure what went wrong...if anything? But it definitely doesn't taste the same, and not in a good way. It's not terrible, but it's no longer amazing and the vegetal taste is quite noticeable. The aroma isn't as bad, but still somewhat vegetal.
I didn't dry hop for nearly as long as most people recommend (7 days).
Here's what I did:
- racked to secondary on top of 2oz simcoe
- left it in my garage which is about 58-59F. It sat on the cold ground cement floor of the garage.
- I swirled it very gently after the first day of dry hopping just to get the hop debris on the surface to drop.
- after 3.5 days, kegged and started carbing in my fridge at around 45-46F.
I've dry hopped before and I feel like I've had this issue but can't remember what happened. Other times I've dry hopped I haven't had this issue at all.
So many questions...
Will this weird vegetal taste subside in the keg eventually?
Should I take the keg out of the fridge and let it carb at higher temps?
Should I have dry hopped at higher temps?
This was seriously the best IPA I've brewed (and the other half on cali ale is in fermentor is still tasting awesome) so I'm seriously bummed that 3.5 days of normal dry hopping with 2oz caused this.
Please help! And sorry for the long rambling post - just trying to be thorough for whoever reads it
--Julian
-pitched a 1L starter of each at 59-60F
- fermentation peaked at 62F
- fermented for 1.5-2 weeks
Now, I've just finished dry hopping the english ale one because it reached FG quicker. I used 2oz simcoe and dry hopped for 3.5 days. I tried it after I kegged it, and tried it again when I got home. Obviously it's not carbed yet, but there is a distinct vegetal/plant like taste. The awesome IPA that it was pre-dry hopping is no more. I'm pretty bummed and not sure what went wrong...if anything? But it definitely doesn't taste the same, and not in a good way. It's not terrible, but it's no longer amazing and the vegetal taste is quite noticeable. The aroma isn't as bad, but still somewhat vegetal.
I didn't dry hop for nearly as long as most people recommend (7 days).
Here's what I did:
- racked to secondary on top of 2oz simcoe
- left it in my garage which is about 58-59F. It sat on the cold ground cement floor of the garage.
- I swirled it very gently after the first day of dry hopping just to get the hop debris on the surface to drop.
- after 3.5 days, kegged and started carbing in my fridge at around 45-46F.
I've dry hopped before and I feel like I've had this issue but can't remember what happened. Other times I've dry hopped I haven't had this issue at all.
So many questions...
Will this weird vegetal taste subside in the keg eventually?
Should I take the keg out of the fridge and let it carb at higher temps?
Should I have dry hopped at higher temps?
This was seriously the best IPA I've brewed (and the other half on cali ale is in fermentor is still tasting awesome) so I'm seriously bummed that 3.5 days of normal dry hopping with 2oz caused this.
Please help! And sorry for the long rambling post - just trying to be thorough for whoever reads it
--Julian