IPA recipe troubleshooting? Old hops to blame?

[Pintabone]

So I recently brewed what I was hoping to be a traditional American IPA. I had previously brewed a Rye IPA with a similar recipe and hop schedule that I thought came out well and received a respectable score in a competition of a 34. The comments for this American IPA (same as rye but substituting pilsner for the rye) in both competition and at a Homebrew club meeting were that it seemed old and oxidized.

Now I did buy these hops in bulk probably mid 2017 but kept them vacuum sealed in my freezer. Our refrigerator did die during their storage so they did thaw more to a refrigeration temp as I put them in my keezer but not more than 2 days.

My question is could the age of the hops be to blame for not getting enough aroma and hop character out of a 9+oz hopped 6 gallon IPA? Or do I really need to add that much more hops to achieve a good IPA?

Recipe is as follows:

6 gallon batch
Mash @ 150
Boil 60 minutes

7lb Maris Otter
2.5lb Pilsner
14oz Crystal 60
12oz Vienna
12oz Flaked wheat
.75oz Mag @ 60
2oz Mosaic @ flameout
1oz Citra @ flameout
1oz El Dorado @flameout
2oz mosaic dry hop
1oz citra dry hop
1.5oz el dorado dry hop
Wyeast 1272

 

[thehaze]

I think I've read that Wyeast 1272/BRY-97 tend to mute the hops a bit. Also, you dry hopped 6 gallons with only 4.5 oz hops. I use the same amount for low ABV Pale ales, where I do not want a punchy nose. Everything else gets between 6 and 12 oz hops in the dry hopping.

Personally, I like lots of late additions in hoppy beers. I stopped bittering at 60 minutes, and I start adding hops in the last 20-25 minutes, every 3-5 minutes and do a big Whirlpool. For me, late additions seem to round up the hop flavour and add depth to the taste.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I've used 2 year old freezer hops..I doubt the hops are the problem.

On a side note how do you like the El Dorado hops. I have a pound and trying to figure out what to do with them.

 

[beerlover77]

Not enough late hops and a little to malty for the grain bill IMO.
You could probably even add another 1-2 oz of dry hops.

As an example my IPA (5.25g batch) usually has around 6 oz of later additions in the boil and 4oz dry hop. The grain bill will be mostly pils malt with maybe #1 vienna and 8oz crystal and a very nuetral yeast.

What are your water additions and are you carefull not to oxidize the beer throughout the process of fermentation and packaging?

 

[Pintabone]

Thanks for the responses. I’ve also wondered if the hopping schedule was light but the judging comments included questions of the age.

Water profile for this was about 160 sulfate. I think chloride around 50.

As far as oxygen this was the first beer that I cold crashed and transferred both under CO2 pressure. From brew bucket attached to CO2 to a CO2 purged keg through the liquid out post so I can’t imagine it was that.