secretlevel
Well-Known Member
After years of lurking here, I am finally posting after being tormented by my attempts at this recipe. I have brewed this recipe twice now and each time I find that I end up with a beer that is a hop bomb, possibly citra, but not in a good way. It is very green and never really conditions to a proper level even after 2 months of refrigerated bottle conditioning.
My setup/process is fairly simple compared to many here and some steps just won't work for me such as cold crashing or controlled ferm temps as I don't have the room for the equipment. I do BIAB, my "whirlpool" is done with a paddle and hop spider which then goes into a Spiedel fermenter. That stays in my basement which is around 62-64 these days. Dry hopping is done with loose hop pellets at 48 hours after pitching and bottled on day 12. I bottle, not keg but I have had good results with no/low oxidation simply by priming direct to the bottle and leaving no headspace.
Curious I don't think I am confusing vegetal/grassy off flavors with what I am experiencing, but perhaps I am? Or maybe the recipe is over hopped? One thing is for sure, what I brewed has a long way to go before it is even close to the Treehouse IPA's in my beer fridge.
It sounds like you have a good process despite the lack of equipment. The original recipe in this thread is slightly outdated, most of the folks in this thread throw their hops in during the last couple of points or post-fermentation. This yields some seriously good results. I'd try that next time, maybe 1.5-2oz/gal.
Hopping mid-fermentation can lead to some grassy flavors and some serious hop burn.
Citra should be fine if it's from YVH/Yakima Chief. I'd also try to warm up your fermenter to 68-72F after the initial 24 hours, that should help your yeast.