Please explain what I am doing wrong!

[uphillbrewer]

Ok, so I have been all grain brewing for about a year now. Most of the time I have great results and wind up happy. EXCEPT when it comes to ipas. They always seem to have a sweet taste ( faint) that fades to bitterness. It's not unpleasant, but by the numbers it shouldn't be there. Here's what is did:

6 gallons

14 lbs 2 row.
1 lb crystal 20
.5lb crystal 60
.5 lb dextrose

80 min 2 oz magnum
15 min 1.25 oz centennial
1 min 1 oz centennial
2 oz leaf whirlpool.

Mashed at 149 for 60 min

Fermented starting at 64-68 with a d- rest
Used wlp007 with correct starter

Fg was 1.010

What's the matter?

 

[Yooper]

Well, that's too much crystal as far as the recipe is concerned. Some of my favorite IPA recipes have no crystal at all, and you could try that to see if you like it better. Use some victory malt or amber malt for character malt, in about .5 pound per 5 gallon batch for victory malt, or .33 pound for amber malt (Thomas Fawcett is the best for amber malt).

The other part of the recipe is water. What is your water like? You may want to add some gypsum (calcium sulfate) if your water is low in sulfate.

 

[Pappers_]

What she said ^^^^


You could also sub Munich for the crystal/caramel.

 

[uphillbrewer]

It could be too much crystal. That was my first thought as well. I have been using RO water with a bit of gypsum and calcium added. I am brewing another batch this weekend and I am going to knock the crystal down to 0.75 lb crystal 20. Does anyone else use dextrose to dry out beer?

 

[Yooper]

Does anyone else use dextrose to dry out beer?

Sure, lots of people use simple sugar in a beer that should have a dry finish and light body, like in IPAs, IIPAs, and Belgian tripels.

 

[chuckster66]

I'm a big IPA fan, so far it's all I've brewed, and although I'm still learning, I also think you're using too much crystal, but only because you're not using anything else. Maybe try using just the one pound of the crystal 20, but add in another pound of caramel 60 or 75, and I stumbled upon a grain called Golden Promise that is perfect to round out the grain flavor, I add 1 1/4 lbs. If that grain can't be gotten, Vienna is a good substitute. IPA's have a complexity that starts with the grain and ends with the hops. Play with more grains. Also try adding some citra or simcoe to the hop drop in the last 15 and 5 minutes of boil.

 

[brettg20]

I'm a big IPA fan, so far it's all I've brewed, and although I'm still learning, I also think you're using too much crystal, but only because you're not using anything else. Maybe try using just the one pound of the crystal 20, but add in another pound of caramel 60 or 75, and I stumbled upon a grain called Golden Promise that is perfect to round out the grain flavor, I add 1 1/4 lbs. If that grain can't be gotten, Vienna is a good substitute. IPA's have a complexity that starts with the grain and ends with the hops. Play with more grains. Also try adding some citra or simcoe to the hop drop in the last 15 and 5 minutes of boil.

Don't add in a pound of 60 or 75, that will only add to the sweetness and make it really dark. Use Vienna or more 2 row, the hop profile is what you are going to want to taste upfront IMO.

 

[uphillbrewer]

Don't add in a pound of 60 or 75, that will only add to the sweetness and make it really dark. Use Vienna or more 2 row, the hop profile is what you are going to want to taste upfront IMO.

I agree. I think that's what may have caused this in the first place. The hops were great, but the upfront sweet was too much. I wanted a dry, hop forward beer with just a hint of sweetness. I considered possibly switching to a British base malt and doing away with any crystal. It's an idea. I am pumped for a redemption re-brew to see if it works!