Results of first comp - IPA needs some work

[CanAusBrewer]

Hi guys,

I just came out of a home brew competition and I am feeling a little less confident about my ability to make a good IPA.

33/50 was my total total score.

Tasting points were:

-"Great looking beer"
-"Would like more hop aroma"
-"Too much crystal malt"
-"Hop astringency"
-"Possibly look at hop selection + timing"

So I need to go back to the drawing board and rethink my IPA to improve it to the point where I can feel better serving it to the public again.

This was the recipe I entered:

Two Hemispheres - American IPA

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 22.5
Total Grain (kg): 6.400
Total Hops (g): 275.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.073 (°P): 17.7
Final Gravity (FG): 1.018 (°P): 4.6
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 7.17 %
Colour (SRM): 9.4 (EBC): 18.5
Bitterness (IBU): 95.6 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 70
Boil Time (Minutes): 90

Grain Bill
----------------
3.000 kg Liquid Malt Extract - Light (46.88%)
2.000 kg American 2-Row (31.25%)
0.600 kg Carapils (Dextrine) (9.38%)
0.400 kg Crystal 20 (6.25%)
0.225 kg Munich I (3.52%)
0.175 kg Crystal 60 (2.73%)

Hop Bill
----------------
15.0 g Galaxy Pellet (13.4% Alpha) @ 90 Minutes (Boil) (0.7 g/L)
10.0 g Simcoe Pellet (13% Alpha) @ 90 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)
6.5 g Galaxy Pellet (13.4% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (0.3 g/L)
6.0 g Simcoe Pellet (13% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (0.3 g/L)
6.5 g Galaxy Pellet (13.4% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil) (0.3 g/L)
6.0 g Simcoe Pellet (13% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil) (0.3 g/L)
18.5 g Galaxy Pellet (13.4% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (0.8 g/L)
15.5 g Motueka Pellet (6.9% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (0.7 g/L)
19.0 g Simcoe Pellet (13% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (0.8 g/L)
12.0 g Cascade Pellet (5.4% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (0.5 g/L)
17.0 g Motueka Pellet (6.9% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (0.8 g/L)
10.0 g Cascade Pellet (5.4% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)
13.0 g Galaxy Pellet (13.4% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil) (0.6 g/L)
19.0 g Simcoe Pellet (13% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil) (0.8 g/L)
40.5 g Galaxy Pellet (13.4% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop) (1.8 g/L)
60.5 g Motueka Pellet (6.9% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop) (2.7 g/L)

Single step Infusion at 67°C for 60 Minutes.
Fermented at 20°C with Safale US-05


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

In retrospect I think I overdid it on the combo of Carapils, Crystal 20 and Crystal 60, which accounted for 9.4% of the fermentables. I know now that I need to dial that back.

This beer finished quite high FG as well (1.016) and was definitely over sweet. And indeed I agree it could use more hop aroma.

So I am planning to brew an IPA that mimics an IPA recently released by the judges of the homebrew competition, a dry, very hoppy, very pale coloured Mosaic IPA.

Proposed recipe:

Mosaic IPA
American IPA

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 19.0
Total Grain (kg): 4.750
Total Hops (g): 200.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.065 (°P): 15.9
Final Gravity (FG): 1.014 (°P): 3.6
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.65 %
Colour (SRM): 5.9 (EBC): 11.6
Bitterness (IBU): 61.8 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 70
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
2.000 kg American 2-Row (42.11%)
1.500 kg Liquid Malt Extract - Light (31.58%)
0.650 kg Vienna (13.68%)
0.400 kg Cane Sugar (8.42%)
0.200 kg Crystal 20 (4.21%)

Hop Bill
----------------
15.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (First Wort) (0.8 g/L)
20.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (1.1 g/L)
25.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (1.3 g/L)
30.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil) (1.6 g/L)
45.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil) (2.4 g/L)
65.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 7 Days (Dry Hop) (3.4 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------

Single step Infusion at 64°C for 90 Minutes.
Fermented at 18°C with Safale US-05


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

Please let me know what you think, given what I am trying to improve upon and the product I am attempting to recreate. Given my small BIAB setup, I am only able to brew IPAs by adding a can of extract post boil, with a 14 L boil and a 19 L batch size.

 

[BigFloyd]

Don't be discouraged. Based on the score of 33, you made a "good" extract IPA. That's not bad for your first entry, especially into a very tough category that has lots of entries. That beer should be plenty good to share with your friends.

Use the comments to help guide you in the future. It looks like you already see the issue with too much crystal in the grain bill.

Also, look at and refine your processes. Are you controlling pitch and ferment temps well for the strain of yeast being used? A few degrees can make quite a bit of difference. Did you dry hop? With what and for how long?

How long was it between brew date and the comp? You'll want to time it so that there's still a good, fresh hop flavor/aroma present.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Keep in mind that, unlike school grades, a score of 25 (50%) is truly "average". So a score of 33 is very respectable. Nothing to get depressed about. Also, competition judging is based on meeting the style guidelines. IPA is a very competitive category so they are going to be very specific about meeting those guidelines. Some of my favorite brews have been "outside" of their style guidelines. The ultimate test is how do you and your family and friends like it.

You also don't mention what hops you used. The same grain bill with different hops and different hopping schedule (late addition, hop stand, dry hop) may give you considerably different results. All that said, your Mosaic recipe looks fine. For more flavor/aroma, I would up your 0 min addition by half and make it a 30 min hop stand at 79C.

I understand the competitive urge but be sure you're brewing what you like, too. But now you've got me thinking about getting into a competition again Cheers!

 

[CanAusBrewer]

Also, look at and refine your processes. Are you controlling pitch and ferment temps well for the strain of yeast being used? A few degrees can make quite a bit of difference. Did you dry hop? With what and for how long?

How long was it between brew date and the comp? You'll want to time it so that there's still a good, fresh hop flavor/aroma present.

Thanks for the encouragement. I have updated my original post to include the full original recipe. I think the flavour might have been a bit muddled, with that combination of three hops (the Cascade was just used to supplement because I ran out of all the other hops).

Yeast: I pitched a packet of US-05 which I had thrown into a DME starter 2 days prior (which i know now to be a bad idea for dry yeast and should just rehydrate and pitch) and also chucked in a couple jars of washed US-05 from the fridge that were collected from a pale ale brewed 2-months prior.

Temp control: It is the Aussie summer here and I attempt to control temp as much as possible, but I have a small apartment and am curently using a 65 L tub to hold my fermenter. The tub is filled with water to the level of the wort and I rotate four ice bottles from the freezer before and after work. If I'm being honest, this likely causes daily temp fluctuations from 17-21 C. Although near the end of the ferment I didn't worry about temp control and let it get up to 25-26ish to clean up.

Dry hop is described in my new recipe. I always dry hop but I think I need to go bagless to start getting more aroma out of every last bit of hops. Dry hop was for six days, pulled out two days prior to bottling.

Beer was brewed in primary for 2.5 weeks, then bottled six weeks before competition.

So that is is for the competition beer. Anything you see in my process that you think could be improved with minimum $$$ spent on my part would be very helpful. Please bear in mind though that I have a small flat and a modest budget for this. I am only able to brew on the stove and hence the smaller kettle.

For the new beer I am proposing, would I be crazy to dump the Crystal entirely? I have heard that canned extract contains some Crystal already. I just want to make sure it doesn't get TOO dry, although I am not really sure what that would taste like.

 

[Queequeg]

I definitely agree you that you have too much crystal. The hop aroma might be diminished because the grain bill is quite malty.

See if you can get extra light DME to sub for the LME. I would also lower the crystal further still, perhaps to 3% or omit it altogether.

Another option other than using sugar is to use a malt that has a drying effect, though it won't actually dry the beer is will appear to taste drier. Biscuit or Rye can be used for that. Rye is excellent at promoting hop flavour too. Yooper has a IPA with 3% biscuit and my current IPA uses 6.5% Rye and no crystal.

If you do use sugar I would add it (boiled in some water) once the main fermentation is mostly complete, say day 3 or 4. This in theory is better for yeast health.

Another thing you can do to promote hop aroma is a hop stand. Before adding your 0 min additions, cool the wort to between 71-77C add the hops and partially cover the brew kettle. Reapply heat as necessary to keep it in this zone. Leave it from anywhere from 30mins to 90mins.

Also you can easily double the hops for the dry hop will no ill affect and reduce the time too 3 days.

 

[CanAusBrewer]

Another option other than using sugar is to use a malt that has a drying effect, though it won't actually dry the beer is will appear to taste drier. Biscuit or Rye can be used for that. Rye is excellent at promoting hop flavour too. Yooper has a IPA with 3% biscuit and my current IPA uses 6.5% Rye and no crystal.

If you do use sugar I would add it (boiled in some water) once the main fermentation is mostly complete, say day 3 or 4. This in theory is better for yeast health.

Another thing you can do to promote hop aroma is a hop stand. Before adding your 0 min additions, cool the wort to between 71-77C add the hops and partially cover the brew kettle. Reapply heat as necessary to keep it in this zone. Leave it from anywhere from 30mins to 90mins.

Also you can easily double the hops for the dry hop will no ill affect and reduce the time too 3 days.

Thanks for the advice. I do really like a rye IPA, or as I like to call it a ryePA.

I have altered the recipe to contain approx. 6.5% rye and changed to light DME rather than LME. I have omitted Crystal completely and matched IBUs perfectly with ABV for 1:1 ratio.

I plan to, as I usually do, add Irish moss (1 tsp) at 10 min left in the boil.

I have increased the 0 min addition and will be adding it as a whirlpool addition for 30 min hop stand. Hops added to kettle once wort has been cooled to 80 deg C and held at that temp for 30 min.

I used a 20 min hop stand with my competition IPA. My concern with a hopstand and perhaps why I worry there might have been some hop astringency described by judges, is that all of your late addition hops are still sitting in hot water while you are doing a hopstand. Unless the wort is chilled rapidly, won't those late additions continue to add bitterness to the wort until the beer ends up overbittered?

Then rapidly cool in ice bath to 20 deg C, strain through muslin into fermenter. Take a hydrometer sample and based on current OG, calculate the amount of cold tap water to add to reach desired OG as per the recipe.

Pitch one packet of US-05 which has been rehydrated in 20 deg C water 30 min prior.

Ferment at 18 deg C (or as close at possible). After one week add dry hops directly to primary without any hop bag. After one week of dry hop, bottle beer by priming with a table sugar solution to 2.5 vols CO2.

Allow minimum three weeks for bottles to prime at room temperature.

Mosaic IPA
American IPA

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 19.0
Total Grain (kg): 4.650
Total Hops (g): 290.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.065 (°P): 15.9
Final Gravity (FG): 1.016 (°P): 4.1
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.39 %
Colour (SRM): 6.2 (EBC): 12.2
Bitterness (IBU): 61.8 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 70
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
2.200 kg American 2-Row (47.31%)
1.500 kg Dry Malt Extract - Light (32.26%)
0.650 kg Vienna (13.98%)
0.300 kg Rye Malt (6.45%)

Hop Bill
----------------
15.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (First Wort) (0.8 g/L)
20.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (1.1 g/L)
25.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (1.3 g/L)
30.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil) (1.6 g/L)
70.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (30 min Whirlpool addition) (3.7 g/L)
130.0 g Mosaic Pellet (12.5% Alpha) @ 7 Days (Dry Hop) (6.8 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------

Single step Infusion at 64°C for 90 Minutes.
Fermented at 18°C with Safale US-05


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

 

[Subdivisions]

In retrospect I think I overdid it on the combo of Carapils, Crystal 20 and Crystal 60, which accounted for 9.4% of the fermentables

Going by your listing of grain percentages these were over 18% not 9.4%. Maybe I'm missing something there but I'm just adding numbers up. Take those 90 minute hop additions out and I'll bet you have a better score. Like Bluehouse said, 33 isn't that bad.

 

[CanAusBrewer]

Going by your listing of grain percentages these were over 18% not 9.4%. Maybe I'm missing something there but I'm just adding numbers up. Take those 90 minute hop additions out and I'll bet you have a better score. Like Bluehouse said, 33 isn't that bad.

You are totally right. I am not sure what I was thinking there. I am also not sure why I boiled for 90 min. I think this recipe was an adaptation of the Fresh Squeezed IPA, at least the grain bill and the hop schedule. Hops used are completely different. I wasnt really sure why 90 min boil and now I'm wondering if that is where some of this "hop astringency" came from.

 

[Subdivisions]

You are totally right. I am not sure what I was thinking there. I am also not sure why I boiled for 90 min. I think this recipe was an adaptation of the Fresh Squeezed IPA, at least the grain bill and the hop schedule. Hops used are completely different. I wasnt really sure why 90 min boil and now I'm wondering if that is where some of this "hop astringency" came from.

I think that may be where your hop problem is. I don't think I've ever seen a recipe with a 90 minute hop addition. Try it with less crystal and carapils and take the 90 minute addition out and see how you like it. I'll bet it's a pretty good recipe that way.

 

[Queequeg]

New grain bill looks good. If you keep the hop stand temperature below 77C you won't get isomerization.