Secondary fermentation of IPA - lost hoppiness

[Helly]

I brewed an IPA (an extract imperial kit) about 5 weeks ago. It fermented strong, I hit target FG and racked to secondary about 10 days later. Thinking back to previous efforts where I didn't do a secondary and the beer came out very cloudy, I thought about 2 weeks in the secondary would clear it up nicely. It tasted great and had great aroma when it went into secondary. Well we have a little one at home now, work gets in the way, etc, and nearly 4 weeks later I finally get around to bottling. I opened it up tonight and drew a sample and all that great aroma and hoppiness was gone. Still a very good tasting beer, just very different from what it was before. So instead of bottling as is I decided to rack it to a clean carboy with 2 oz of hop pellets that I had lying around. I figure that might bring it back a bit; if not, that's ok too, brew and learn.

Clearly I waited too long to bottle it, this was not intentional, I just didn't keep good track of time. I'm wondering if there is a sweet spot for an IPA that you more experienced homebrewers can share in terms of don't go longer than X days or I'll experience a repeat. Is it a matter of daily monitoring of not only appearance but aroma/taste too (I kept an eye on it but didn't taste it until today once it went into secondary). Anyway this will be an opportunity to learn for the next batch I guess and hopefully I'll end up with something drinkable after a week or so with the dry hopping.

 

[pabloj13]

I brewed an IPA (an extract imperial kit) about 5 weeks ago. It fermented strong, I hit target FG and racked to secondary about 10 days later. Thinking back to previous efforts where I didn't do a secondary and the beer came out very cloudy, I thought about 2 weeks in the secondary would clear it up nicely. It tasted great and had great aroma when it went into secondary. Well we have a little one at home now, work gets in the way, etc, and nearly 4 weeks later I finally get around to bottling. I opened it up tonight and drew a sample and all that great aroma and hoppiness was gone. Still a very good tasting beer, just very different from what it was before. So instead of bottling as is I decided to rack it to a clean carboy with 2 oz of hop pellets that I had lying around. I figure that might bring it back a bit; if not, that's ok too, brew and learn.

Clearly I waited too long to bottle it, this was not intentional, I just didn't keep good track of time. I'm wondering if there is a sweet spot for an IPA that you more experienced homebrewers can share in terms of don't go longer than X days or I'll experience a repeat. Is it a matter of daily monitoring of not only appearance but aroma/taste too (I kept an eye on it but didn't taste it until today once it went into secondary). Anyway this will be an opportunity to learn for the next batch I guess and hopefully I'll end up with something drinkable after a week or so with the dry hopping.

Sounds like a good plan, but re-racking was probably unnecessary. Just drop some hop pellets right in there! 5-7 days of dry hopping sounds good.

 

[DarthMalt]

I find 5 - 7 days to be the sweet spot for dry hopping. It seems to be the point of diminishing returns, IMO. Anything longer and you run the risk of grassy flavors/aromas. Also, IPA's seem to be at their peak around 4 - 6 weeks for me. It gives enough time for the bitterness to balance out and the punch-you-in-the-face hop aroma is still prevalent.

The second round of hopping is sure to add more aroma, just be careful not to overdo it. It seems like the beer has already been sitting on the hops for a long time.

 

[Helly]

Just to clarify, I just dry-hopped tonight. I didn't dry hop when I originally racked out of the primary. I've got my eye on finishing it up and bottling within a week if it looks/smells good. And when you say 4-6 weeks to their peak, you mean after bottling, correct?

 

[DarthMalt]

Yes, after bottling. Of course, this still leaves some variation ie. length of primary and secondary (if you use one.) Fermentation conditions come into play as well as the recipe itself. I think you'll get a variety of responses in regards to when the beer is ready; that's just my preference.

 

[BrewKnurd]

For me, it all depends on what you're going for. If you really want the hoppy flavor and aromas.... the fresher the better. IMHO, as soon as its carbonated, get it in the fridge and get to drinking, but I am admittedly a hop-head. If you're looking for more of a malt/hop balance, then absolutely, let it sit a little longer.

 

[KraphtBier]

Dry hop it for 7 days and then bottle. Depending on the gravity it should be ready within three weeks. Once carbonated, chill it and drink it. Discnjh is right, younger IPAs are better. Hop aroma and flavor fade out over time. Post the recipe if you feel so inclined.

 

[phenry]

I'm usually a fan of longer primaries for my beers, but IPAs and APAs are absolutely the exception. I usually try to get them bottled 2 weeks after brewing, absolutely no later than 3 weeks. And then for bottle conditioning, I start trying them 1.5 weeks out. If they're carbed up, they go in the fridge. I really don't see any real improvements waiting the prescribed 3 weeks with my IPAs as opposed to 1.5 weeks, if they're carbonated of course. They're so hoppy they mask just about any "green" flavors I guess.

A few weeks can really make a difference in perceived hop aroma for some varieties. Next time do try to stay on top of your IPA's fermentation. But dry hopping this batch should definitely remedy the problem some.

 

[Helly]

Thanks for the tips. Makes sense. Kraphtbier, it was a brewers best imperial ipa extract kit w/specialty grains. Working on making the transition to pm & hopefully ag sometime in 2012. Bummed that I messed this one up because it smelled and tasted great a couple weeks ago. Do you guys ever cold crash a batch like this or is that a no-no? I have never done that but it seems like it could potentially speed up the process and help it get to bottle faster. The reason I started doing secondaries was to try to clear my brews up and it seems to have helped in that regard.

 

[MrPostman]

I just brewed the same kit last fall. I dry hopped it for 2 weeks on two ounces of cascade hops. Best beer ive mAde so far. Dry hopping is definitely the wAy to go with that Ipa

 

[zacster]

I made a Stone Ruination clone kit a few years back that tasted great at bottling, but then was totally lacking when I tried the first bottle. It turned me off the beer. 2 months later I decide to stick one in the fridge and WOW. It was the best beer I ever tasted.

Today, I took a taste of my American Lager that I brewed last weekend. It tasted awful. All the advice here is that there is a reason we lager. So I'll wait.

You really need patience in this hobby.

 

[pm5k00]

The more yeast in the primary/secondary the less hop aroma you will get from dry hopping. I forget the exact science, but basically the yeast absorb/cling to the oils from the hops and lessen the aroma from dry hopping. Try cold crashing before transfering to secondary, then warm back up and dry hop, that should give you the aroma you are looking for.

 

[Helly]

So I dry-hopped this for 1 week, pulled the bung from the carboy Friday and it smelled very good, but there were chunks floating everywhere. So yesterday I put it on the step in the garage and let everything settle out. I bottled it today. Definitely not as hoppy as I'd like it to be but it's an improvement over where it was a week ago. Going to let them sit for a few days then try them to see if they're carbed, then immediately in the fridge/out in the garage to cool down. I think this beer will be good, but I'm not expecting it to be the best thing I ever brew based upon the taste today. Oh well, you learn with each batch and next time I'll hopefully dry-hop on purpose instead of out of desperation. I'll let you guys know next week if the bottles turn out ok and if it's any good. Thanks again.

 

[Helly]

Just drank the first one tonight since it took almost two weeks to carbonate. Not too bad, definitely drinkable. The dry hopping helped and I've learned a lot for next time.