Bottle vs Keg Flavor Profile

[ledzep227]

I've come across something that irked me quite a bit, so I thought I'd see if anyone else has experienced this. I recently brewed a delicious IPA, this beer was great right out of the fermentor. After having the beer in the keg and on the gas for about a week, the hops aroma/flavor is muted by a much more malty flavor profile. However, after letting it sit in a growler/bottle for about an hour, the malt tones down, allowing the incredible hops aroma and flavor of this IPA shine through.

Has anyone else experienced this, now what causes it and/or have a solution? Thanks in advance.

 

[Rockn_M]

Could it be that the beer was too cold? A lot of brew pubs will not have frozen mugs and keep the beers at a certain temp.

 

[day_trippr]

Beer too cold?

Cheers!

 

[ledzep227]

Kegerator is sitting right at 40, I think that is about right for serving.

 

[Doctor_M]

Sure sounds like a temperature issue to me.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Taste that IPA at 40, 50, 60, etc. And note the differences. Super cold covers up flavors in the beer. Even 40 is too cold for a good ipa. I'd push it closer to 50 before enjoying it. I like to keep my kegerator around 42-44 and I use room temperature glassware.

 

[ledzep227]

Sounds like temperature is the consensus. I'll let the kegerator/beer warm up and report back. Thanks!

 

[ledzep227]

So I don't think temperature is the issue. I tried the beer at 40, 50 & 60 with no significant difference in flavor or aroma. I kegged this batch pretty quickly, kettle to glass in 2 weeks. However, I'm very skeptical lack of aging could have cause this kind of nose dive. Any other thoughts?

 

[Yooper]

So I don't think temperature is the issue. I tried the beer at 40, 50 & 60 with no significant difference in flavor or aroma. I kegged this batch pretty quickly, kettle to glass in 2 weeks. However, I'm very skeptical lack of aging could have cause this kind of nose dive. Any other thoughts?

The aging of beer generally reduces the hops flavor and aroma, so a young IPA or APA is generally best.

Is it possible that your beer is overcarbed, or freshly carbed, and once the co2 "bite" mellows out, the hops aroma and flavor is no longer covered by a carbonic acid bite?

 

[sandyeggoxj]

How did you carb it? Pressure, temp, time?

 

[ledzep227]

For carbonation I force carbed at 30psi, then set to 12 psi for about 3 days. After that, I turned the psi down to about 8 for serving. I think my issue has something to do with CO2. It seems like the hops issue presented itself when I changed psi to 8. I set it back to 12 tonight and I swear the hops aroma /flavor is more pronounced. I also didn't purge my keg before I racked the beer, so I'm also wondering if I'm dealing with oxidation aftermath.

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[zelpa]

I am having the same problem. Had keg at 40F and 10 PSI. Will back off temperature to 50 and drop CO2 to 5psi
Weirdest thing it was a Two Hearted clone that now tastes like Budweiser.
I want my beer back.

 

[Ramitt]

I am having the same problem. Had keg at 40F and 10 PSI. Will back off temperature to 50 and drop CO2 to 5psi
Weirdest thing it was a Two Hearted clone that now tastes like Budweiser.
I want my beer back.

Umm either this post has hyperbole of epic proportions or you did something very wrong.

 

[ledzep227]

Thanks for all the replies, it looks like my latest intuition is correct....oxidation. The article in the link below sums up exactly what I am experiencing. Makes sense now that my other two IPAs suffered the same fate, guess I didn't want to see the problem, was lazy, etc... I'll resurrect this thread in a couple months after the next IPA is kegged (after purging O2!) to let you know how it goes.

http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f&t=26869

 

[Doctor_M]

Yeah ipas are pretty delicate in that regard. At least you've seemed to have found the culprit!

 

[Talonracer67]

So how do you think you oxygenated your IPA? Dry hop with whole leaf hops like the article?

 

[ledzep227]

I think not purging the keg of oxygen before racking is what did it. I referenced the article more to illustrate the symptoms, not so much the method.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Ahh the dreaded oxidation. Well lesson learned I guess. The first time I kegged I was told to purge the headspace a few times with co2. Never understood for a few brews and then it dawned on me. D'oh! Makes sense now...