Bottling a Hazy Session IPA

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BasementArtie

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Completely irrelevant but I am currently enjoying a Westmalle Tripel đź‘Ś.

So on to my Session Hazy. Well what more is there to say. After my Triple NE IPA went surprisingly well. I wanted to try something which I could get more out of and drink more of rather than a 10% which was a struggle to carb.

The beer turned out 4.5% ABV so completely smashing sessionable. I'm just going to include a time line of the beer in photo form to again test the effects of oxidation over time from my not so special set up.

Within this brew batch I had 4 variables (ish more like 2 and two different coloured bottles) 450ml green Grolsch Swing top bottle filled normally with a bottling wand and another overfilled. 500ml Brown Homebrew Swingtop filled normally with a bottling want and another overfilled.

Brewed Wednesday 11th August 2021
Bottled Wednesday 25th August 2021
Fridged Batch Monday 30th August 2021

Here is a picture of the colour from the fermenter and the first (Saturday 28/08/21) and second (Monday 30/08/21) bottled beer I tried out of the batch. Before fridging the batch down. (Leaving one of each variable to age at room temp).
 

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Fun experiment!

Any chance you can get consistent lighting conditions for all of the pictures? Same glass, same place with one strong light source? That can help with comparisons.
 
First photo Day 6 after bottling (Tuesday 31/08/21).

Second photo Day 8 (Thursday 02/09/21).

Third photo Day 9 (Friday 03/09/21).

Forth photo Day 10 (Saturday 04/09/21).

Fifth photo Day 11 (Sunday 05/09/21).

Sixth photo Day 12 (Monday 06/09/21).

Seventh photo Day 13 (Tuesday 07/09/21).

Eighth photo Day 14 (Wednesday 08/09/21).

Ninth photo Day 16 (Friday 10/09/21).

Tenth photo Day 16 (Friday 10/09/21). This is where I had two on the same day from the same 500ml brown swingtop one filled normally one filled high/overfilled and this one which was filled normally had slightly darkened and had a very very slight difference in flavour (i.e. slightly more bitter less floral and citrus) This may be an indication again as with my Triple that the bottles overfilled taste a little better and keep their character longer.

So we're completely up to date now. I've been a bit lazy on the front of drinking and tonight I fancied a Belgian! đź‘Ś
 

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Fun experiment!

Any chance you can get consistent lighting conditions for all of the pictures? Same glass, same place with one strong light source? That can help with comparisons.
Haha, no because I'm incredibly lazy unfortunately (and drink in different places, houses and times a lot so consistency is hard) 🤣 but let's hope its interesting none the less.
 
Day 24 (18/09/21). 5 days carbing before being fridged at 2-6C for 19 days. 500ml Brown Overfilled Fliptop Variable.

The carbonation on this one and it's only been a problem on this bottle so far was lackluster during the pour. However was carbed inside. The seal I believe wasn't great on this bottle. However the aroma surprisingly was still great and the flavours and brightness is still there.

I've had some great feedback on this session beer, on all four variables nonetheless. Some even preferring the very slightly more bitter more subtle hop aromaed normal filled green bottles. I know it's early days so let's see how they progress.

I have 4 bottles (one of each variable) which have been sat at 15-28c since bottling on the 25th August and I'm curious to see what changes are occuring in those bottle. Only time will tell đź‘Ť.
 

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Day number 30 (23/09/21) -



450ml overfilled 5 days carbing, 22 days fridge 2 days car 1 fridge. This was because I took this on a trip to Devon, UK.



Carbonation great. Still hoppy and fruity in both flavour and smell. Hasn't changed one bit the overfilled version.



P.s. look at theses cakes
 

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Day 32 (Saturday 25/09/21) - 450ml Grolsch bottle with a normal fill 5 days carbing 27 days fridge.

Carbonation good but the standard now. Smell surprisingly still present of hops. Flavour may be on the slide for the non overfilled bottles as I'd say it's all a little mellower than the overfill and I'd say still very much a little darker (minimal) but hasn't progressed so maybe the fridge is stalling flavour change and colour change.
 

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Day 35 (Tuesday 28/09/21) and all is good in the hood! No problems here..except from the Autumnal weather has smashed in very quickly!

So this one was a 450ml Green Grolsch Overfilled 5 days carb and 30 days fridge. The hop smell remains fresh and the beer remains as good as day 5 when the fridge got switched on. Carbonation is getting better as time goes on even with being at 2-7C for this long.
 

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Day 38 ( Friday 01/10/21) actually starting to go past IPA season for me. I can't wait to brew my beligan dubbel however house renovation is taking priority in every free daylight hours moment. May have to start cracking my stout and beligan store more often.

On to the proper subject, this beer as you can see is a 500ml brown bottle and was filled normally. 5 days carb 33 days fridge.

Like the last 450ml Grolsch normal fill version the beer has darkened ever so slightly and the smell has faded more. But the fridge is doing a tremendous job of stalling any huge effects of oxidation. Obviously the Overfilled bottles smell fresher however I'm my personal preference the taste of the normal fill is slightly more bitter which currently is making it my preference.

Again as with the first experiment I did with SMB, I haven't taken any protocols to remove oxygen from my processes, other than being careful and using a bottling wand to fill. I am genuinely surprised how wel these batches are lasting and it leaves me wondering what has happened with those individuals with purple and brown beer after a month? Can someone explain to me why theirs turn out so bad and mine don't despite using little to no precautionary measure?

We go on and I'm gradually getting more and more intrigued about these 4 bottles left out off the fridge from the start 🤔 in a way I hope one of the normal filled bottle is noticeable darker and stale.
 

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Day 39 (Saturday 02/10/21) 5 days fridge 34 days fridge.

I marked this bottle as when I filled it, it underwent a lot of splashing. This is a 500ml brown bottle overfilled O2 exposed. The colour is great the smell is great. Actually filled higher than most of the overfilled so when it was popped there was no hiss..worried me for s second thinking the seal was crap however it was well carbed. Taste wise, I would say 100% has got more bitter and it's seem like this was definitely down to the splashing.

However no where near as bad as I was expecting and the beer was still hoppy and enjoyable đź‘Ś
 

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Can someone explain to me why theirs turn out so bad and mine don't despite using little to no precautionary measure?

I have to suspect storing the beers in the fridge after just 5 days of carbonation has a lot to do with that. This seems to indicate that if somebody has fridge space, this might be a partial solution. The common "keep them cold and drink them fast" suggestion!

On your post above with all the pics, are those a mix of overfill and normal fill bottles? It is hard to judge the color with the different settings and lighting, but that last pick seems to have some dull grey color.
 
I have to suspect storing the beers in the fridge after just 5 days of carbonation has a lot to do with that. This seems to indicate that if somebody has fridge space, this might be a partial solution. The common "keep them cold and drink them fast" suggestion!

On your post above with all the pics, are those a mix of overfill and normal fill bottles? It is hard to judge the color with the different settings and lighting, but that last pick seems to have some dull grey color.
Yeah sorry it was a mix between the size of bottle and over fill and normal in those pictures as I decided to start the thread after that point.

I have to say I agree some of my photos are shocking 🤣 however in real life the overfilled are a little brighter than the normal fill (not by huge amounts).

That last picture with the one I splashed a lot by accident when bottling is just a poor photo it's actually no different I colour to the normal overfilled bottles. Again my laziness in using the same back drop, lighting, time of day really does create some perceived discrepancies from the photos however in real life they have all been very very similar.
 
Day 49 (5 day carb 44 days fridge) (12/10/21) green Grolsch 450ml bottle Normal fill (second bottle out the fermenter).

Wow I have no idea what happened here. Pop goes the bottle and boom the most hop aroma I've had from any bottle, more than any over filled. Lovely lovely smell coming out of the bottle and pour. Head was great. Taste is banging, no signed oxidation in the slightest. This was a top quality IPA super fresh.
 

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Day 62 (5 Days carb 57 days fridge). Bottle filled normally brown 500ml flip top!

Sorry for the radio silence I've been moving into a renovation project and been enjoying my stout box and beligans. I've been meaning to brew my Dubbel but haven't had time which is really annoying.

So onto the IPA, I've got a feeling the seal on this one wasn't great. Some of these brown bottle stock seals I've notice are not as good and thick and strong as the Grolsch bottles ones. Limited fizz (could have been due to being served 2-3C).

However, it's clear on this one the colour has browned and darkened. The smell isn't lost but was a shell of its former self. The flavour hasn't degraded at all but has subtle changes, hops maybe not as forward in their floral fruity notes by a little more bitter however I'm shocked at how drinkable this beer still is for a style which is meant to be drunk fresh.

The horizon test of the 4 variables stored at 9-25c what ever the temperature outside is not that far away...or I might bring them in from the garage before winter store them even longer on purpose to hope for massive differences. We're already at 2 months I wonder what 3-4-5 months might be like. I'll see how I'm feeling.
 

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Day 74 (5 days carbing 69 days fridging) Green Grolsch 440ml bottle Overfilled.

Head retention and pouring head formation is better than ever. The aroma in this overfill was pungent as ever. Colour is a vibrant and yellow as ever (tried to get a good picture using various rooms various camera settings but none did it justice) weirdly I think the haze has faded that's all. Taste wise this is a banging IPA as it always has been.

Hoppy and fresh, maybe not something to enjoy in the evening in November of wet day but I'm enjoying this bad boy!

I am incredibly interested to see how the last overfill (refrigerated after 5 days) 500ml brown bottle compares to this as I think the tighter flip top seal on the Grolsch bottle makes for better head and better all round smell and flavour. But that's just a guess after 70+ days.

The real test will come when the 4 non fridged variables are tested.
 

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Day 91 we're 3 months in!!! (5 days carbing 86 days in the fridge).

So this is a brown 500ml bottle filled normal. Seal on this was better than the last brown bottled I think because the cage was tighter this in turn gave this bottle a nice fizz as I opened it.

However reminiscent of day 62 of this variable it's darker in my perception, than the previous overfilled brown and green bottles, which is surprising even more so seeing as this IPA has dropped near clear and looks like a lager in the glass and no longer bright yellow more like a darkened yellow brown.

The smell of the IPA hops is still there faded but no more lost than that of day 62. The flavour is muted but some how would still pass as a Brewdog standard/level session IPA.

I've got one more brown 500ml overfilled bottled left which was fridged after 5 days. Then we're on to the 4 variables which have stored at between 1C-25C in the garage (I may bring them inside this winter until I fridge them for testing). How long should I give those 4 variables before trying them?
 

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I will suggest that 90 days in the bottle is a good final date.

Will there be a summary of the results along with a writeup of the techniques you used for bottling?
It'll probably be in the new year thinking about it so it'll be over 120 days by that point. I'll try to do the last refrigerated bottled in the next 14 days.

I actually just brought them in from the garage which is currently 7C to the house which ranges between 15c - 21c. So if something is going to kill them this late on it'll be the heat.

I have to be honest with you my bottling technique is not anything special. I work with modest equipment. Literally bottle from the primary fermentation bucket with a wand attached to spigot, this is after 2 weeks (or when fermentation has stopped). Dry hopping is in a nylon bag done during biotransformation (in this case within 24hours) and then these hops were removed when the second dry hopping went in (think it was day 4-5), not purging of head space or anything just slowly open the fermenter and lower them in weighted with marbles and unwaxed unflavoured floss (all sanitised of course including the bag before hopping). I fill the airlock with vodka and only take the cap off whilst taking measuring sample and bottling I don't take the whole thing out.

I use swing tops for IPA so I bottle one and cap it instantly. With this batch it was 440ml Grolsch bottles (better seal) filled normally with wand to the top and then take it out and displace the liquid leaving the correct amount of space and the other overfilling to between 10mm - 3mm under the seal. Likewise for the brown 500ml bottles.
 
Day 120 (3.945 months) bottled after 5 days, fridged until about day 100, then taken out to cellar in the garage from 1-10C. Then fridged again for 1 day. 500ml Overfilled.

Hop aroma is nearly non-existant. However colour and flavour is great. It's actually shocking how good it is for its age. Not hugely dissimilar from the original other than the haziness has nearly completely dropped clear. Maybe darkened a tad 🤷.

I really think the four variables (opening on the 8th Jan which will be 4.5months after bottling) will prove to me at least overfilling saves the NEIPA style in flavour and colour.....maybe not aroma and haze.
 

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So these bottes have been stored since bottling on the 25 August 2021 at temperatures ranging from 25C to 2C. The last three four weeks or so they were brought back into the house which is ~18C. Fridged for the last week since the 2nd Jan 2022 and opened on the 8th Jan 2022. 4.5month since they were bottled. 137 days in total.

I've got to start out and say for 4.5 months all of these beers are extremely drinkable if you take the flavour in isolation.


Over-filled Brown bottle 500ml -

The smell surprised me that there was so much hop presence however it also surprised me to see it was the darkest of all of the variables. Flavour has most definitely and expectedly dulled, there may be some undertones of sherry like oxidation coming in however you can still taste the hops and it's not 100 miles away from how it originally tasted.


Over-filled Grolsch bottle 450ml -

Pop goes the weasel. This one burst open in comparison leading me to again to believe the seals on the brown bottles aren't the best (they will be changed). The smell of this one was big hit of hops like it hasn't been stored at all. Colour was the brightest of all of the variables. However, I don't know if it was the increased carbonation but the hop profile seemed to be mellowed. Even in comparison to the darkest one (brown overfilled).


Normal filled Brown bottle 500ml -

I have no idea what happened here. Shocked me to be honest. The pour was near 100% flat but the colour was lighter than the overfilled bottle. As it tasted like a flat and dulled version of bottle the overfilled version and as I didn't pour all the beer our the bottle I resealed it swirled and there was carbonation in the bottle 🤷 no idea what happened (I know the swirl would have introduced yeast back in and changed the flavour however I tried it before I did that). Taste wise as it was flat and it was most definitely the worst of all the variables, it had lost more hop flavour and smell than that of the overfilled despite being lighter and less carbonated. Strangely as I was expecting this one to be the darkest this was the second lightest bottle.


Normal filled Grolsch bottle 450ml -

Carbonation was equal of that of the overfilled version "pop goes the weasel". Actually again another surprise the hop smell from the crack of the bottle was the most prominent of the lot. Second darkest variable (where I expected it to be). Equally as mellow as it's overfilled counterpart. Knew there we hops but the prickly carbonation seemed to be masking it.


Not much of a Conclusion

All showing signs of oxidation in some form or another to varying degrees but not having the huge impact I would expect. Which has left me confused as what I'm seeing isn't a correlation between colour, hop presence retainment and flavour loss. Yes the darker coloured beer had oxidised sherry undertones but the smell and flavour of hops was more pronounced than that of the lighter underfilled version. Some variables could be influenced by container size and colour, overfilll or regular fill but also seal strength etc. I'm struggling to draw conclusions from this one. However it's left me open to revisit other things. Despite all this for bottles of beer treated so badly they weren't undrinkable at all.

What I believe I can draw from this as well all already knew Grolsch Bottles are awesome. If I think if we use these bottles as a reference due to the consistency of these bottles in terms of colour of beer and carbonation throughout, they have been much better than the brown home-brew-shop ones. The filling high has made the colour stay brighter than its counterpart, but in terms of flavour I do believe there has been some degradation in both these versions albeit not as much as I was expecting. I will continue to overfill on these styles (and change seals on the other bottles). I also think I'll try reduce kette temp ~93C and possibly try SMB again and ascorbic acid in the future.

We will succeed and learn from past failures in an attempt to make bottling hazy possible 🤣.
 

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Thank you for doing such a thorough write up of this experiment! I had a couple hoppy beers turn brown on me so I've been avoiding making more but I think I'll follow your process and bottle straight from the fermenter and then fridge after five days.

Just out of curiosity, what yeast did you use for this batch?
 
Thank you for doing such a thorough write up of this experiment! I had a couple hoppy beers turn brown on me so I've been avoiding making more but I think I'll follow your process and bottle straight from the fermenter and then fridge after five days.

Just out of curiosity, what yeast did you use for this batch?
No problem. However it didn't turn out how I expected, but when does it ever.

This one was Lalbrew Nottingham Dry yeast however I've also had success with Lalbrew Verdant IPA yeast which I think I prefer.
 
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