Did I ruin my second brew-IPA?

[jc03]

Hello, I'm pretty upset. I sampled my Racer 5 clone after bottle conditioning for a week and it was basically undrinkable. I know I'm probably a week or so early but is there any hope for a recovery? Everything throughout the brewing process seemed fine, airlock bubbled, gravity was correct before bottling and everything looked fine in the carboy. The only issue was I made about a half gallon extra. The brew I drank had very little hoppiness and I'd compare it to the first pour of the day at a bar that didn't clean their lines. Any thoughts?


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[JoefromPhilly]

You need to provide more details. What ingredients did you use? How did you hop it? What is "undrinkable" about the beer?

- Joe

 

[NY_HomeBrew_Student]

You need to provide more details. What ingredients did you use? How did you hop it? What is "undrinkable" about the beer?

- Joe

+1

The more information provided the better.

Also, an additional half gallon of beer is not a bad thing.

 

[Yooper]

If it tastes like a beer that come from unclean tap lines, do you mean the beer tasted "dirty"? Or stale? Or plastic-y?

What kind of water did you use in the beer, and what kit did you use?

 

[jc03]

Here's the recipe. I got the kit from homebrewing.org. I kept in in the primary the whole time, dry hopped at 2 weeks for 6 days, cold crashed and bottled at 3 weeks 1 day.
http://www.homebrewing.org/assets/images/AIH 2013 Recipes/AIH Racer V Clone1.pdf


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[jc03]

I'm a newbie for sure so I don't know all the terminology but I thought it was heavy, flat and malty. I was over the top about sanitizing and my first brew [irish red ale] turned out just fine.


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[Yooper]

I'm a newbie for sure so I don't know all the terminology but I thought it was heavy, flat and malty. I was over the top about sanitizing and my first brew [irish red ale] turned out just fine.


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"heavy, flat, and malty" just sounds like it's not carbed up yet.

 

[jc03]

It wasn't bitter at all though. I sample the Irish red ale a week into bottle conditioning and I could tell what it was. If someone told me this was an IPA I'd say no way. Will the taste change?


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[cmwolfe30]

If you had an extra half gallon of brew then you may have watered down some of the hopiness. Here's to hoping it works out for ya.

 

[Cathedral]

It wasn't bitter at all though. I sample the Irish red ale a week into bottle conditioning and I could tell what it was. If someone told me this was an IPA I'd say no way. Will the taste change?


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In my own experience, the carbonation plays an absolutely crucial role to flavor of a beer. The bite and bitterness from the co2 helps make some flavors more bright and mellows others. Same with temperature--a warm sample tastes dramatically different from a cold one.

Will the taste change? Yes. As much as it seems you're expecting? Probably not. Re-evaluate your brew day and procedure to make sure you didn't miss anything.

Looking at your recipe, though, I do have to say that is no where near enough hops to make a good IPA. I love Racer 5, but I can't see them getting that much flavor from so little hops.

 

[NY_HomeBrew_Student]

I definitely agree that the amount of hops look a little light but I am not familiar with Racer IPA. With the extra volume, lack of carbonation, and the amount of hops in the recipe I am not surprised that you don't think it resembles an IPA.

The beer isn't ruined but it won't be a clone. I'm sure you will be able to enjoy it once you let it fully carbonate.

 

[jc03]

Thanks everyone. That said who makes a good kit for a pretty hoppy IPA with a citrus finish?


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