Do NEIPA Problems Happen to Other Brews?

[Jordan Logo]

Hello All,

I’m about ready to bottle my first batch of beer and am already looking for my next recipe to brew. I’ve been researching a whole bunch and have decided on either a Juicy NEIPA or Brulosopher’s Best Blonde Ale recipe I found on BeerSmith which was highly recommended and even won some awards...

ANYWAYS, while doing some research on the NEIPA I found that there are many issues when home brewing an NEIPA, the biggest being oxidation. It seems like everyone that has home brewed an NEIPA has had the flavor/color turn for the worst.

My main question I guess is are NEIPAs, more specifically a Juicy NEIPA, really THAT hard to make a good beer out of? Also, are these problems NEIPAs have, such as oxidation, a problem with any other styles such as American IPAs, Ales, Saisons, etc?

Just an FYI I use a BIAB system to make 3 gallons worth of beer - no keg, just bottles.

Thanks!

 

[FatDragon]

NEIPAs don't experience any unique aging troubles, but they deal with those troubles to a unique degree. I'd recommend you start on something that's no so easy to screw up, like that blonde ale, so you can get some experience with the process of making and packaging beer and identify and overcome weaknesses in your process. It's not impossible to knock a challenging beer out of the park on your first try, but it's probably better to swing for contact your first few times up to bat.

 

[Jordan Logo]

NEIPAs don't experience any unique aging troubles, but they deal with those troubles to a unique degree. I'd recommend you start on something that's no so easy to screw up, like that blonde ale, so you can get some experience with the process of making and packaging beer and identify and overcome weaknesses in your process. It's not impossible to knock a challenging beer out of the park on your first try, but it's probably better to swing for contact your first few times up to bat.

Thanks!

Are NEIPAs the only beer you can think of that has these types of problems? Should I be watching out for any particular styles of beer that I should be weary brewing as a new brewer?

 

[FatDragon]

Oxygen stales hops and darkens beer, among other things. The haziness of an NEIPA makes that darkening more noticeable, and the reliance on extreme amounts of hops makes the style particularly oxygen phobic. Anything with a lot of hop aroma and flavor is particularly prone to being ruined by oxygen. That said, a typical west coast IPA won't get hit quite as hard as an NEIPA.

 

[Jag75]

Like the others said it is suseptable to oxidation. As long as your process is solid you will be fine . Brew what you want but I will agree @FatDragon is right you should do a simpler beer if it's your second batch. NEIPAs you have a lot going on with whirlpooling at a certain temp then your dry hopping schedule. You dry hop on day 2 of fermentation ( bio transformation) then you dry hop towards the end. I'd lean on not doing a NEIPA until you can keg . I've heard so many people have an issue with oxidation botteling them . I've never bottled a NEIPA and I dont think I'd try.

 

[snarf7]

Don't let the naysayers dissuade you, brew what you want, go big or go home, that's how you learn!

Keep your grain bill simple: 2 row or pale ale malt, or if extract, choose something light and neutral, keep crystal malts to a minimum.

But yeah, set yourself up for success if you're doing your first NEIPA. Have everything all ready to go in advance when you're ready to dry hop (equipment sanitized, hops all ready to pitch etc). Add your dry hops about 3/4 of the way thru fermentation so that the continuing CO2 production will drive off any oxygen you introduce. Pick 2 or 3 hop varieties that lend themselves to the style: Citra, Cascase, Mosaic, Galaxy, Amarillo

 

[mashpaddled]

I tried bottling some NE style beers before and did not feel the results were anywhere near as what I have kegged. I'm not hateful about bottling and still bottle a lot of sour and brett beers but if you're bottling out of a bucket there is just a lot of aeration happening to the beer. NEIPAs are particularly fragile beers in the presence of oxidation so bottling them is not doing them any favors.

They are not terribly difficult beers to brew otherwise although the difference between ok versions of the style and good versions comes down to water chemistry which might be slightly more advanced for your second batch of beer. I don't think they are great beers to learn to brew from but it is fun to unload a lot of hops into beer.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I tried bottling some NE style beers before and did not feel the results were anywhere near as what I have kegged. I'm not hateful about bottling and still bottle a lot of sour and brett beers but if you're bottling out of a bucket there is just a lot of aeration happening to the beer. NEIPAs are particularly fragile beers in the presence of oxidation so bottling them is not doing them any favors.

They are not terribly difficult beers to brew otherwise although the difference between ok versions of the style and good versions comes down to water chemistry which might be slightly more advanced for your second batch of beer. I don't think they are great beers to learn to brew from but it is fun to unload a lot of hops into beer.

This pretty much sums it up. Bottling NEIPAs can be done, but it's notorious for issues. O2 exposure and sitting at room temp for 2-3 weeks carbing is not conducive to a great NEIPA.