Double IPA needs more backbone

[moonmandave]

I've been working on a DIPA recently. Just transferred to secondary last night and the malt profile really pales in comparison to the hops. I like it, but it's just not as balanced as I would have liked. It's still got about another week and a half for fermentation, so I don't think I need to worry too terribly much.
If I condition it with DME when I bottle it, will it add any more of a malty profile? Not too familiar with DME and if there's a decent variety.

 

[duboman]

I've been working on a DIPA recently. Just transferred to secondary last night and the malt profile really pales in comparison to the hops. I like it, but it's just not as balanced as I would have liked. It's still got about another week and a half for fermentation, so I don't think I need to worry too terribly much.
If I condition it with DME when I bottle it, will it add any more of a malty profile? Not too familiar with DME and if there's a decent variety.

It doesn't seem that the little bit of DME in the bottling process will correct what you are trying to get.

Was this extract or AG?
To adjust you can add more DME to the recipe but something more like a medium colored DME. For AG you increase the amount of crystal you are using or mash a bit higher to get a more malty wort.

 

[stpug]

... the malt profile really pales in comparison to the hops...

That's pretty much what an IPA/DIPA is: subdued malt character with major hop prominence.

Can you describe what you feel is missing a little more? Is the beer too dry with not enough lingering sweetness for your liking, or are you wanting that "malt" character somewhere in the background? Sweetness and malt character don't go hand-in-hand.

I doubt the little DME at bottle will make much difference, but it shouldn't hurt either. Just go through with this batch as best you can and hope for the best, and make adjustments the next time you brew it.

Very generalized here, but....
Malt character will mostly come from base malt usage, and to a lesser extent the oddball specialty malts. Sweetness will come mostly from your mash schedule and specialty malts.

 

[BPal75]

If you want more malt character you need to add some higher Kilned malts like Munich, victory, etc. I like Maris otter as a base malt in IPAs because of the more malty character you get over regular 2 row. Adding more caramel malts will give you more sweetness but not necessarily the greater malt presence you want. Mashing higher will give you greater body but not necessarily greater malt profile either.

 

[moonmandave]

I used Golden Promise as my base. Not very much crystal at all, I think a quarter pound in the entire grist. Also, some Munich. I used an oz. of leaf cascades as first wort hops, then used Magnum as my bittering hops in the boil.
I really like the way the cascade hops came through, but I just can't find what I'm missing. It may have been the warm sample. I guess I'll follow up tonight with less vague tasting notes.

 

[grathan]

Another idea would be to post your recipe and name a beer that you might be comparing it to.

 

[JonM]

WAY too early to make guesses about what the final beer will be like, IMHO. After a sit in the secondary and a month in the bottles, you will have something completely different.

 

[kingwood-kid]

A little Calcium Chloride might help you. I'm talking around 2g (1/3 teaspoon of table salt would have a similar effect). If your LHBS carries maltodextrin, you could add some to improve mouthfeel, if not taste. But as others have said, when it's cold and carbonated, the yeast has dropped out and the IBUs have faded a little, you'll have something different than what you have now. It also tastes very different 12oz vs. 2oz; sweetness is less enticing in large doses.

 

[hellawaits77]

Munich malts! I used Pale and Munich in my DIPA, and it has lot's of malt backbone.

It certainly may improve during bottling, but then again it may not. Time usually helps homebrew, though.

 

[moonmandave]

Thanks friends! It's gonna be a long sit in secondary for this one. It's pretty hazy from dry hops, so I'll have to give this one a hot minute to clear up. I'll come back with an update in about a week on how this turns out. Still pretty hooked on bottle conditioning with DME, just to break the monotony of corn sugar.