Go Figure

[Inkguy]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum, but here goes:
I brewed an APA a few weeks ago and bottled it last Saturday (5 days ago).
I brewed using only Magnum to bitter and Citra at flameout. The samples I had on transferring to secondary on for bottling were amazing. It seemed the exact flavor i was aiming for. Every beer I have made that tasted good in fermenting stages was amazing in bottles (many that weren't so hot turned out well, but some sucked from the get-go). So my issue is: I cracked one yesterday and it tasted like crap. I am assuming that it's because it's green, though several I have tried at the 5 day mark still turned out well, though aging requirements were obvious. This one just tasted like a crap recipe (of which I have had many).
Is there a chance something wrecked it, or is it too green? My Citra hops were a weird tan color, not the normal shade of green. Having used them only once before, in an IPA that gave me the idea to tone it down to APA strength, I don't remember what the looked like, but I am pretty sure it wasn't tan! I bought them online from a place in CA (I am in WI), so perhaps a week in a hot truck wrecked the flavor.
Anyway, thoughts would be appreciated. I like to think that it's just age, but experiences would be useful.

 

[duboman]

The fact that you mention hops that appear to not have been fresh and in good shape tell me that it could be the reason for what you are experiencing.

Bad hops can make a great beer pretty bad quite easily, never use hops that look brown and old as they'll make your beer pretty funky, like old stinky sneakers

Sorry but I don't think time will improve this if the hops were bad

 

[Homercidal]

Some hops can be less green than others, but if the were mostly brownish/tanish, I'd question their value. Did they smell good when you put them in? I've almost used a half-packet of Centennial before and luckily I gave them a good sniff to find they had a stale, cheesy aroma. I threw them out and grabbed a new packet. Not worth risking a $30 beer for $2.50 worth of hops.

 

[unionrdr]

Plus,only having a bittering & aroma addition,the beer would taste rather plain. A flavor hop addition would help as well as fresh hops to start with.

 

[Inkguy]

Actually, they smell fantastic - just like hops. I was in a bit of a tight spot since it was my aroma hop, so the boil was just about done when I opened the package and noticed that they looked weird, but smelled fine. And, since the taste in the fermenter was fantastic, i was a little thrown off.
I couldn't leave well enough alone so i checked last night, too, just to be sure. Taste was fine; nothing special, just APA. There was no major bitter slap, nor a major aroma. It was a test run, to see how minimal I could go.
The color, carbonation, and clarity were perfect (I could clearly read the logo on the other side of the mug!) so at least my grist was good.
I won't dump it, but a flavor and/or dry hop might be in order.
As for the hops, I wonder if i can get away with using them for bittering...?

 

[Wynne-R]

I’m guessing infection. A beer doesn’t go from good to green. If it went bad in five days after bottling that points to bottle sanitation. Hold the bottles up to the light and inspect them very carefully. If it’s bottle infections, some of them may still be good.

Can you describe the flavor? Sour, plastic, butter?

 

[cheezydemon3]

It is still way green. Give it another 2 weeks warm and chill a sixer. QUIT TASTING THEM SO EARLY.

 

[Inkguy]

I know, it's way too early. 80+ batches in my brewing journals and I still can't hold my wad... Most of my beers aren't very good until 4 or 5 weeks. So why did I drink it at 4 or 5 DAYS? No clue. I am still stumped at most recipes that say 'age in bottle 7-10 days'.
I'm almost positive it isn't infection. I clean them with PBW and run them through the heat dry in my dishwasher. I have only had 2 infections, and they were both in primary.
The first one seemed to be good, then the flavor went a little vegetal (?). By that I mean it tasted like I imagine spent hops would. It was very slight, in the aftertaste, and just at the end. The one last night I just drank at room temp and was fine, just a little plain.
QUIT TASTING THEM SO EARLY is perfect advice. Thanks for the reminder!