Help Request - IPA Attempt

[HotbreakHotel]

I am drinking a bottle of my first IPA attempt. It has been in the bottle for just over 3 weeks. It is made of American 2-row, a little 60L, and all centennial hops. I did a single step mash infusion@152 F. I dry hopped for one week in the secondary, and I fermented with WLP001. It was on the primary for one week.

When I previewed the beer after 1 and 2 weeks there was a nice bright centennial hops flavor, but now the hops flavor is getting bitter. The beer seems to be developing a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste. I wouldn't go as far as astringent (I dumped my first batch for that!).

I was thinking maybe I didn't dry hop long enough, or that I need a fruitier yeast. Or, maybe I have to let it age longer?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Judd]

Are they exposed to UV light? Exposure to UV light can turn those tasty hop flavours into skunk. Otherwise, my guess would just be that the heavier flavour compounds are falling out over time.

 

[Gabe]

It's too short of a time for the hops to mellow. The flavor and aroma should be very bright ! I have used Centennial extensively and love it. I am wondering what your hop schedule was when you made it. What was your OG, and were your ingredients fresh ? Let us know what steps you took while making this beer. I have had bad luck with Pacific Gem but never Centennial.

 

[HotbreakHotel]

I have the beer bottled in brown bottles. I stored the bottles in a cardboard box, but I didn't make sure absolutely no sunlight got to the bottles. I do have chill haze (didn't clarify).

I just asked my husband to try it and he said the hop aroma is reduced quite a bit, and instead of having a floral, crisp bite it is developing a saccharin-like aftertaste.

The OG was 1.060, and the FG was 1.007. I kept the temperature around 70-73, the high end of the yeast's range. The attenuation seems very high? I think the FG should have been around 1.014.

The final volume was 3.75 gallons, and the hop schedule was .5 oz 60 min, .4 oz 45 min, 1.1 oz 15 min, .75 oz dry hop. The hops were 9.3% whole leaf.

As far as if they were fresh or not, I'm not yet an expert on hop freshness, but I had bought them a day or two prior from my lhbs, so I would hope so.

Other info: I used distilled water and added .33 g/gal of sodium bicarbonate, 1.54 g/gal magnesium sulfate, and .56 g/gal calcium chloride to get 40 ppm calcium, 40ppm magnesium, 62 ppm bicarb, 158 ppm sulfate, 24 ppm sodium, and 71 ppm chloride.

I used 8.4 lb U.S. 2-row and .7 lb 60L. I primed with 24 oz pressure canned saved wort.

Those are all of the details I can think of.

Thank you!

 

[HotbreakHotel]

Also, I fermented in glass carboys with black plastic garbage bags draped over to block out the light.

 

[cubbies]

I would say give it some more time. Beers with high IBU's and beers with high alcohol content need a long conditioning time. If you have beers with high IBU's AND high alcohol, then it will need that much more time. I would say you are probably looking at at least two more weeks before it mellows. Maybe longer.

 

[desertbronze]

1st thing - patience. Aging does wonders for most beers.

Also noticed your ion levels - magnesium at 40 ppm. From How To Brew

Magnesium (Mg+2)
Atomic Weight = 24.3
Equivalent Weight = 12.1
Brewing Range = 10-30 ppm.
This ion behaves very similarly to Calcium in water, but is less efficacious. It also contributes to water hardness. Magnesium is an important yeast nutrient in small amounts (10 -20 ppm), but amounts greater than 50 ppm tend to give a sour-bitter taste to the beer. Levels higher than 125 ppm have a laxative and diuretic affect.

Possibly the magnesium is contributing a sour-bitter taste that becomes apparent after a few weeks. Did you have the same levels in the astringent beer that was dumped?

 

[BierMuncher]

Your IPA tastes just like it's supposed to at only 3-4 weeks old.

High hopped beers really need a lot of time to mellow. As the bitterness in the back of the throat diminishes, the aroma and flavor will come through.

I'd say that 6-7 weeks will be a nice window to try it again.

 

[HotbreakHotel]

Thank you so much for your responses -- I really appreciate the help.

Yes, I used the same water profile for the batch I dumped. I'll have to watch the magnesium levels. In the meantime, I'll give it some more time and hopefully it will get better with time!

Thanks again!!