Homebrewing has ruined me of commercial IPAs

[adamjackson]

It seems these days, the only IPAs I care to buy are local Vermont beers like Heady and Hill Farmstead. Any IPA that's nation-wide at my local beer store simply doesn't match my homebrew. I'm a terrible homebrew but I keg so usually I'm drinking an IPA 14 days after brewing it...it is just the freshness that makes my homebrew my favorite go to IPA? Or is it something else?

Am I alone in this one?

 

[Yooper]

It seems these days, the only IPAs I care to buy are local Vermont beers like Heady and Hill Farmstead. Any IPA that's nation-wide at my local beer store simply doesn't match my homebrew. I'm a terrible homebrew but I keg so usually I'm drinking an IPA 14 days after brewing it...it is just the freshness that makes my homebrew my favorite go to IPA? Or is it something else?

Am I alone in this one?

You know, I still love commercial IPAs but Bob has become a hophead over the last few years and really doesn't love commercial IPAs anymore!

I asked him why, and he said there are three reasons. He said, first, "afteraffects". He said he often gets a headache from 3-4 commercial beers, but never from homebrew. He also said that he doesn't like the super-bitter IPAs, so mine are less bitter for our tastes. The last thing he said was he loved the super-fresh "in your face" hopping with a nice young fresh IPA on tap at our house.

It's true that most beers are on tap at about day 14 at our house, unless I've done a dryhop at day 12 and then it's day 17 or so. And then sometimes, I also dryhop in the keg. It makes for a big hop flavor and aroma, which we love.

 

[jammin]

Grain to glass in 14 days is fast or an IPA!

Anyhow - as a homebrewer, you're not nearly as limited by what you can do with hops. I imagine that imparts a degree of separation. Many breweries get caught in the IBU arms race. I believe this is a derivative of cost (hops, esp dry hops!) and consumers not understanding where hop aroma and flavor come from.

 

[Yooper]

Grain to glass in 14 days is fast or an IPA!

It is? Not at my house!

 

[Effingbeer]

I prefer mine and my friends' brews over most of their commercial counterparts regardless of style. Especially IPAs. It's definitely freshness. I live about an hour from Founders and Bells. I love their IPAs. Even they start to lose that fresh hop flavor when they have been on the shelf for a while. You're lucky to have two really nice breweries to choose from

 

[Effingbeer]

It is? Not at my house!

Mine either!!

 

[jammin]

It is? Not at my house!

To let the beer condition/dry hop/drop clear and fully carb - 14 days is faster than I can do it. I haven't brewed nearly as many batches as you though. My beers always seem to taste better with a little more time. Especially when dry hopping in the keg.

 

[Yooper]

To let the beer condition/dry hop/drop clear and fully carb - 14 days is faster than I can do it. I haven't brewed nearly as many batches as you though. My beers always seem to taste better with a little more time. Especially when dry hopping in the keg.

Ah. Well, I use pretty flocculant yeast when I can (WlP001 has been pretty good for me), but sometimes I use Denny's Favorite 50 when I want a strong malt presence too, and it takes forever to floc out! But normally, the beers are done by about day 5, pretty clear by day 8-9, dryhopped for 5 days and then kegged. If I add more hops to the keg, it takes a while for that aroma to "work", since it's at fridge temps but normally the aroma is just fine.

I think pitching a healthy yeast starter, having the OG in the 60s, using whirlfloc in the kettle, and kegging clear beer means having mine ready really early.

 

[ChillWill]

Depends on the brewery and how it's travelled.

I live in the UK and have had some American IPAs that have travelled really well; still nice and fresh. I've also had IPAs from local breweries that are incredibly bland.

Then there's my homebrew which I really enjoy; although as I don't (well, didn't) have any way of purging vessels I do tend to pick up a little oxygen and they do degrade more quickly than commercial examples. However, they don't usually last long enough for that to happen.

 

[Coff]

It seems these days, the only IPAs I care to buy are local Vermont beers like Heady and Hill Farmstead. Any IPA that's nation-wide at my local beer store simply doesn't match my homebrew. I'm a terrible homebrew but I keg so usually I'm drinking an IPA 14 days after brewing it...it is just the freshness that makes my homebrew my favorite go to IPA? Or is it something else?

Am I alone in this one?

Yea well there aren't many IPAs ion the world don't measure up to Heady or Hill Farm so I don't blame you for being that way. Not everyone has that access.

 

[Frankiesurf]

You may be in th range of Ithaca brewing co. and their Flower Power IPA.

Of course the fresher the better but this stuff will not disappoint. Huge aroma, huge flavor, a little malt and not all that bitter. Just a wonderful beer.

I do not have the experience in beer as many others on here do but this is absolutely one of my top three even after brewing my own.

 

[adamjackson]

It's usually 7 days to finish fermentation and then I'll do 7 days or more for dry hopping.

I think it's just freshness combined with the fact that IPAs are easy. My attempts at a stout or hefeweizen or barleywine don't compare to commercial beers. commericial beers are great but for IPAs, mine beat commercial in cost, availability and freshness. I figured a lot of homebrewers shared that feeling.

 

[theveganbrewer]

I have noticed this happening to me. My feelings towards commercial IPAs have become so much more divided. I either really like something, like Heady Topper, or just hate it. I get angry that I waste money. Freshness of my homebrew puts a lot of breweries at a disadvantage. I think its just one of those styles where freshness can outshine an otherwise superior recipe or brewery.

 

[jmadway]

You know, I still love commercial IPAs but Bob has become a hophead over the last few years and really doesn't love commercial IPAs anymore!

I asked him why, and he said there are three reasons. He said, first, "afteraffects". He said he often gets a headache from 3-4 commercial beers, but never from homebrew. He also said that he doesn't like the super-bitter IPAs, so mine are less bitter for our tastes. The last thing he said was he loved the super-fresh "in your face" hopping with a nice young fresh IPA on tap at our house.

It's true that most beers are on tap at about day 14 at our house, unless I've done a dryhop at day 12 and then it's day 17 or so. And then sometimes, I also dryhop in the keg. It makes for a big hop flavor and aroma, which we love.

Yooper, when you dry hop in your keg, do you leave your hop bags in once you begin serving, or do you pull them once you chill the beer?

 

[Padalac]

Interesting since of course the original ipas travelled for months in ships

 

[adamjackson]

Interesting since of course the original ipas travelled for months in ships

I don't agree with the logic though.

Maybe I should preface from now on with "American IPAs" If we're going to get technical, then all IPAs should be aged in Oak casks for 3 months and ONLY use hops grown in Europe or the UK? Maybe they should be 4% and no higher?

The IPA has evolved immensely in the last 100 years. These days 80+ IBUs is normal, 6-10% ABV is normal and IPAs are consumed insanely fresh and fermented on stainless...that's the normal .

 

[Yooper]

Yooper, when you dry hop in your keg, do you leave your hop bags in once you begin serving, or do you pull them once you chill the beer?

I almost always leave them in there for the life of the keg. My kegerator is at 40 degrees, and I've never had a problem at all with that. I don't generally keep an IPA keg at room temperature, but I did once. I dryhopped in the keg at room temperature for 5 days, then put the keg in the kegerator. I'm drinking it now, about 10 days later (literally, right now!) and it's great.

 

[Padalac]

Actually American hops were used extensively in those ipas.. And they weren't 'oak aged' since the barrels were lined with brewers pitch. And they were predominantly in excess of 6% and very highly hopped.. Shows what you know! But I never said anything about what people should or shouldn't do, just pointed out that it's interesting how it has flipped round like that so chill the fu*k out

 

[Yooper]

Actually American hops were used extensively in those ipas.. And they weren't 'oak aged' since the barrels were lined with brewers pitch. And they were predominantly in excess of 6%.. Shows what you know! But I never said anything about what people should or shouldn't do, just pointed out that it's interesting how it has flipped round like that so chill the fu*k out

Well, you are wrong. You should read up on the subject before becoming an expert.

And unfortunately, since you used an obscenity and insulted another forum member, you will be having a "time out" from our forum.

 

[dlaramie08]

Ha!

 

[adamjackson]

Well, you are wrong. You should read up on the subject before becoming an expert.

And unfortunately, since you used an obscenity and insulted another forum member, you will be having a "time out" from our forum.

Actually American hops were used extensively in those ipas.. And they weren't 'oak aged' since the barrels were lined with brewers pitch. And they were predominantly in excess of 6% and very highly hopped.. Shows what you know! But I never said anything about what people should or shouldn't do, just pointed out that it's interesting how it has flipped round like that so chill the fu*k out

thanks Yooper. To Padalac, sorry to upset you. Wikipedia which is far from perfect has some great info on the topic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Pale_Ale.

4% or less is key for the English version of the IPA.

Also, the English IPA on BJCP is great and it shows just below the American IPA. Both are very different -http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category14.php

 

[CadillacAndy]

thanks Yooper. To Padalac, sorry to upset you. Wikipedia which is far from perfect has some great info on the topic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Pale_Ale.

4% or less is key for the English version of the IPA.

Also, the English IPA on BJCP is great and it shows just below the American IPA. Both are very different -http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category14.php

The IPA book by Mitch Steele is an awesome read if you're in to beer history.

I hate overly bitter but love hop aroma and flavor, so I am able to build and brew beers that keep bittering additions low to none at all. Hop bursting is one of my favorite techniques.

 

[Warrior]

Ah. Well, I use pretty flocculant yeast when I can (WlP001 has been pretty good for me), but sometimes I use Denny's Favorite 50 when I want a strong malt presence too, and it takes forever to floc out! But normally, the beers are done by about day 5, pretty clear by day 8-9, dryhopped for 5 days and then kegged. If I add more hops to the keg, it takes a while for that aroma to "work", since it's at fridge temps but normally the aroma is just fine.

I think pitching a healthy yeast starter, having the OG in the 60s, using whirlfloc in the kettle, and kegging clear beer means having mine ready really early.

Yopper most of my ales can be ready in that amount of time also. A starter ahead of time and most of my ales are done fermenting in about 4 days. Going into the keg about a week later and the beer can be ready quite fast.

 

[Warrior]

I almost always leave them in there for the life of the keg. My kegerator is at 40 degrees, and I've never had a problem at all with that. I don't generally keep an IPA keg at room temperature, but I did once. I dryhopped in the keg at room temperature for 5 days, then put the keg in the kegerator. I'm drinking it now, about 10 days later (literally, right now!) and it's great.

Yooper I love dry hopping my IPA in the keg but need to use something other than the muslin bags. They always end up sucking to the dip tube in the keg towards the end. Slow flowing but they still flow.

 

[jammin]

Yooper I love dry hopping my IPA in the keg but need to use something other than the muslin bags. They always end up sucking to the dip tube in the keg towards the end. Slow flowing but they still flow.

if you use leaf, this is great addition for dry hopping in the keg:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/surescreen.html

 

[Yooper]

I use tightly woven muslin bags for pellets (and sometimes leaf) and tea ball strainers often for leaf hops. I've never had a bag end up affecting the diptube, but my diptubes do fit tightly at the bottom of the keg.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I am on the bandwagon! I definitely think it is the freshness of the homebrew that puts the commercial beers at a disadvantage. Also, since we are in control of the additions, amounts, and types of hops we use we make exactly what we want. I just made a IIPA that is almost done carbing and I will most certainly drink this one faster than most batches despite it being quite a bit stronger than my average batch because insanely hoppy beers are my favorite by far and the hop "magic" fades far too fast.

 

[Nightshade]

I still drink commercial IPAs but like my homebrew versions better and I know why.

I brew to my taste not to what is commercially saleable to the larger audience. Therefore if I like it up front and in your face then thats how I brew it, if I like it smooth with a heavy finish then thats how I brew it. There aren't many commercial brews that get my mood at the right times, and thats why mine are better than theirs.

 

[wiggybrewer]

I still drink commercial IPAs but like my homebrew versions better and I know why.

I brew to my taste not to what is commercially saleable to the larger audience. Therefore if I like it up front and in your face then thats how I brew it, if I like it smooth with a heavy finish then thats how I brew it. There aren't many commercial brews that get my mood at the right times, and thats why mine are better than theirs.

+ 1 to that!!

 

[Warrior]

I use tightly woven muslin bags for pellets (and sometimes leaf) and tea ball strainers often for leaf hops. I've never had a bag end up affecting the diptube, but my diptubes do fit tightly at the bottom of the keg.

I'll need to get the strainers for my kegs as I usually use leaf for dry hopping.