Hop quantity

[Cmiller]

I'm relatively new to brewing, about 50 gal under my belt. My first batch was DELICIOUS! Bitter, Very citrusy, grapefruity IPA but of course I didn't write anything down, big mistake. I was just having fun, tossing in hops. I know I used lots of citra and cascade. Since then, I've started recording recipies, but cant seem to match the hoppiness of the first brew. I've been referencing other IPA recipies to see how much, when and AA content of the hops added to make a strong IPA. My latest batch has 6oz total:

1oz chinook @ 60
.5 crystal @ 40
.5 Amarillo @ 35
.5 nugget 30
.5 chinook @ 25
1oz mandarina Bavaria @ 15
1oz cascade @ 10
.25 mandarina Bavaria @5
.25 cascade @ 5
.25 chinook @5
.25 Amarillo @ 5

Grain bill:
6lbs great western 2row
2lbs briess dark munich

Came out to 5.25 ABV

I thought this was a pretty aggressive hop schedule, but I just tasted the beer, it's been in the keg about a week, and it tastes like a regular old ale, very little hoppy smell or taste. Am I doing something wrong or just not enough hops? Not enough alpha acids? Or do I need to go get more citras?

 

[Jtvann]

Your schedule is a shotgun and pray approach to using hops. Use them more specifically for what you’re shooting for.

If you want bitterness, use a 60 minute addition. Your 40 and 35 minute additions are not needed. Combine them at 60 and you’ll actually use less hops since the AA is better utilized.

I have used mid range hops in the 30 minute range in the past, but don’t as much now. 30 minutes is still weak in bittering and weak in flavoring. It would be best to push them more towards the ends as well. Same for your 25.

One charge at 15 is fine for more complex flavoring. Not more than one. Pick a time in 15 to zero and put more hops there instead of scattered.

All of your hops are getting boiled some. You could incorporate whirlpooling or just a hop stand. Add hops when you turn the heat off while you’re cooling. That adds a lot of flavor and some aroma depending on how fast you cool.

Incorporate dry hopping. Dry hops add intense aroma

 

[Tallgrass]

In addition to moving hops to later in the boil, whirlpooling and dry hopping.....

Are you doing anything to prevent oxygen from reaching your beer?

I had a Pliney the Elder clone go from delicious to a malty mess in a matter of days. All the hop flavor and aroma was gone. I had removed the lid of the keg that had been in the fridge about a week and forgot to purge the headspace afterwards. I suspect the oxygen and pressure in the headspace was the culprit. Until then I did little to limit oxygen. Now I'm only doing closed transfers.

 

[jrgtr42]

|Skip anything between 60 and about 15 - the 60 is the bittering addition, 15 and under is flavor and aroma. IMO anything between just gets muddled (there are exceptions, Dogfish Head's 60, 90 and 120 minutes are continuously hopped.)
Also you'll probably want to up the 5 minute amounts, and cut back on the hops used.
Check out some of the brew calculators and play around with the numbers, and look at the hops descriptions. You'll want to use complimentary ones, rather than any old thing.
Also watch for the oxidation - keep air access to a minimum - don't repeatedly open the lids.