IPA aging poorly

[dirtymike1]

Has anyone ever had a brew that just won't age well? I posted this in the Extract thread, but I'll start this one too. After 3-4 weeks in the bottle, my IPA's flavor just fads out to a watery taste. Got any idea's?? I had one from my first batch from back in Jan. and even that one was just bitter water, no real "beer" flavor was left.

The recipe is the Brewers Best IPA kit, I bottle in brown bottles the first time, and in green pints the second. I've been very careful about storage temp. and light exposer. I even tried storing a few of my latest one in the fridge, to try and perserve them, thinknig maybe my Apt. might be to warm, but they all taste the same, crappy.

 

[blacklab]

you're going to need to post the detailed recipe for us to help you.

 

[FlyingHorse]

you're going to need to post the detailed recipe for us to help you.

It's in the other thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=685654&postcount=7

FWIW, double posting in multiple forums is discouraged, and the Mods may shut this one down.

 

[dirtymike1]

I understand if they do, but watching the number of people that view each one, and that I ment to post it in this one anyway, I was hoping someone might be able to help.... I'm just trying to figure this out.

 

[FSR402]

I understand if they do, but watching the number of people that view each one, and that I ment to post it in this one anyway, I was hoping someone might be able to help.... I'm just trying to figure this out.

I think it's just the way those kits are. I made three of those BB kits and although they turned out well, they just did not have a lot going on. A little bland and no mouth feel..

 

[JeffPhD2005]

I dunno but most of my grain bills range between 10 - 14 pounds depending on the recipe and style. I see you grain bill is a wee bit lite at 8 lbs and no specialty grains like Carpils for more mouth feel.
My-2-cents.

 

[budbo]

The OG with that "grain bill" is pretty light for the Hops. you are probably just not tasting the malt over the hops, you might try adding a pound or two of DME

 

[dirtymike1]

So what if I did this next time?

The BB kit recipe

6.6 lbs. Plain Light Malt Extract
1 lb. Crushed Crystal Malt
8 oz. Crushed Victory
2 oz. Cascade Hops (Bittering)
1 oz. Cascade Hops (Finishing)
5 oz. Priming Sugar
1 each Beer Yeast

Revised recipe

9.0 lbs plain LME
1 lb. Crushed Crystal Malt
8 oz. Crush Victory
2 oz. Cascade (Bittering)
2 oz. Cascade Cont. Hopping
1 oz. Centennial (finishing

Something along these line might work better????

 

[Donasay]

perchance does it have a soapy cardboard taste, is the beer extra extra foamy? Can you describe all the charachteristics of the way it tastes, there may be a minor or hidden off flavor you are not tasting that could be becoming more pronounced as it ages...

Diagnosing beer without tasting it is just about as easy as trying to diagnose car problems over the phone. I don't think there are more than two numbskulls out there who would ever try to do that.

 

[dirtymike1]

perchance does it have a soapy cardboard taste, is the beer extra extra foamy? Can you describe all the charachteristics of the way it tastes, there may be a minor or hidden off flavor you are not tasting that could be becoming more pronounced as it ages...

Diagnosing beer without tasting it is just about as easy as trying to diagnose car problems over the phone. I don't think there are more than two numbskulls out there who would ever try to do that.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Tell me about it!!!!!!

Well lets see, I don't have on ein front of me right now, but its got a pretty basic taste. It has a nice aroma, fair to poor head retention (something that Im not really worried about), it does have a buttery/oily/heavy cream feel on the lips (thats one aspect that I liked). I will throw one in the fridge when I get home and will write up a sip by sip description of the brew, but thats pretty much it. All that with a watery taste at the back of the mouth.

Wow...thank god I learned to drink scotch and wine before I fell in love with beer!

 

[uglygoat]

mike, get some high alpha acid hops for the kettle addition. nugget, magnum, chinook, columbus. leave the cascade for the flavor/aroma. you need more hops than that for an ipa.

 

[dirtymike1]

Ok, I'm sitting here at home with beer in hand...

The buttery texture/feel on my lips is gone...
It is just as I said before, it's very bitter up front, a nice bitter/hoppy flavor, then it disappers, kinda like a Hinekin or St. Paulie Girl. They have that, crisp, bitterness up front, then its gone like a frat in the wind....

I know this won't help, but it just doesn't have anything to it...

At first I LOLed, but then I serioused....

 

[Donasay]

if there aren't any noticable off flavors, it is possible that the wort was just highly fermentable, what was your OG and FG?

 

[dirtymike1]

OG 1.044
FG 1.008

I was expecting a higher OG...but it is what it was...

 

[EdWort]

What's the timing on your hop additions?

 

[dirtymike1]

The hops were added at boil, then the 2 oz. that I added over the next 55 minutes, then the finishing. It was in the primary for 10 days. I transfered to the secondary and dry hopped with another 1 oz. for another 10 days. All the hops used during the boil were Cascade and the dry hops were Centenial.

 

[EdWort]

So how much did you add and when did you add each addition during the 55 minutes?

 

[dirtymike1]

Call it a pinch, 2-5 pellets, about every five minutes. I wasn't very exact about this part of the process.

 

[dirtymike1]

Oh, and I also excepted the boil off amount, about 1/4 gallon and only topped off with 2 more gallons in the carboy.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

With an OG of 1.044, I say this beer may be passed its prime. When did you brew it? Beers in the 1.04X range aren't going to typically age well beyond a 2-4 months or so (gross ballpark estimate there).

I'm guessing you can add 3 or 4 more lbs of DME and you'd be a lot happier after it mellows and ages a bit.

 

[dirtymike1]

I don't remember the date that I bottled it, but it hasn't been more then a month in the bottle. You think it would fad out that quickly? That would seem to make sense...

 

[vav]

I myself brewed that exact kit, and i modified it by dryhopping it on an ounce of cascade and an ounce of Simcoe.

Mine was just OK but drinkable....nothing too special, right? Well, i took some to a friend's house for a party, and left some there. 2 months later there was still 1 bottle left in their fridge, so i cracked it and it was a COMPLETELY different beer. Delicious, resinous hops throughout, with no off flavors at ALL.

So give it time. Throw a sixer in your fridge, let it sit for a month, and see what happens.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I don't remember the date that I bottled it, but it hasn't been more then a month in the bottle. You think it would fad out that quickly? That would seem to make sense...

No, I don't think it would fade that quickly. I thought this might be an older beer from last year for some reason. I don't know where I got that impression from... sorry.

 

[dirtymike1]

Well vav, I would but I'm down to 1 pint left, so I'll hide it from myself and find it when I move out in Nov. But the first batch I did back in Jan, I had one just a few days ago that I gave to my Mom and it was GOD AWFUL! It was bitter gnat's pee.... But I will try it when I find it again in a few months. Thank you all for your help and idea's. This place is awesome!

Cheers!

 

[EdWort]

I highly recommend getting your next kit at Austin Home Brew. They have the freshest ingredients IMHO.

 

[FSR402]

I highly recommend getting your next kit at Austin Home Brew. They have the freshest ingredients IMHO.

+1
I think that the ME in those BB kits are just not that good. Sure they can make ok beer but I don't see one being a great beer.

But even with that said those BB kits are good for the beginner.

 

[count barleywine]

+1 for fresh ingredients. My true brew IPA kits have turned out poorly as well, and I bet the extract is way old and stale in them. That being said, I brewed a Cascade-only bitter last year(not a kit), and it was watery, too bitter, and had no hop flavor or aroma. After about 8 months in the bottle though, it really smoothed out. Mouthfeel was up, as was the cascade flavor and aroma. Because of this I will be storing the rest of my latest IPA for a long while. If I'm gonna spend extra money on a hoppy beer, I need to TASTE said hops in fact be blown away by them.

PS-Ed that Red Dragon IPA looks like a face melter!

 

[FSR402]

.

PS-Ed that Red Dragon IPA looks like a face melter!

I think you meant me..

 

[dirtymike1]

Well the next bathc that I do is going to be Yoopers 60 minute clone. My true goal is the holy grail of IPA's, DFH 120 minute. But that said, I want to try the 60 minute clone and work on a good summer ale. I think I'll let the IPA age all summer long and have it at the first cold of this year.

Any summer ale recipes that I should try?

 

[count barleywine]

d'oh sorry FSR402, can't wait to brew the Dragon!