IPA too light in color?

[Jsbe222]

Hello all!

I’m new to home brewing but have a decent knowledge base regarding the basic fundamentals as I have read a couple of books on brewing (at least portions of them). I recently brewed my first batch of Everyday IPA from Brooklyn Brew Shop to get a hands on experience with the all grain brewing process. Everything seems to have gone pretty smoothly throughout, however after tasting my first bottle it seems the beer is not very hoppy and is pretty light yellow in color. Since I’m not entirely sure what this beer is supposed to look/taste like I’m hoping to troubleshoot potential issues.

Regarding the (perceived) low IBU, I’m not sure anything I could have done would have significantly affected this since the hops come prepackaged in this kit. As for the light yellow color of the beer I am thinking that I may not have sufficiently sparged the grains being the only potential culprit. Or maybe that is just what it’s supposed to look like.

Any input is appreciated!

 

[Punx Clever]

Color looks right for an IPA to me, for what it's worth.

As far as perceived bitterness, there's a lot of factors that go into that. Without knowing what the hop additions were (type, amount, time), it's impossible to give any kind of ball park guess on where it should be. On top of that, the biggest problem is that bitterness is subjective too!

End of the day, if you enjoy it, it's a good beer.

 

[Jsbe222]

Color looks right for an IPA to me, for what it's worth.

As far as perceived bitterness, there's a lot of factors that go into that. Without knowing what the hop additions were (type, amount, time), it's impossible to give any kind of ball park guess on where it should be. On top of that, the biggest problem is that bitterness is subjective too!

End of the day, if you enjoy it, it's a good beer.

Thanks for the reply! In the picture it looks a little darker than what it actually is in different light. As for the hops it was
60 min Columbus (the whole packet)
45 min Cascade (1/5 packet)
30 min Cascade (1/5 packet)
15 min Cascade (1/5 packet)
5 min Cascade (1/5 packet)
Remaining cascade at flameout

I know saying the amounts in terms of packets doesn’t help much but that’s the only information it had with the kit. If I had to estimate I would say it may have been about .25 oz for the Columbus and slightly more for the Cascade in a 1 gallon batch

 

[Punx Clever]

Thanks for the reply! In the picture it looks a little darker than what it actually is in different light. As for the hops it was
60 min Columbus (the whole packet)
45 min Cascade (1/5 packet)
30 min Cascade (1/5 packet)
15 min Cascade (1/5 packet)
5 min Cascade (1/5 packet)
Remaining cascade at flameout

I know saying the amounts in terms of packets doesn’t help much but that’s the only information it had with the kit. If I had to estimate I would say it may have been about .25 oz for the Columbus and slightly more for the Cascade in a 1 gallon batch

Simply guessing at the OG (1.060?) of the beer, that hop schedule should get you in the 50 IBU range for a 1g batch, which is in line with American IPA guidelines.

As for the color, even if the picture is a bit darker, you are still in the range for an American IPA.

If you brew it again, you can always add some extra hops and make it your own that's the joy of homebrewing!

 

[Pappers_]

The color looks right to me, as @Punx Clever said.

To help you evaluate your beers, you might consider that hops add both bitterness and aroma/flavor. Those are two distinct sensations, and you might taste your beer for both and see what you think - is it bitter enough, do I like the hop aroma and flavor and is there enough of it? Then you can decide what to do for your next batch!

 

[mattdee1]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume by "not very hoppy" you mean that your beer doesn't provide that lovely little burst of fruity/citrusy aroma and flavor that you associate with your favorite commercially available IPA.

If achieving these delicate flavors and aromas in your homebrew is your measure of success, then you've got quite a ways to go in learning and optimizing your process. Everyone wants to make IPAs but there's no sugar-coating it: beers that rely on lots of late-addition hops, such as IPAs, require a very sound process and some "next level" techniques (namely, water chemistry and strict oxygen avoidance.)

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you can brute-force your way to a killer IPA by just throwing more and more expensive hops in there, because without the correct process all you're doing is making the beer taste rough and harsh.

The good news is, a great homebrewed IPA is well within your reach even without all kinds of flashy and expensive equipment, but it will take more learning to get there. I'd strongly recommend you start with other more forgiving styles like porters and amber ales. These styles practically brew themselves, in the sense that they hold up under a range of tap water chemistries and do not suffer such obvious ill-effects from cold side oxygen.

 

[Beer Viking]

Your glass looks within the range of the color of an IPA. If you want it darker you can adjust the grain bill and use something darker. If you want it to be more hoppy just add more hops to your next batch. Remember what you did last time and tweek it into something you really like.