First, let me state up front that I am NOT proposing that using refined sugars (e.g., table sugar or corn sugar) as adjuncts in a recipe will necessarily lead to appley or cidery flavors. When I started encountering these off-flavors in my own beers, my research at first produced such suggestions though subsequent research seemed to reveal that there is no real science to back this up (and/or that I could be ridiculed for believing it). That being said, Im hoping someone can help me understand why my last two IPAs (in which I did use table sugar) are the only beers Ive ever brewed with this pronounced cidery/appley off-flavor. Its been really disappointing and almost undrinkable. Help! I trust this is a processual error
I like IPAs, but dont love them or want to drink them all the time. (If I could make a decent one, however, maybe Id think differently ) So, Ive only brewed three of them:
FIRST ATTEMPT: No apple/cider off-flavor
Extract recipe. My notes back then werent great, but I used 8 oz table sugar and probably fermented at ~67-68F for three weeks with Wyeast 1056 (in 2L starter). OG = 1.065; FG = 1.014. Bottled with priming sugar and kept at room temperature for at least 2 weeks to carb. Tasted great, relatively dry, with good hop aroma. Of course, my palate may have changed since then, but I certainly dont remember apple or cider flavors at all
SECOND ATTEMPT: Pronounced apple/cider off-flavor
All-grain. Infusion mash at 152F in a 10-gallon cooler. Added 12 oz table sugar w 30 min left in the boil. OG = 1.064. Pitched a dry yeast called Mangrove Jack Workhorse (recommended by my LHBS but Ill never use it again) and fermented at 65F for three weeks, kegged and dry-hopped in keg. When served, very appley and it never really improved after sitting in keg for a few more weeks. Ended-up dumping it. One thing to note is that this Mangrove Jack yeast didnt seem to want to go any lower than 1.016 and I tried rousing the yeast, warming the fermenter, etc., but it never dropped.
THIRD ATTEMPT: Pronounced apple/cider off-flavor
All-grain. Infusion mash at 149F in a 10-gallon cooler. Added 8 oz of table sugar at beginning of boil. OG = 1.065. Pitched WLP007 (in 1.75L starter) and it blasted through the beer fermenting at 65F. Reached FG = 1.012 after 8 days. Added dry hops after two weeks in primary, transferred to keg after 4 more days. Again, super-strong apple-like off-flavor!
I realize theres a lot of variables here and not much consistency in recipe or process among my IPA attempts. But this is really discouraging and I feel like there must be SOME relationship to the simple sugars (again, Ive never had these off-flavors in any other beer, and these are the only beers Ive ever used simple sugars; but I also know some of the worlds great beers use simple sugars...). I dont know the only major differences I see between the first attempt and the appley/cidery attempts is switching to all-grain, fermenting at slightly lower temps, using yeast strains other than Wyeast 1056, and kegging instead of bottling.
Anyhow, any suggestions or insight would be helpful. I can post recipes but didnt here because Ive already taken-up so much space
I like IPAs, but dont love them or want to drink them all the time. (If I could make a decent one, however, maybe Id think differently ) So, Ive only brewed three of them:
FIRST ATTEMPT: No apple/cider off-flavor
Extract recipe. My notes back then werent great, but I used 8 oz table sugar and probably fermented at ~67-68F for three weeks with Wyeast 1056 (in 2L starter). OG = 1.065; FG = 1.014. Bottled with priming sugar and kept at room temperature for at least 2 weeks to carb. Tasted great, relatively dry, with good hop aroma. Of course, my palate may have changed since then, but I certainly dont remember apple or cider flavors at all
SECOND ATTEMPT: Pronounced apple/cider off-flavor
All-grain. Infusion mash at 152F in a 10-gallon cooler. Added 12 oz table sugar w 30 min left in the boil. OG = 1.064. Pitched a dry yeast called Mangrove Jack Workhorse (recommended by my LHBS but Ill never use it again) and fermented at 65F for three weeks, kegged and dry-hopped in keg. When served, very appley and it never really improved after sitting in keg for a few more weeks. Ended-up dumping it. One thing to note is that this Mangrove Jack yeast didnt seem to want to go any lower than 1.016 and I tried rousing the yeast, warming the fermenter, etc., but it never dropped.
THIRD ATTEMPT: Pronounced apple/cider off-flavor
All-grain. Infusion mash at 149F in a 10-gallon cooler. Added 8 oz of table sugar at beginning of boil. OG = 1.065. Pitched WLP007 (in 1.75L starter) and it blasted through the beer fermenting at 65F. Reached FG = 1.012 after 8 days. Added dry hops after two weeks in primary, transferred to keg after 4 more days. Again, super-strong apple-like off-flavor!
I realize theres a lot of variables here and not much consistency in recipe or process among my IPA attempts. But this is really discouraging and I feel like there must be SOME relationship to the simple sugars (again, Ive never had these off-flavors in any other beer, and these are the only beers Ive ever used simple sugars; but I also know some of the worlds great beers use simple sugars...). I dont know the only major differences I see between the first attempt and the appley/cidery attempts is switching to all-grain, fermenting at slightly lower temps, using yeast strains other than Wyeast 1056, and kegging instead of bottling.
Anyhow, any suggestions or insight would be helpful. I can post recipes but didnt here because Ive already taken-up so much space
