dangerbrew
Well-Known Member
So I recently brewed two beers, a black IPA and a double IPA, and both of them have had some small issues with their flavor.
There's just something a little bit off about both of them in terms of their bitterness and a grassy-sort of strange harshness, and I'm trying to nail it down to variables that are particular to both of these beers, and I can only think of two things:
1. I let too much of the hop trub end up in the keg while racking. (a possibility, but I don't think more ended up in there than usual, but who knows)
2. I used old hops given to me by a friend in both batches.
My friend had these hops in a freezer in ziploc bags and they were loose pellets that had been left over from big 1 lb bags that he hadn't fully used. I decided to put them to use since he had some good ones in there (amarillo, citra, etc) and these beers, both around 75-80 IBU, were mostly late hopped with no outrageous bittering additions. I can see some floaters in the glass when I pour out a pint, but not an exceptionally large amount of them, and yet it has a tinge of grassiness that I did not expect when using such floral, citrusy hops for flavor/aroma.
Anyway, any educated thought or ideas are appreciated. Just trying to figure out what's happened and if this is something that may mellow given time.
Btw, all the batches brewed since these two have been fine, but I have been using only fresh hops from the LHBS right out of their freezer instead of the leftover hops I got for free. Also, the beers brewed since have been less hoppy, so that's something as well.
There's just something a little bit off about both of them in terms of their bitterness and a grassy-sort of strange harshness, and I'm trying to nail it down to variables that are particular to both of these beers, and I can only think of two things:
1. I let too much of the hop trub end up in the keg while racking. (a possibility, but I don't think more ended up in there than usual, but who knows)
2. I used old hops given to me by a friend in both batches.
My friend had these hops in a freezer in ziploc bags and they were loose pellets that had been left over from big 1 lb bags that he hadn't fully used. I decided to put them to use since he had some good ones in there (amarillo, citra, etc) and these beers, both around 75-80 IBU, were mostly late hopped with no outrageous bittering additions. I can see some floaters in the glass when I pour out a pint, but not an exceptionally large amount of them, and yet it has a tinge of grassiness that I did not expect when using such floral, citrusy hops for flavor/aroma.
Anyway, any educated thought or ideas are appreciated. Just trying to figure out what's happened and if this is something that may mellow given time.
Btw, all the batches brewed since these two have been fine, but I have been using only fresh hops from the LHBS right out of their freezer instead of the leftover hops I got for free. Also, the beers brewed since have been less hoppy, so that's something as well.
