Ok--So this is something I have been wondering for a while. Tonight I am sitting here sucking down a commercial IPA that I bought over 3 months ago and it tastes the same as when I bought it. When I make an IPA, however, it is good for maybe 2months max in the keg and then becomes a bitter mess without any of the hop aroma/taste that I enjoy. How the heck do the commercial IPA's keep their aroma/taste for so long?? Just curious to see if there is something I can do differently. Thanks.
How do Commercial IPA's keep their flavor/aroma
- Thread starter mm1473
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I was wondering about that myself? They also evacuate o2 on the bottling line at one point with Co2.
sputnam
Well-Known Member
maybe filtering the yeast out has something to do with it?
chickypad
lupulin shift victim
My experience as well. Now that most breweries are putting the dates on the bottles it's much easier to tell. My favorites that I know very well - Pliny, Sculpin, Wipeout - all suffer from aging a few months. Still good of course, but not the same.
The commercial examples do fade, but I agree that they fare better than a lot of homebrewed ipas. I think it is mainly the dissolved oxygen of the finished product. Good commercial breweries work very hard (read: spend lots of money) on keeping the DO levels to the lowest amount possible. I heard some podcasts talking about how that was a huge game changer in bottling these amazing ipas. We as homebrewers have a much harder time so the beer oxidizes faster.
I wonder how much purging with Co2 would help in bottling hoppy ales?
You'll lose aroma in the keg as the headspace increases. Try bottling some early on for comparison. Sometimes I add more dry hops when keg is 1/2 full.
sandyeggoxj
Well-Known Member
Go buy that same commercial IPA now when it is fresh and then again in 3 months and do a side by side. You will notice a BIG difference! You can't remember taste very well so it is hard to reference something from 3 months ago. You knew that you liked it but not the nuances of the flavors.
Filtering, good packaging and staying cold all help commercial IPA but they are not impervious to age. I called a brewery out on trying to sell 5-month old IPA and they apoligized, agreed that it was wayyyyy to old and sent me a care package of swag.
Filtering, good packaging and staying cold all help commercial IPA but they are not impervious to age. I called a brewery out on trying to sell 5-month old IPA and they apoligized, agreed that it was wayyyyy to old and sent me a care package of swag.
So it sounds like you can slow down Father Time, but you can't beat him?
I have this problem even after doing a closed transfer to keg from the fermenter's tap and purging everything. I agree with the post about the headspace in the keg. One theory I have is that I've been over carbonating so I'm going to try under carbonating slightly maybe to 1.5. Anyone agree?
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