MaltAndMayhem
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- Apr 13, 2021
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I have been brewing about a NEIPA every second month for a year now, trying to dial in different recipes and get them just right but I keep struggling with a recurring loss of flavor or aroma. The flavor is there but it is way muted and the sample I pull from the fermenter is always way fresher than what comes into the glass after kegging. I feel like Ahab and the perfect NEIPA is my white whale. It consumes me to the point where I lie next to my lovely lady sans clothes and still can't think of nothing else than what I am doing wrong with these neipas.
I'm going to give as detailed explanation on my process as humanely possible.
Beer recipe
The beer recipe has been varied but most of the time it is 80% pilsner and 20% flaked oats to an OG of 1.077 and an expected FG of 1.015,(46 liters / 12,15 gallons) I realize oats carries a risk of oxidation. Fermented with Verdant IPA and I usually add no hops in boil, just whirlpool with about a 200g (7 oz) at 75 deg celsius for 60 minutes and add two dry hop charges at day 0(8 oz / 250g when pitching yeast) and 9 oz at day 7.
Hit all my numbers. The hops used were Galaxy(regular), Idaho 7(regular) and Mosaic(Lupomax).
Water adjusted to Ca: 62, Mg: 8, Na: 11, Cl 110, So4: 79, HCO3: 2 1.5:1 cl to sulfite on last batch. Often I do 2:1 instead, but I went down a bit on this one.
Process
I use a SS Brew Tech unitank. I clean it thoroughly before hand. All ports except guage and blow off are removed and washed in dish washer. Then mounted back on. Hot water with PBW are circulated for minimum 30 minutes before rinsing out with HOT water. Then room temperated StarSan is added.
I mash, sparge and boil on a three vessel HERMS setup. After whirlpool I pump all the wort into the empty Unitank. I pitch hops and yeast together.
Fermentation process
The yeast get active pretty early and starts fermenting. I do not pressure the tank and let the fermentor blow off as normal. When fermentation is done(low activity in blow off) after seven days I pressurize the tank through the carb stone to about 8 psi. I use a SodaStream bottle to pressurize. Then I lowered the temperature to 10 deg c(50 fahrenheit). I add a sanitized 3" sight glass on top of the tank(over a 3" butterfly valve) and a lid with ball locks on top of this. I close all clamps and pressurize the sight glass with co2 and purge it 5-6 times. Then I add the hops to the depressurized chamber and purge it three more times with the hops in it. I then open the valve slightly so that the co2 from the tank helps purge the sight glass(I release gas). Then I drop the hops in. I figure this process should eliminate any possibility of getting oxygen into the system?
I let the hops sit on the beer for 5-6 days before cold crashing.
Kegging process
I use a Brewtools inline filter when kegging. I put the filter together and dip it into StarSan(all parts lie in starsan while I assemble). Then I put co2 through the filter and move the filter to the upper valve of the unitank. I press it into and remove it a few times to pressurize and purge the filter and valve tip for air. Then I screw the clamp on securing the filter in place. Then I purge the filter 5-6 more times through the pressure relief valve on the inline filter.
Prior to this I have two kegs filled to the brim with StarSan. I purge them by pushing out all the StarSan using Co2. Then I open them and add 2g of Campden Powder to prevent oxidation. I seal them shut again and pressurize and purge 3-4 times. (Often I leave them over night and repurge them in the morning).
Then I put the kegs onto the inline filter, open the valve and the kegs start filling. I use a spunding valve on the keg and spund them at about 12 psi. I use the SodaStream co2 bottles on the blow off valve of the unitank to push the beer out of the fermenter into the keg. When a keg is full I disconnect it and connect the other.
Aftermath
After the kegs are filled I purge them a few more times and put them in the kegerators. They taste good but there is not much of that "in your face" hop aroma. They look good - nice and yellow even two months later but the taste and aroma is muted. What could this come from? I feel that my process here is pretty solid and that oxygen pickup should be minimal...
Possible culprits
The Soda-Stream bottles
The Soda Stream bottle are a possible culprit. Could they contain miniscule amounts of O2? Even though I use both Ascorbic Acid during mash and Campden Powder during kegging they could still be taking up oxygen?
The Brewtools Filter
Could the Brewtools Inline Filter contain enough oxygen to oxidize the neipa even though it is purged 4-5 times, and even has had running co2 on it while being connected?
Old hops
I've used hops from my local homebrew store. But this last round I used Lupomax Mosaic in it too. Should produce very, very dank tones.
Too much hops
This study suggests that there is a saturation window where the added hops (past 7g / liter) is not beneficial and can mute aroma in that the product becomes saturated by the other oils in the hop and therefore does not take in the aroma of the subsequent dry hop charge.
Cold keezer
The keezer has a myriad of beers in it. Pilsner etc that I prefer to keep cold. The keezer holds 2.5 deg c / 36 deg f, and thus the beer is quite cold. A Neipa should be served at no less than 44 deg f / 6.6 deg c. Could this be the culprit? I tried leaving a glass out and allowing it to heat up - the aroma is slightly stronger but not much.
Dirty lines
It's been a while since I cleaned the line this beer is on. Could dirty lines muddle aroma that much? Note: I did use a picnic tap to tap directly from the keg - same muted aroma then.
Pressurizing fermenter and spunding kegs
Could the problem be the fact that I usually ferment under pressure?
On this last batch I pressurized it after it was done fermenting and then added new hops. Could this be the problem? Pressurizing the fermenter will demand that I also spund the kegs when I fill them, and thus more aroma will disappear? I also imagine that when the beer is pressurized and then transferred to a keg - it will foam and splash more during transfer to kegs which will then in turn allow more aroma to disappear?
I read somewhere that several breweries ferment their NEIPAs in unitanks without pressure. However, no pressure during the stay in the Unitank means I risk getting oxygen suck back when cold crashing - so that means that a cold crash is also hard to achieve without oxygen ingress..
What do you think? Any other suggestions?
I'm going to give as detailed explanation on my process as humanely possible.
Beer recipe
The beer recipe has been varied but most of the time it is 80% pilsner and 20% flaked oats to an OG of 1.077 and an expected FG of 1.015,(46 liters / 12,15 gallons) I realize oats carries a risk of oxidation. Fermented with Verdant IPA and I usually add no hops in boil, just whirlpool with about a 200g (7 oz) at 75 deg celsius for 60 minutes and add two dry hop charges at day 0(8 oz / 250g when pitching yeast) and 9 oz at day 7.
Hit all my numbers. The hops used were Galaxy(regular), Idaho 7(regular) and Mosaic(Lupomax).
Water adjusted to Ca: 62, Mg: 8, Na: 11, Cl 110, So4: 79, HCO3: 2 1.5:1 cl to sulfite on last batch. Often I do 2:1 instead, but I went down a bit on this one.
Process
I use a SS Brew Tech unitank. I clean it thoroughly before hand. All ports except guage and blow off are removed and washed in dish washer. Then mounted back on. Hot water with PBW are circulated for minimum 30 minutes before rinsing out with HOT water. Then room temperated StarSan is added.
I mash, sparge and boil on a three vessel HERMS setup. After whirlpool I pump all the wort into the empty Unitank. I pitch hops and yeast together.
Fermentation process
The yeast get active pretty early and starts fermenting. I do not pressure the tank and let the fermentor blow off as normal. When fermentation is done(low activity in blow off) after seven days I pressurize the tank through the carb stone to about 8 psi. I use a SodaStream bottle to pressurize. Then I lowered the temperature to 10 deg c(50 fahrenheit). I add a sanitized 3" sight glass on top of the tank(over a 3" butterfly valve) and a lid with ball locks on top of this. I close all clamps and pressurize the sight glass with co2 and purge it 5-6 times. Then I add the hops to the depressurized chamber and purge it three more times with the hops in it. I then open the valve slightly so that the co2 from the tank helps purge the sight glass(I release gas). Then I drop the hops in. I figure this process should eliminate any possibility of getting oxygen into the system?
I let the hops sit on the beer for 5-6 days before cold crashing.
Kegging process
I use a Brewtools inline filter when kegging. I put the filter together and dip it into StarSan(all parts lie in starsan while I assemble). Then I put co2 through the filter and move the filter to the upper valve of the unitank. I press it into and remove it a few times to pressurize and purge the filter and valve tip for air. Then I screw the clamp on securing the filter in place. Then I purge the filter 5-6 more times through the pressure relief valve on the inline filter.
Prior to this I have two kegs filled to the brim with StarSan. I purge them by pushing out all the StarSan using Co2. Then I open them and add 2g of Campden Powder to prevent oxidation. I seal them shut again and pressurize and purge 3-4 times. (Often I leave them over night and repurge them in the morning).
Then I put the kegs onto the inline filter, open the valve and the kegs start filling. I use a spunding valve on the keg and spund them at about 12 psi. I use the SodaStream co2 bottles on the blow off valve of the unitank to push the beer out of the fermenter into the keg. When a keg is full I disconnect it and connect the other.
Aftermath
After the kegs are filled I purge them a few more times and put them in the kegerators. They taste good but there is not much of that "in your face" hop aroma. They look good - nice and yellow even two months later but the taste and aroma is muted. What could this come from? I feel that my process here is pretty solid and that oxygen pickup should be minimal...
Possible culprits
The Soda-Stream bottles
The Soda Stream bottle are a possible culprit. Could they contain miniscule amounts of O2? Even though I use both Ascorbic Acid during mash and Campden Powder during kegging they could still be taking up oxygen?
The Brewtools Filter
Could the Brewtools Inline Filter contain enough oxygen to oxidize the neipa even though it is purged 4-5 times, and even has had running co2 on it while being connected?
Old hops
I've used hops from my local homebrew store. But this last round I used Lupomax Mosaic in it too. Should produce very, very dank tones.
Too much hops
This study suggests that there is a saturation window where the added hops (past 7g / liter) is not beneficial and can mute aroma in that the product becomes saturated by the other oils in the hop and therefore does not take in the aroma of the subsequent dry hop charge.
Cold keezer
The keezer has a myriad of beers in it. Pilsner etc that I prefer to keep cold. The keezer holds 2.5 deg c / 36 deg f, and thus the beer is quite cold. A Neipa should be served at no less than 44 deg f / 6.6 deg c. Could this be the culprit? I tried leaving a glass out and allowing it to heat up - the aroma is slightly stronger but not much.
Dirty lines
It's been a while since I cleaned the line this beer is on. Could dirty lines muddle aroma that much? Note: I did use a picnic tap to tap directly from the keg - same muted aroma then.
Pressurizing fermenter and spunding kegs
Could the problem be the fact that I usually ferment under pressure?
On this last batch I pressurized it after it was done fermenting and then added new hops. Could this be the problem? Pressurizing the fermenter will demand that I also spund the kegs when I fill them, and thus more aroma will disappear? I also imagine that when the beer is pressurized and then transferred to a keg - it will foam and splash more during transfer to kegs which will then in turn allow more aroma to disappear?
I read somewhere that several breweries ferment their NEIPAs in unitanks without pressure. However, no pressure during the stay in the Unitank means I risk getting oxygen suck back when cold crashing - so that means that a cold crash is also hard to achieve without oxygen ingress..
What do you think? Any other suggestions?