Hops profile falling flat

[oach]

Hi All,

I typically purchase hops a pound at a time and usually a year old to get a bargain. Therefore the bulk of my hops are from 2017 and even a few from 2016. When I open the hops I break them down in 1 ounce bags that are vacuumed sealed.

Needless to say I like making NIEPAs with the usual suspects: Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic, etc. I have noticed that over my past handful of batches that the initial huge aroma blast I get when kegging the beer has usually subsided by the time it finishes carbonating (~1 week to carbonate). No matter which hops, no matter which combination of hops, they all fade to a "berry" aroma (tropical no longer exists) before becoming what I describe as a muted, lackluster mess. I don't drink them as they aren't what I am expecting. The beer itself doesn't seem to have flaws.

I have been scratching my head on this one and can only think it is due to the age of the hops??? On brew day the hops smell wonderful prior to putting in the beer. Typically when kegging they smell great. But, a week after being in the keg, done!!

I have successfully made many NEIPAs in the past and I have been brewing for 10+ years, so I think my overall process is good.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

 

[jaymosbeershack]

Hi All,

I typically purchase hops a pound at a time and usually a year old to get a bargain. Therefore the bulk of my hops are from 2017 and even a few from 2016. When I open the hops I break them down in 1 ounce bags that are vacuumed sealed.

Needless to say I like making NIEPAs with the usual suspects: Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic, etc. I have noticed that over my past handful of batches that the initial huge aroma blast I get when kegging the beer has usually subsided by the time it finishes carbonating (~1 week to carbonate). No matter which hops, no matter which combination of hops, they all fade to a "berry" aroma (tropical no longer exists) before becoming what I describe as a muted, lackluster mess. I don't drink them as they aren't what I am expecting. The beer itself doesn't seem to have flaws.

I have been scratching my head on this one and can only think it is due to the age of the hops??? On brew day the hops smell wonderful prior to putting in the beer. Typically when kegging they smell great. But, a week after being in the keg, done!!

I have successfully made many NEIPAs in the past and I have been brewing for 10+ years, so I think my overall process is good.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Can you share your kegging technique? Also, how you ferment and dry hop. A little O2 ingress can kill the hops in an NE in no time, and those stages are often the culprit.

 

[couchsending]

Oxidation

First thing to go is aroma and overall hop character.

 

[oach]

Can you share your kegging technique? Also, how you ferment and dry hop. A little O2 ingress can kill the hops in an NE in no time, and those stages are often the culprit.

I drop the wort down to 62-64*F and add yeast. Typically will let it free rise up to 68*F as fermentation is in full swing. I dry hop directly in the carboy at high krausen for 3-4 days. Will cold crash the beer for 24-48 hours prior to kegging. When I keg I purge the keg with CO2 prior to racking beer into keg. Once complete put the keg on CO2 and flush with CO2 again.

 

[oach]

Oxidation

First thing to go is aroma and overall hop character.

Purchased some 2018 hops from Farm House Brew Supply (love that place) and plan to use them in the next week or two. If I have the same results, I will assume there is a process flaw. If so, will mysterious as this never used to happen, just in the last 5-6 batches.

 

[couchsending]

I drop the wort down to 62-64*F and add yeast. Typically will let it free rise up to 68*F as fermentation is in full swing. I dry hop directly in the carboy at high krausen for 3-4 days. Will cold crash the beer for 24-48 hours prior to kegging. When I keg I purge the keg with CO2 prior to racking beer into keg. Once complete put the keg on CO2 and flush with CO2 again.

Dry hopping at high krausen will blow off a sizable portion of the aromatics. Wait until the very tail end of fermentation.

Are you cold crashing under positive pressure? Otherwise you’re sucking in oxygen.

What’s your exact process for purging the keg?

 

[oach]

Dry hopping at high krausen will blow off a sizable portion of the aromatics. Wait until the very tail end of fermentation.

Are you cold crashing under positive pressure? Otherwise you’re sucking in oxygen.

What’s your exact process for purging the keg?

I will wait in terms of when I add the hops.

Could you explain positive pressure? I assume I am sucking in oxygen.

Purge the keg with CO2 prior to racking beer. Rack the beer into the keg. Purge with CO2 after hooking up the line and releasing some pressure to, assumingly, release O2 from keg.

 

[couchsending]

I will wait in terms of when I add the hops.

Could you explain positive pressure? I assume I am sucking in oxygen.

Purge the keg with CO2 prior to racking beer. Rack the beer into the keg. Purge with CO2 after hooking up the line and releasing some pressure to, assumingly, release O2 from keg.

Look into the balloon method. It’s probably the easiest way to keep Co2 out of the carboy while cold crashing.

So if you want to make hoppy beers which really punchy aroma and flavor that lasts for a while look into the low oxygen brewing method of purging a keg. I’ve done closed transfers since I started brewing but as soon as I moved to that method of purging a keg my beer got infinitely better and lasted much longer.

Basically you fill the keg to the very top with sanitizer, put the lid on, push out say 16 oz with Co2, then purge that small amount of head space 11 times at 30 psi, then push the rest of the sanitizer out (make sure you get it all). Make sure all your lines are purged thoroughly, attach a blow off into a bucket of sanitizer from the gas out and start your transfer completely closed transfer into a completely o2 free keg (well almost O2 for you anal folks). Sounds like a lot but I guarantee at least your aroma will be much better.

Also do you own and regularly use a pH meter by chance?

 

[oach]

DAre you cold crashing under positive pressure? Otherwise you’re sucking in oxygen.

Sorry that I haven't had a chance to respond. Work has been a bear!

I am cold crashing in the carboy, I haven't noticed that the airlock is losing any sanitized water (at least it is still full when I keg). If this is true, how is the beer getting oxygenated?