NE IPA finished dry

[jocko327]

I just brewed a juicy bits clone with el dorado, citra, and mosaic in equal parts. The recipe called for a lot of hops during a 40 minute whirlpool and even more during the dry hop. The beer smells amazing, exactly as I hoped it would. I fermented with s-04 starting at 70 and went up to 73. OG was 1.065, I'll have to get a FG tomorrow (broke my hydrometer).

All this to say that it tastes good except that it is pretty dry. That isn't really what I expected. Any ideas on what could have gone wrong?

 

[MHBT]

Mash higher like 155- 158 F that should help

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Except that NEIPAs often are fairly dry for high gravity beers.

 

[jocko327]

Mash higher like 155- 158 F that should help

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm still new to this gig, so I'm curious about how that will help the beer to be less dry? I just want to understand mash temps better.

 

[day_trippr]

To a point, higher mash temperatures result in higher production of dextrins, which are the unfermentables that contribute body and residual "sweetness"...

Cheers!

 

[Mer-man]

We should probably clarify whether he means a low FG (not something S04 is known for) and some mineral or tannic palette dryness.

 

[jocko327]

I'll be able to get a gravity reading once I get my new hydrometer tonight. I don't imagine that S-04 took me down much past 1.018, but I'll know for sure later.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

You may just be picking up on the hops still in suspension. My first NEIPA I freaked at initial samples thinking it was too dry. I'm pretty sure it was just the hop particles. After I cold crashed for a few days, that perceived dryness went away and the beer was fantastic.

 

[jocko327]

Well, I did an experiment when I got home and put a little dextrose in a cup of beer I poured. It made all the difference in the world, confirming the theory about mash temps. We mashed at 151, I think we go to 155 next time.

I ended up boiling some water with dextrose and added to the keg, figuring that all the yeast are dormant right now in the cold keg, so I don't expect any fermentation. Batch saved!

 

[Tarheel4985]

What was your mash temp and where did your gravity finish up? 1318/London Ale III has a tendency to under-attenuate, especially compared to S-04, which is why the recipe recommends mashing below 150. So like others mentioned, mashing higher might help you keep from over-attenuating if you ferment with S-04.

 

[thehaze]

I agree on the mash temperature. My latest NEIPA with 1318 had a 77% attenuation with a 154.4F mash temp for 75 minutes, taking it from 1.060 down to 1.013, but did not feel dry. It had body and mouthfeel and drank like fruit juice.

151F seems a bit low, but the S-04 should not have attenuated much under 1.015. Maybe you need some more oats in the recipe next time or check your water profile.

 

[505-Brewer]

Well, I did an experiment when I got home and put a little dextrose in a cup of beer I poured. It made all the difference in the world, confirming the theory about mash temps. We mashed at 151, I think we go to 155 next time.

I ended up boiling some water with dextrose and added to the keg, figuring that all the yeast are dormant right now in the cold keg, so I don't expect any fermentation. Batch saved!

Drink it quickly all those hops and exposing it it to O2 (air) by opening the keg is not a good combo.