merrydown
Active Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2009
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TL/DR: After restarting a stuck fermentation for an IPA that had been significantly dry hopped already, I am wondering if I need to dry hop a second time.
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I am a newbie, I made an Evil Dog IPA kit a few weeks ago and then made a 2 can kit IPA I found here: http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=20223 The poster said he fermented down to 1.008.
With the same ingredients, my OG was 1.052 Unfortunately for me, the fermentation stuck at 1.020
I had figured it was almost stopped so dry hopped at 1.020 rather than leaving it to 1.010 as I had before. I used about 50g each of Citra and Centennial as I like a hoppy and bitter IPA.
After 3 days I recovered the hop bag and tested the SG again pessimistically. It was still at 1.020.
When I realised it wasn't going to ferment any futher without help I tried:
-Agitating it. No change.
-Adding yeast nutrient. No change.
-Adding a stuck fermentation yeast Gervin GV7 - recommended to me by my nearby brewstore. It's a hardcore, but non-killer wine yeast that will ferment ale sugars, even maltotriose (although very, very slowly for that). No change though.
I then did what I guess I should have done first. I tasted it. It tasted like a lowish alcohol session IPA, good bitters, I wouldn't want it much more bitter. It wasn't sweet. Nearly enough hoppy aroma / flavour too I think. I am not experienced enough to judge from a lukewarm uncarbonated brew if the aroma would be good once bottled, conditioned and chilled.
So I guess the high SG was due to unfermentables in the Light Malt. Hmm, weird the poster got his down so low, perhaps I missed something.
Soooo, I added 800g cane sugar which I hoped would take the ABV to 6.4% if it ferments the new sugar out. I gave it a gentle but thorough stir. Within 5 hours, it has started fermenting like a gatling gun as you might expect heh heh!
The question is, will all the mucking about, delay, use of an aggressive wine-yeast and extra fermentation after dry hopping, take the hoppy flavour away? Should I dry hop again?
Imagining I should, I have ordered some German Huell Melon Hops. With an Alpha of just 5.5% and stating distinct fruit characteristics including honeydew melon and strawberry flavours.
I figured I'd taste the brew at 1.020 - ish [pressuming that is just before the FG this time] and if it wasn't very hoppy, dry hop with 25-50g of the Hull Melon to fruit up the flavour without adding significant additional bitterness.
UPDATE 26/06/17 SG 1.018 now and It tastes like an ale, hoorah. I am going to go ahead and hop it with the Huell Melon hops and a little Centennial for a couple of days I think the aroma will benefit. Hopefully it won't get noticably more bitter.
---
If anyone out there has any similar or relevant experience I'd appreciate your opinions in advance. I appreciate that I might well have created a bit of a car-crash drink here. I'd just like to make the most of my experimental second attempt :)
Thanks,
Jim
----
I am a newbie, I made an Evil Dog IPA kit a few weeks ago and then made a 2 can kit IPA I found here: http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=20223 The poster said he fermented down to 1.008.
With the same ingredients, my OG was 1.052 Unfortunately for me, the fermentation stuck at 1.020
I had figured it was almost stopped so dry hopped at 1.020 rather than leaving it to 1.010 as I had before. I used about 50g each of Citra and Centennial as I like a hoppy and bitter IPA.
After 3 days I recovered the hop bag and tested the SG again pessimistically. It was still at 1.020.
When I realised it wasn't going to ferment any futher without help I tried:
-Agitating it. No change.
-Adding yeast nutrient. No change.
-Adding a stuck fermentation yeast Gervin GV7 - recommended to me by my nearby brewstore. It's a hardcore, but non-killer wine yeast that will ferment ale sugars, even maltotriose (although very, very slowly for that). No change though.
I then did what I guess I should have done first. I tasted it. It tasted like a lowish alcohol session IPA, good bitters, I wouldn't want it much more bitter. It wasn't sweet. Nearly enough hoppy aroma / flavour too I think. I am not experienced enough to judge from a lukewarm uncarbonated brew if the aroma would be good once bottled, conditioned and chilled.
So I guess the high SG was due to unfermentables in the Light Malt. Hmm, weird the poster got his down so low, perhaps I missed something.
Soooo, I added 800g cane sugar which I hoped would take the ABV to 6.4% if it ferments the new sugar out. I gave it a gentle but thorough stir. Within 5 hours, it has started fermenting like a gatling gun as you might expect heh heh!
The question is, will all the mucking about, delay, use of an aggressive wine-yeast and extra fermentation after dry hopping, take the hoppy flavour away? Should I dry hop again?
Imagining I should, I have ordered some German Huell Melon Hops. With an Alpha of just 5.5% and stating distinct fruit characteristics including honeydew melon and strawberry flavours.
I figured I'd taste the brew at 1.020 - ish [pressuming that is just before the FG this time] and if it wasn't very hoppy, dry hop with 25-50g of the Hull Melon to fruit up the flavour without adding significant additional bitterness.
UPDATE 26/06/17 SG 1.018 now and It tastes like an ale, hoorah. I am going to go ahead and hop it with the Huell Melon hops and a little Centennial for a couple of days I think the aroma will benefit. Hopefully it won't get noticably more bitter.
---
If anyone out there has any similar or relevant experience I'd appreciate your opinions in advance. I appreciate that I might well have created a bit of a car-crash drink here. I'd just like to make the most of my experimental second attempt :)
Thanks,
Jim
