Can't make a hoppy beer

chuffer · May 6, 2017

Dads_Ale said:
The thing I have found is that when contained they clump together and the ones in the middle are still pretty dry meaning much less utilisation than expected.

I am currently experimenting with some high hop APAs and have noticed from the latest recipe that they put 99% of the hops in at flame out and whirlpool the wort for about 40 mins (plus dry hop at 2 days and 4 days fermentation). Will be giving this a go next week to see how it turns out.

This is the problem ive found, you want to keep them in a sock/bag to avoid issues like sludge / lack of clarity later on, but then what happens is the hops are not exposed to enough wort to transfer maximum flavour /aroma.....i think what you need is some sort of hop blanket where it's thin but full of hops and floats in the top of your FV

Grizzly299 · May 6, 2017

Just a thought, what temperature are you dry hopping at? Too cold and the oil won't move as freely from the hops into the beer. Too warm and it will move freely, but will lose its punch more quickly.

trueblue · May 6, 2017

chuffer said:
Am I reading that wrong ? 3:1 surely? Anyhoo, presume you mean that your water needs more sulphates than chloride?

After I logged off I realized I had put the wrong ratio in. Now edited. Cheers.:thumb:

DoctorMick · May 6, 2017

Not a cure but a workaround...you could use a hop rocket/Randell when dispensing the beer to get maximum hop aroma.

Cwrw666 · May 6, 2017

MyQul said:
I've never had a brewdog beer but as Martyboy say I think 5am saint may be one of the more tamer brews. Next time try one of the Punk IPA recipes as I think this may be more towards what your looking for

Me too. Not a fan of a half filled glass.

Tanzanite · May 6, 2017

Blinky said:
That's what I thought! So how is it not hitting me in the face? Cannot see where I am going wrong. Punk is getting bottled today so will see how that goes

Have you thought about a visit to the doctors there must be something wrong with your taste and senses. 200g of dry hops is massive over kill and in my opinion would ruin any decent beer. If you cant smell or taste it, in a 200g dry hopped ale then as i said i would get your self looked at. :whistle:

Pawlo7671 · May 6, 2017

wetherspoons used to do two bottles of punk for a fiver, don't know if they still do...then again for a fiver I can knock out an entire 20L batch

Pawlo7671 · May 6, 2017

Pawlo7671 said:
wetherspoons used to do two bottles of punk for a fiver, don't know if they still do...then again for a fiver I can knock out an entire 20L batch

Not of Punk ipa mind !!

chuffer · May 6, 2017

Tanzanite said:
Have you thought about a visit to the doctors there must be something wrong with your taste and senses. 200g of dry hops is massive over kill and in my opinion would ruin any decent beer. If you cant smell or taste it, in a 200g dry hopped ale then as i said i would get your self looked at. :whistle:

Hold up, surely this is the point? A chap attempts a home brew that doesn't turn out as expected and wants to find out what could have gone wrong? This is the process of learning from mistakes and developing. Ive had this happen to me, my beers have been designed to be well balanced but then on consumption seem a little underwhelming....i wish I knew the answers, it might be simply "add more hops" but I'm not sure that's always the answer, I think a chap earlier in the thread touched upon th we water profile but there could be other things in the mix

Godsdog · May 6, 2017

DoctorMick said:
Not a cure but a workaround...you could use a hop rocket/Randell when dispensing the beer to get maximum hop aroma.

This plus a zillion

Sadfield · May 6, 2017

My observation is that S04 is terrible yeast for hop forward beers and I get best results with short dry hopping times, 2 or 3 days then crash cool.

How does your beer smell before bottling/kegging compared to the beer in the glass? Oxygen pickup is the enemy of hop aroma.

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Global33 · May 6, 2017

Starting to get intrested in Brewing has made me spend more on beer not less.

I'm now more intrested in trying different styles and types of beers including the 330ml bottles I used to shun as poor value. Including that bloody Punk IPA which tastes rather good.

trueblue · May 6, 2017

Sadfield said:
My observation is that S04 is terrible yeast for hop forward beers and I get best results with short dry hopping times, 2 or 3 days then crash cool.

How does your beer smell before bottling/kegging compared to the beer in the glass? Oxygen pickup is the enemy of hop aroma.

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S04 is a terrible yeast for ANY beer.

JapanBrew · May 7, 2017

Chuffed is right in that putting hops in a bag drastically reduces exposure to the wort. When you want real hoppy beers you need to just dump them in and then spend a week cold crashing and using finings to clear it. Homebrew super IPAs are a bugger to clear.
Another chap said hop tea. They work really well and help with gunk in the system. If I hop tea a batch, I add it to the bottling bucket on bottling day. Keeps it fresh.
You're going to have to find what works and doesn't work for your setup. If the bag is the way you want to go, break it up into smaller bags, attach a line to them and give them tugs 2 or 3 times a day to agitate the hop bag. This will take time.

Blinky · May 7, 2017

OK, well thanks folks, some tips for next time! I used to just dump the dry hops in but then tend to find the just float on the top, especially if I use a lot of them.

kohoutec · May 7, 2017

I'm going for yeast choice as a major factor as well. The first brew I ever did was with S04 and was average at best, but being my first I wasnt surprised!

2nd brew I used US05 with Amerillo and the difference was night and day.

I've since tried brewing a couple of beers with identical recipes the only difference being one using S04 one US05 just to prove it to myself, and you guessed it, the S04 was nowhere near as hoppy.

I don't really like S04 in general it imparts a taste that doesn't appeal to me, but regardless for hop forward beers it wouldn't even be on my shortlist.

If you're sticking with dry yeasts definitely US05 for a hop bomb, or perhaps Notty if you want it to clear quicker, although I prefer the taste of US05 personally.

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kohoutec · May 7, 2017

Also meant to say... If you can crash cool just dump those pellets in and let them roam free, they'll sink to the bottom when crashed!

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foxbat · May 7, 2017

Dads_Ale said:
I am currently experimenting with some high hop APAs and have noticed from the latest recipe that they put 99% of the hops in at flame out and whirlpool the wort for about 40 mins (plus dry hop at 2 days and 4 days fermentation). Will be giving this a go next week to see how it turns out.

Would you mind updating us with how it turns out for you? I've been mulling over the idea of moving to a 30 minute 80C whirlpool for all my late hop additions in future.

Dads_Ale · May 7, 2017

foxbat said:
Would you mind updating us with how it turns out for you? I've been mulling over the idea of moving to a 30 minute 80C whirlpool for all my late hop additions in future.

Will do. Hopefully brewing next Friday.
Still a bit unsure about how to add the dry hoping. Hop tee versus chucking them in the fv????? I'll make it up on the day:)

MickDundee · May 7, 2017

trueblue said:
S04 is a terrible yeast for ANY beer.

What's wrong with it? I've just used it for the first time in an English Golden ale because I'd heard it was the best dry yeast to use for British ales!

Can't make a hoppy beer

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