Neipa bottle day

Hey guys,

So today was my first all-grain bottling day and, having only brewed a few times previously using Coopers kits, I'm just trying to figure out where i'm at. This is definitely different to any brews i've done in the past!

The recipe I followed is an New England IPA called Cindy Juice which I found on youtube. Having spent 2 weeks fermenting it seems to have a pretty gloopy consistency right now, much thicker than any beer i've seen before. There doesn't seem to be a bad smell or anything and it looks fine so I figure it's not an infection. Is it worthwhile taking advantage of the cold weather and sticking the bottles outside for a couple nights? Any idea what might have caused this? Is this super abnormal even?

Thanks in advance!

What do you mean by gloopy? do you have the recipe used/

Leon103 said:

What do you mean by gloopy? do you have the recipe used/

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Thanks for your reply.

By gloopy I mean it's quite thick. Not quite as thick as honey or syrup but much thicker than any beer i've made in the past. My recipe was 3kg Pale, 750g Pilsner, 400g wheat malt, 500g oats, 500g carapils and a bunch of citra.

Thanks

Sounds like you are doing hapless gingers aka Graham’s cindy juice. I have heard neipas oxidise in bottles very quickly & kegging is the best way forward.

Winterbournebrewery said:

Sounds like you are doing hapless gingers aka Graham’s cindy juice. I have heard neipas oxidise in bottles very quickly & kegging is the best way forward.

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I am indeed. This is prior to bottling though. I only noticed the problem on bottling day.

Doesn't sound good? What colour is it? The two NEIPAs i've done both oxidised and one actually went went purple which puzzled the feck out me, and that was in kegs. Very brave to attempt for first all grain

Sounds like a good recipe though. I love drinking the juicy IPAs but brewing them hasn't been good. i really need to look at a different process for them- I was thinking of fermenting in one keg then transferring by pressure to another. or even investing in a fermentasaurus- but to go from stainless back to plastic doesn't seem right- could be an option for you though?

It'll be 'thick' and hazy because of the oats and wheat, that recipe is for a NEIPA, what yeast did you use, it suggests WLP066 London Fog which also adds to the NEIPA style.
As for oxidisation, be very careful not to add any oxygen while bottling, don't shake the bottles and try to fill them almost to the top, just leaving a small gap.

Braufather said:

Doesn't sound good? What colour is it? The two NEIPAs i've done both oxidised and one actually went went purple which puzzled the feck out me, and that was in kegs. Very brave to attempt for first all grain

Sounds like a good recipe though. I love drinking the juicy IPAs but brewing them hasn't been good. i really need to look at a different process for them- I was thinking of fermenting in one keg then transferring by pressure to another. or even investing in a fermentasaurus- but to go from stainless back to plastic doesn't seem right- could be an option for you though?

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Thanks for the reply and the advice. Purple Neipa sounds interesting! My inspiration to try this beer came from a friend who has an identical set up to me (klarstein and plastic fermentation tubs) and made one of the best beers i’ve ever had, so I know it can be done. I guess I’m just going to have to wait a week and see how it’s looking when it comes out the bottles!

MmmmCitra said:

It'll be 'thick' and hazy because of the oats and wheat, that recipe is for a NEIPA, what yeast did you use, it suggests WLP066 London Fog which also adds to the NEIPA style.
As for oxidisation, be very careful not to add any oxygen while bottling, don't shake the bottles and try to fill them almost to the top, just leaving a small gap.

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Thanks for the reply. I used Safale 05 as it’s what I had in the house and was told that it wouldn’t affect the flavour too much. I’m wondering if the fluctuation in temperature might have something to do with it. Winter in Glasgow probably isn’t the best environment for brewing as it will often go from about 5-10 oC at night to 20 oC when the heating is on. Still not sure why that would make for a gloopy beer mind you!

Fluctuating temperature would affect the flavour but won't make a beer 'gloopy', as I said it's the addition of oats and wheat that will do that.

As for temperature using US-05, a steady 18c is the ideal temperature.

MmmmCitra said:

Fluctuating temperature would affect the flavour but won't make a beer 'gloopy', as I said it's the addition of oats and wheat that will do that.

As for temperature using US-05, a steady 18c is the ideal temperature.

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Cheers.

Do you think the consistency will improve after a couple of weeks in the bottles? I’ve left them outside for a couple of nights (around 3oC just now) to see if that helps. I just find it strange that my pal used the same recipe but didn’t come across this issue.

After bottling you need to keep them at about 20c for a couple of weeks so they'll carbonate, then you can put them somewhere cooler. You'll find that cooling them will help them clear but the whole idea of NEIPAs are to have a thick hazy hop bomb, as i'm sure you know.
If you put them outside after bottling they won't carbonate...........bring them in to somewhere warmer and leave for a couple of weeks, then cool them down prior to drinking.
DON'T SHAKE THEM :)

MmmmCitra said:

After bottling you need to keep them at about 20c for a couple of weeks so they'll carbonate, then you can put them somewhere cooler. You'll find that cooling them will help them clear but the whole idea of NEIPAs are to have a thick hazy hop bomb, as i'm sure you know.
If you put them outside after bottling they won't carbonate...........bring them in to somewhere warmer and leave for a couple of weeks, then cool them down prior to drinking.
DON'T SHAKE THEM :)

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Thanks. I guess only time will tell! I've had a few Neipa's in the past and I know the haziness is part of the game, in fact that's a big part of why I like them. I've just never seen any so viscous!