Some advice on masking the taste of alcohol in a 7.2% IPA

[Padalac]

19.5 should be ok on lower ABV beers, but the lower temp range will produce less alcohol flavour.. well from what I've heard alcohol flavours are caused either by too high fermentation temperature, excessive yeast or from sitting on yeast too long. So reducing the initial temperature for the first 3 days should reduce that effect. I typically start at 17C for the first day and let it rise half a degree a day until it hits 20C. Then hold it at 20 to clean up the diacetyl, followed by a chilling down to 10C to drop yeast.

Other possibility it could be if you cleaned with bleach and didn't rinse out well enough, or possibly from using pvc tubing or similar.

anyway, for this batch, like others said I think just letting it mature a couple weeks will probably help a lot.

[barry44]

Thanks padalac.

Ill give the stepped temp a try from now on and see if that helps.

[raiderman]

I'd pick up on the body/residual sweetness point from earlier in the thread. UUnless you want the flavour of crystal or darker malts, which in an IPA you might not, carapils or caragold are a good option and might help counertpoint the effect of tasting he alcohol. Another thought and I'm not scientic so thers no explanation behind this would be trying malted oats or malted rye which I think have a similar effect and certainly help up the body

[barry44]

Raiderman, i felt that there was a sweetness to the brewdog IPA is dead grainbill that helped mask the alcoholic taste.

From reading the previous posts, it appears that I may have been to eager and need to beer to settle down but I would be interested in understanding what the difference would be if I changed the darkness of the crystal and perhaps the quantity too.

[RobWalker]

Different crystals taste different. A good way to get an idea is to steep them in hot water for 30 minutes in a glass/jug etc, pour off the liquid and taste it. At the low colour end you'll get toffee and maybe honey, gradually progressing into caramel, then burnt caramel, light coffee and roasty flavours for darker types.

Maris Otter is packed with biscuit flavour too and I've started using 50/50 MO and Lager for "ales." If you want to clean up the backbone, try experimenting with lighter base malts, or a mix of them. MO is great, but not for everything.

[Rick_UK]

I've had similar issues with beers tasting a bit thin when compared to their commercial equivalent. A combination of higher mash temp, less attenuative yeast and more crystal should certainly increase body and depth of flavour. Less obvious is the hops - I have definitely found increasing the late additions improves the perceived body and mouthfeel as well as the more obvious hoppy flavour and aroma.

Rick

[barry44]

Thanks lads.

[InsideEdge]

US05 is a bugger for chewing up any sugars. Tends to make a dry beer which when attempting to replicate a beer with a little sweetness will leave you disappointed. I could be wrong but I dont think your beer will improve further. IPAs are at their best young anyway.

[barry44]

Good to know.

I may have to try another yeast in the future