scuppeteer wrote:To be honest that's just not enough hops for a 5% IPA. I would have gone for at least 100g late. Especially Goldings they're lovely but subtle so more required.
Yep I figured this out a bit too late
, but you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve bought another pack of EKG and going to double the late / DH additions. Might add a bit more to the bittering addition as well to increase the IBU.
Kev888 wrote:Early tasting can be a bit misleading, sometimes such flavours can turn out to be/become estery with a bit of age. However from your description it sounds quite strong and is two weeks into kegging, so probably this is beyond normal. If so, it could be that you have far to many fusel alcohols, which can taste like isopropile alcohol (as well as more solventy).
These as you say are often related to high fermentation temperature, but 20c should be absolutely fine. It could be though that something went wrong with the temperature measurement or control - like the thermometer being inaccurate or poorly located, or the fermenter having become warmer than intended at the crucial time - its a prime season for that, when the warm weather hits unexpectedly.
Though they could possibly be caused by other things; I believe over-pitching is one, oxidation is also sometimes cited. Some say wort sitting for ages on lots of trub carried over from the kettle can be another, though not everyone agrees.
Bad 'Ed wrote:Assuming your temperatures are correct I don't think it will be too high a fermentation temperature - 20c should be fine for that yeast. I've not read your recipe link, but if you've got a less than expected IBU then this can lead to you being able to taste the alcohol more clearly. Bitterness and alcohol need to be balanced when designing a recipe.
However, if it's only been in the keg 2 weeks I would imagine that everything would get better with time. My current beer had a strong alcohol taste after a couple of weeks and it's now mellowed into a very nice, balanced, strong bitter. Taste it again in another two weeks and report back.
Thank you for the replies, really appreciate it. I think I can rule out the temperature as the issue, so the only thing I can think of is overpitching, quick fermentation and not enough hops.
I pitched a new vial of WLP023 into a 1.5 litre starter for a 21 litre batch, so think this would be about right?
I allowed it to ferment for 2 weeks, then cold crashed for 2 days. I did take readings and they stayed stable and I got 73% attenuation. But perhaps I should of left it for another week.
I’ve taken the keg out the fridge and going to let it sit for another 2 weeks to see if it mellows before sampling again. The wedding is in mid-July and can’t brew another batch until the beginning of June. So I might play it safe and use a yeast that will be ready a bit quicker. I was hoping WLP023 would add some interesting notes to the beer.
