re: Homebrewing: In-Process Thread

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How long, in the freezer, does a properly stored bag of hops hold it's aroma/flavors?

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if in a vacuum sealed bag, 10 years

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if in a vacuum sealed bag

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Willamette?

Now I know why they've been in the freezer since 2004.

So, my last IPA was and is pretty damn good. However, with the massive late addition hops, they are fading already, i believe.

I read the brulosophy article where he did the late addition hops exbeeriment, and he was talking even after 2 weeks of carbonation, the hops will start to fade, and that with bottle conditioning, this could be an issue as this is the prime time when a beer first becomes of age to drink.

So, I first popped a bottle last friday, which was about 12 or 13 days after bottling, and the beer was fantastic. Absolutely the best beer i've ever made. The hops were bright and highly aromatic. Cracked one yesterday, and i could tell that the beer has already lost a step. Still very good, but not how it was friday and saturday.

Going forward, a couple things need to happen for me with my IPA's.

1) Kegging...i really need to start kegging, and it will happen.
2) Less crystal malts. The grain bill was 84 % 2 row, 7 % Crystal 15, 4.5% Vienna and 4.5% acidulated. Next rebrew of this batch i will maybe do a 50/50 2 row/pilsner (about 87% of grain bill), throw in about 4% carapils, and 5% Munich, 3% vienna. Should lower the SRM, and allow for the hops to shine through.
3) MOAR HOPS!!! Already the most late addition hops i've ever had in a beer (7, 3.5 in whirlpool, 4 in dry hop).

I'm still very pleased with the beer, and i've heard on the BN brewer's talking about heavily late hopped beer having a period where the hops stall a bit, but then a week later they take off again, so maybe that will be the case. If not, i'll just have to drink faster.

But, overall, i'm happy with the beer, i'm glad i finally have a base IPA to modify.

Bmoney and LSUGrad, let me know your thoughts on it. And anyone else who happens to get some.

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This key if you want any type of longevity in your IPAs.

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Yup. I've been reading up on a lot of this. Also want to get a Blichmann beer gun so i can bottle from teh keg. I expect to have kegging equipment by Christmas. Might need some help getting it setup though. Don't really know anything about setting up a draft system other than to replace your lines after use.

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Good idea, but I don't recommend enter this type of IPA in competitions. IMO the BCJP guidelines on IPAs are not in sync with current trends. You'll enter a brilliant juicy IPA and get knocked all over the place bc of lack of malt character

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Yeah. I don't think the BJCP knows how to deal with IPA's anymore. At one time it was fairly straight forward. Hoppy within a certain bitterness range, with some dry hops, and a "balanced" malt profile.

Nowadays, people want to taste the hops, not the malt. Including me. The malt is to provide somewhat of a stable surface to let your hops shine through.
But yeah, every beer i brew is brewed how i would want it, or maybe because it's a new style or for my wife. That's why i don't really have many beers ready for competitions, and what i do have, is luck of the draw if its a competition category. I am really enjoying submitting to competitions, however.

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Also want to get a Blichmann beer gun so i can bottle from teh keg.

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Our club has one of these and I have a counter pressure filler which is slightly different.

Don't go buy one, you can borrow either as long as you return them clean.

The best way to keep those hops from fading is to get those bottles in the fridge pronto. If you're already almost 3 weeks from bottling and it's been at room temp, the hops will fade quicker.

For me, being able to cold crash before kegging means a couple things. The beer is already cold when it goes into the keg, so it carbonates faster with the forced CO2. It also means it's never at room temperature, so the hops hang on longer.

Get a hole saw, makes it really easy

I spent more time texting B about how to do it before I started that I spent actually setting it up

There are some good YouTube videos too

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step bit using recently for beer related reasons

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Step bits are great. And most fridges have a very light gauge metal so it is really easy to drill them. You can drill your hole slightly smaller than your Co2 supply line....1/16" smaller. Then squeeze your line through and it should be tight enough so you won't need to caulk around it. Or get a rubber grommet such as these military ones.

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Did this today and it went surprisingly well...

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Cool. Glad to hear.

Think the last time I looked LAHomebrew was out of 1007 German Wheat. Is the American Wheat pretty good too?