So my 1st homebrew was ready for tasting after 2 week bottle condition. NEIPA w/ Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe. It hit on almost everything Color:white_check_mark:, Juicy Aroma , SG/FG:white_check_mark:, Head retention:white_check_mark: Taste , Mouthfeel .
The first one was a kit 4.8 oz flaked oat 1 oz honey malt, 1 oz carapils. Regular tap water run through a britta.Steeped at 155-158 for 25 minutes didn’t squeeze or sparge, boiled the 1.25 lbs of Pilsen DME for 60 mins, cooled to 175F put in the premeasured hope stand packet for 25 mins, cooled to 68F transfer time carbon, shaker for 60 to aerate, slightly over pitched London Fog by accident came out faster than anticipated. Great activity first 3 days with a ferm wrap and inkbird set at 68 +/- 2 degrees (temp inside my apartment was 60 it just needed heating)
This is where I think I went wrong dry hopped with out a hop bag and those hops stayed in contact for a full 10 days, second dry hop at day 10 they stayed in direct contact until day 14 when I bottled. End with great carbonation
Taste was sour and bitter not like a NEIPA. Lots of grapefruit and lime but it smelled like pineapple, orange and peach. Did leaving the dry hop in contact too long contribute?
Second brew is Monday. I’m using 7 gallons RO for 5.5 ending with 11g calcium chloride and 3.5 g Gypsum ( was told maybe a gram of epsom and .75 g of canning salt might add well). To check off that mouthfeel box.
Using 3 oz each of El Dorado, Citra and Mosaic (divides into 1 oz for Whirlpool, two dry hops. Thinking about just doubling the El Dorado, yes? No?
NEIPA is quite the style to try for your first attempt. There are commercial brewers who struggle to get it right. I would put the brakes on that one for now and start with something a little more new-brewer-friendly like a pale ale or a basic IPA.
Keep in mind that a 60 degree ambient temperature in your apartment will mean that the fermenting wort will be several degrees warmer, so making it 68 degrees will probably put the beer at 72 - 75, much warmer than it should be. That would lead to fruitier (peach) and more solvent flavors.
I doubt that dry hopping had much to do with he flavors you don’t like.
The type of hops and length in the boil will create tropical fruit flavors as well as different types and intensities of bitterness. Are you using a program to try to calculate the IBUs?
There are very good reasons that seasoned brewers recommend simpler styles for the first few batches. We all know the temptation to brew more advanced beers, but have learned restraint. You may think you know how to brew but, more often than not, the crap you produce will prove you wrong.
Setting the temp to around 63 or 64F will be better for the finished product.
I presume you used California Ale yeast, which will ferment really cleanly there (ie, Fermentis US05, Wyeast 1056, or White Labs 001)
This is probably a silly question, but I didn’t see what method of cooling you were using. If it is in a refrigerator or similar, then you should be good to go. If it is in a swamp cooler or other non-mechanical set up, you must be diligent in swapping out the cool water or ice, frozen water bottles, etc…
Yeah, be careful with temperature. Ambient air temp is not the temperature of whats going on inside the fermenter. Yeast metabolism creates heat. 60 degrees ambient should mean your yeast is working at about 65 +or-. Personally, I don’t like my ales to go over 65.
Never think the age old advice of, “Relax, have a homebrew” goes wrong. I used to brew with a few friends, but we’ve gone down some different paths and I haven’t been doing it for awhile so I’m back at square one. But I know the first beer we did together was hazy as all **** and the following ones got better and better. Keep notes! Can do the same batch and change something to see how it maybe affects the beer.
Let it sit for a month, pop a few bottles in the fridge and you’ll be surprised. I agree with Kevin though, try a regular IPA, a brown ale, or even a stout next time. I find stout to be a forgiving beer and it’s great with seafood!