[wamille]

So I'm trying to replicate a very pale colored IPA I made over a year ago and keep having problems.  The initial beer was great... delicate, clear, refreshing, with lots of hop aroma/flavor.  However, the last three attempts have been awful... harsh, cloudy, bland, with little hop aroma/flavor.  The grain bill was full of low lovibond grains... 2-row(base/85%); rye(10%); carapils(5%).  The mash was appx. 152F.  The yeast was WLP-001.  The hop bill was always the same... lots of simcoe, centennial, and amarillo.  The fermentation temps might be the only area where there could have been a variable.  Anyway, any ideas as to what might be wrong would be appreciated. 

[tschmidlin]

How bad are we talking about for the fermentation temps?

[wamille]

I recall the last one getting upwards of 75F somewhat early... 78F a week or more later when it shouldn't matter as much.  The others peaked around 72F that I can remember.  The first beer stayed around 65F during the first week for sure.   

[tschmidlin]

I could see the high temps causing harshness and blowing out some hop aroma, and possibly creating something that mutes the hop flavor.  I'm not sure why it would still be cloudy though.

[wamille]

I was just wondering if there might also be a problem with the exclusive usage of light colored grains also. 

[tschmidlin]

Since it worked in the past there should not be unless the grain has gone bad or your water has drastically changed.

[wamille]

It's just strange that three of the four are so similar... $#itty... compared to the first beer made.  My water is store bought spring water with 1 tsp. gypsum added to the boil. 

[anje]

Maybe your store-bought water has changed the well or whatever that it sources from?

For temp control, try throwing your fermenter in a plastic bin of water, filled to just below the wort/beer level. Larger is better than one that fits close around your fermenter. I find that this keeps my fermenter a couple degrees below room temperature (according to the brewmometer on the side, which doesn't take kindly to immersion) and it should drastically dampen any temperature swings. I've had good results with this, even without adding ice bottles or wrapping my fermenter in a soggy towel to make the setup into a swamp cooler.

[majorvices]

Does the pH check out? Ultra pale girst may need some pH adjustment or calcium additions if your yeast won't drop out.