[denny]

I've gotta wonder where you guys are finding IPAs that are too sweet.  That sure as hell isn't an issue around here!

Try Harpoon

Not available here...I think most people who are complaining about sweet IPA live far east of me.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

I've gotta wonder where you guys are finding IPAs that are too sweet.  That sure as hell isn't an issue around here!

Try Harpoon

Not available here...I think most people who are complaining about sweet IPA live far east of me.

and its not just IPA, APA also IMO.

[hopfenundmalz]

Some of the Ron Pattinson or Mithch Steele British IPas are just Pale Ale Malt, a lot of EKG for bittering. Those tend to need some time in the keg to become a great beer. Once they do, those are very flavorful with a dry finish, almost Champagne like at times. If you want some hop aroma they can be dry hopped after aging.

[69franx]

To the comment about mash temps,  what is everyone's target for IPA, with 1.068OG? I know it should not make a huge difference between 148&150, so I'm just wondering.  My next 2 are house: 75% 2row, 20% Weyermann Munich I, 5% victory; and German themed: same %s but pilsner, munich, vienna.

[S. cerevisiae]

Founders Centennial IPA is on my too sweet list. Bell's Hopslam is also on that list along with Sierra Nevada  Ruthless Rye.  To be fair, the Sierra Nevada products that we receive on the East Coast are now brewed in NC.  I have found that most of the Sierra Nevada beers that are produced in NC are sweeter than the Chico-brewed products that we used get before Sierra Nevada built their East Coast brewery.  It's almost like the NC-brewed products are interpretations of the Chico products.  Lagunitas Sucks is too sweet as well.

The attribute that I find usually goes hand in hand with being too sweet is an over the top perfumeyness that makes the late hop additions seem fake.  It's like these beers were dosed with a substance that was chemically engineered to smell and taste like an exaggerated version of the real thing.

[hopfenundmalz]

Founders Centennial IPA is on my too sweet list. Bell's Hopslam is also on that list along with Sierra Nevada  Ruthless Rye.  To be fair, the Sierra Nevada products that we receive on the East Coast are now brewed in NC.  I have found that most of the Sierra Nevada beers that are produced in NC are sweeter than the Chico-brewed products that we used get before Sierra Nevada built their East Coast brewery.  It's almost like the NC-brewed products are interpretations of the Chico products.  Lagunitas Sucks is too sweet as well.

The attribute that I find usually goes hand in hand with being too sweet is an over the top perfumeyness that makes the late hop additions seem fake.  It's like these beers were dosed with a substance that was chemically engineered to smell and taste like an exaggerated version of the real thing.

Interesting, do you think it could be they are fresher? The ones I had at the Mills River Tour tasted like the ones you get in Chico. They did flavor matching between the breweries, where the beers were flown back to Chico, and out to Mills River.

[pete b]

I've gotta wonder where you guys are finding IPAs that are too sweet.  That sure as hell isn't an issue around here!

Try Harpoon

Not available here...I think most people who are complaining about sweet IPA live far east of me.

IMO, if your IPA is too sweet it isn't too much crystal.  It's too little hops.

Perhaps versions of west Coast IPAs we get here are a little older so diminished hop flavor/aroma= carmel/sweet flavor taking over?
EDIT: Of course this would be even more true in Britain

[boulderbrewer]

Mine is 92% 2 row, 4% munich, 4% c-40, it usually finishes 1.008 with a max of 1.010. I have noticed in my IIPA that it was very dry tasting before dry hopping and FG of 1.006 after dry hop it has a sweet taste which makes me believe that hops can add to perceived sweetness.

[S. cerevisiae]

Speaking of IPA, I believe that NCYC 1108 is a true Burton strain even though the curator at the NCYC stated that the strain was originally obtained from a brewery on the South Coast of England (he also went on to acknowledge that breweries used to exchange yeast on a regular basis).  NCYC 1108 has all of the hallmarks of a strain that was selected in a Burton Union.  It is non-flocculent, highly attentuative (80% AA on average), and produces a dense foam head like one sees when one views pictures of a Burton Union in action.  The resulting beer has an effervescent quality for lack of a better description, and it has that quality with minimal dissolved CO₂.  I still need to determine the strain's alcohol tolerance level, but it took a 1.070 wort down to 1.014 at 59F internal temperature (my basement was sitting at 55F due to a severe cold snap).  Many of the Yorkshire and skimable strains will stall or take forever to reach full attenuation at that temperature.  I would like to see how the strain performs when my basement warms up a few degrees.

[HoosierBrew]

I have noticed in my IIPA that it was very dry tasting before dry hopping and FG of 1.006 after dry hop it has a sweet taste which makes me believe that hops can add to perceived sweetness.

The newer fruity hops definitely can leave a sweet impression. You obviously attenuated very well, so no issues there. I use a fair amount of sulfate (225-300ppm) in APA and IPA to dry the finish aside from limiting crystal. But a dose of hops that smell/taste like berries, mango, pineapple or peach make beer seem sweeter to me. Personally, when I use the fruity hops, I have to balance with some Columbus, Simcoe, or Chinook to balance the 'sweetness'.

[HoosierBrew]

To the comment about mash temps,  what is everyone's target for IPA, with 1.068OG? I know it should not make a huge difference between 148&150, so I'm just wondering.  My next 2 are house: 75% 2row, 20% Weyermann Munich I, 5% victory; and German themed: same %s but pilsner, munich, vienna.

I normally like 149-150F@75 minutes for IPA. Of course, yeast strain and % crystal make a difference - this is generally for 1056 and 5% crystal.

[69franx]

Thanks Jon, that's where I have been for mine. Just the thoughts earlier in the thread made me question my process

[majorvices]

I've gotta wonder where you guys are finding IPAs that are too sweet.  That sure as hell isn't an issue around here!

Sweet isn't the problem for me. Unbalanced with cloying malt flavors or perfumey hop flavors. Lots of em I have tasted. Or weird hop flavors that clash.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

I've gotta wonder where you guys are finding IPAs that are too sweet.  That sure as hell isn't an issue around here!

Sweet isn't the problem for me. Unbalanced with cloying malt flavors or perfumey hop flavors. Lots of em I have tasted. Or weird hop flavors that clash.

That's a great point. I've had them and they definitely stick out differently then the higher gravity ones. Made one by accident and choked it down.


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[lonelymtn]

What are you all making yourselves? Have you been dropping the crystal malt in your IPA's? I would love to see some sample grain bills expressed in percentages.

I've found myself becoming more and more sensitive to crystal malt to the point I've dropped it completely from my recipes.  I keep it simple: mostly 2-row, 5-10% munich, a bit of dextrine, and maybe some oats just because.