[jayb240]

I have a NEIPA in the fermenter right now coming to the end of Fermentation.

If I close my eyes the brew smells and tastes great.
I was shooting for SRM 5.5
Color is yellow gray......

 
Method:
  BIAB
  Recirculate Mash 90 minutes  via pump 154
  Electric heat - Brew Boss
  60 min boil
  First hops at flame out
  Second hops at 160 Whirlpool 60 minutes
  Chill via Copper Coil and cold water while recirculating wort over coil
  Pump Transfer to fermenter - bottom up
  Purge Oxygen with CO2 in Fermenter
  Heat and Chill in Fermenter
  Quick dry hop additions followed by CO2 Purge by way of stone



Recipe: BeerSmith3

12.5 Lbs of Pilsner
1 lb flaked oats
1 lb flaked wheat
13 oz munich 10 L
6.3 oz Caramel Crystal 10 L

.75 oz Centenial, Citra, Rakau for 60 min at 160
 Fermentis S-04 Yeast

Dry Hop started at end of high Krausen - BioTransformation

Thanks in advance, Jay

[jjw5015]

what's the question?

[TeeDubb]

Welcome Jay! A picture could be helpful but I can envision it. Looks like you had mindful process control. Only question: what is the 'heat and chill step' in the fermenter? 

These NE IPA styles are intensely sensitive to oxygen. If the undesirable color is from oxygen effects, you will see more changes over the next 1-2 weeks in color, flavor and aroma.

Recent reading on this style led me to some information that talks to oxygen stability for NE IPA, not just oxygen exposure (I would call it oxygen sensitivity). Manganese in the ingredients seems to be a large contributor. Certain types of hops (not the ones you used) as well as crystal malts, flaked oats (malted wheat or naked malted oats are a better substitute) can increase manganese and reduce oxygen stability. Wort exposure to copper and iron may also have an impact.

So, I would enjoy what you made. See what happens with a little time, maybe tweak you recipe and keep reducing oxygen exposure with your process.

[kramerog]

I associate a gray tint in NEIPA with oxidation, but all the gray NEIPAs have tasted and smelled blah.   

[Kevin]

NEIPA is not an easy style to make. Many professional brewers didn't get it right when the started. Many still haven't gotten right. I am in the same camp as the others who suggest this is oxidation. Close your eyes and drink up.

[narvin]

I'd also like to see a picture.  Could it be green hop pellet sludge from the first pours making it look opaque and dark tinted?

[jayb240]

I appreciate the advice of my NEIPA issue.

I racked to keg and the beer is delightful.

My Problem:  I had the racking arm in my fermenter set very deep into to trub.

             This resulted in a sample that was mostly fallout from fermentation/dry hop.

  Plan:   The next batch will use the hop spider to control hop debris and special attention
             to oxidation at whirlpool.  The whirlpool will also be hop spider from 180 to 120 during
             chill.

Thanks again for the advice.

[BaseWerks Brewing]

I associate a gray tint in NEIPA with oxidation, but all the gray NEIPAs have tasted and smelled blah.

Yes, I agree it sounds like it is starting to oxidize.  It doesn't take much at all like others have said.  Commercial breweries even have issues.  It starts to turn a darker orange with grayish tint.  Eventually it can turn a purple grey color when its really bad.  I've never seen this in person but there are pictures around if you google it.   I usually dump the first few ounces when pouring some from the draft.  The beer in the line will get oxidized within a day or two.   

It will taste different too.  It starts with a muddled aroma, slightly sweeter flavor, and loses that bright hop aroma.  It gets worse and moves to a super sweet (like jolly rancher) and wet cardboard kind of flavor.   

How does the beer taste?

[majorvices]

I associate a gray tint in NEIPA with oxidation, but all the gray NEIPAs have tasted and smelled blah.

This is probably your issue. Oxidation ruins beers and changes colors unexpectedly. Think about that apple you cut and left on the counter. You absolutely have to consider oxidation in all beer styles during transfer post fermentation for every beer style but hazy IpAs are especially susceptible to weird and appetizing color changes.

[narvin]

I associate a gray tint in NEIPA with oxidation, but all the gray NEIPAs have tasted and smelled blah.

This is probably your issue. Oxidation ruins beers and changes colors unexpectedly. Think about that apple you cut and left on the counter. You absolutely have to consider oxidation in all beer styles during transfer post fermentation for every beer style but hazy IpAs are especially susceptible to weird and appetizing color changes.

Not disagreeing in principle, but I taste the effects of oxidation way before the color changes.  So it's either a really bad case or it was the hop trub that he mentioned.

[Village Taphouse]

A grayish color to the beer could also be pH.  I have made a number of pale gold beers where I was careful with the mash pH but then sparged and did not acidify the sparge water and BOOM... gold with a grayish tint to it.  Once I realized what happened and I acidified my sparge water I did not see that again.  Oxidation could do it too but IME oxidation makes the beer darker than it should be but not necessarily gray.  YMMV.