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There was a real trend a year or two ago for no bittering hops but personally I think beers benefit from a bit. I also half-remember an argument about it helping to stabilise the beer. But as I say, trust your tastebuds.
Yep acid - ideally once you know your recipe you will know how much acid to add before the boil to hit a certain target after the boil. But if you're feeling a lack of "freshness" then a lower pH will help.
High sulphate ratios make bitterness more apparent and mineraly, more chloride makes things softer. So for old-school English bitters you wanted high sulphate, for modern hazies you want more chloride. "Hoppy" is a horribly ambiguous word which it's best to avoid, do you mean the hoppiness of a West Coast IPA (all bitterness) or the hoppiness of a NEIPA (all flavour compounds)?
Oxygen is always, always an issue, but if you feel like you're doing a good job there then I'd try the above tweaks (and dry yeast) first and see how that tastes.
Yep acid - ideally once you know your recipe you will know how much acid to add before the boil to hit a certain target after the boil. But if you're feeling a lack of "freshness" then a lower pH will help.
High sulphate ratios make bitterness more apparent and mineraly, more chloride makes things softer. So for old-school English bitters you wanted high sulphate, for modern hazies you want more chloride. "Hoppy" is a horribly ambiguous word which it's best to avoid, do you mean the hoppiness of a West Coast IPA (all bitterness) or the hoppiness of a NEIPA (all flavour compounds)?
Oxygen is always, always an issue, but if you feel like you're doing a good job there then I'd try the above tweaks (and dry yeast) first and see how that tastes.