Tasting notes: AG#73 "Get Even IPA"
As I noted when I bottled these (see link above) I tried a few experiments to see if I could limit hop oxidation, including purging the head space with inert gas.
I've tried a few now, mostly just the purged ones (hence the "P" on the bottle cap) - it's light, it's refreshing and most importantly the hops taste fresh and bright
(It's a bit under-carbed, even by my standards, but that's mainly by the by as far as hoppiness is concerned)
If I'm splitting hairs I'm not totally sure the hops are perfectly balanced - on the one hand I get piney-resin, on the other hand I get grapefruit. I feel like it just needs a little nudge in one direction or the other to push one or the other flavour to the fore and the other to more of a supporting role. But that's a detail and frankly a nice problem to have
By contrast the other night I tried one due at bottling with some ascorbic acid / vitamin-C, supposedly an antioxidant. By comparison this one tasted pretty bleh!
Not foul and not the wet cardboard you'd associate with oxidised beer, but I thought there was a clear difference in the hop flavour - pretty much what I'd expect as the hops start to oxidise.
This certainly wasn't a blind tasting or the most rigorous experiment. Still, it's an interesting comparison.
It's all a bit redundant now as the plan in the future is to keg hoppy beers like this via closed transfer. Nevertheless it fits with what I'd read elsewhere and it does seem like there's some merit in purging the headspace of hoppy beers at bottling
As I noted when I bottled these (see link above) I tried a few experiments to see if I could limit hop oxidation, including purging the head space with inert gas.
I've tried a few now, mostly just the purged ones (hence the "P" on the bottle cap) - it's light, it's refreshing and most importantly the hops taste fresh and bright
(It's a bit under-carbed, even by my standards, but that's mainly by the by as far as hoppiness is concerned)
If I'm splitting hairs I'm not totally sure the hops are perfectly balanced - on the one hand I get piney-resin, on the other hand I get grapefruit. I feel like it just needs a little nudge in one direction or the other to push one or the other flavour to the fore and the other to more of a supporting role. But that's a detail and frankly a nice problem to have
By contrast the other night I tried one due at bottling with some ascorbic acid / vitamin-C, supposedly an antioxidant. By comparison this one tasted pretty bleh!
Not foul and not the wet cardboard you'd associate with oxidised beer, but I thought there was a clear difference in the hop flavour - pretty much what I'd expect as the hops start to oxidise.
This certainly wasn't a blind tasting or the most rigorous experiment. Still, it's an interesting comparison.
It's all a bit redundant now as the plan in the future is to keg hoppy beers like this via closed transfer. Nevertheless it fits with what I'd read elsewhere and it does seem like there's some merit in purging the headspace of hoppy beers at bottling