Its finally time to taste the IPA. Actually, I've tasted it a few times already - but this is the official test.
Before we get to the taste test - here are the results from the Heart of the Valley Oregon Homebrewer's Competition. Suffice it to say, I didn't win.
There were 3 judges - there comments are listed below:
Aroma - average score 5/12
"high bubblegum, no hop coming through, fruity, blueberry", "bubblegum, sweet, alcoholic", "some phenolics in the nose - like bubblegum"
Appearance - average score 2.33/3
"nice color, great head retention, clear", "great color/clarity" , "slightly cloudy, good head retention, copper color"
Flavor - average score 8/20
"decent bitterness, too much fruit, bubblegum estery, slight finishing hops" , "a synthetic/false flavor in front, artificially sweet central flavor, extremely sour finish" , "hop bitterness present, but very light, lightly sweet malt, some phenolics detected"
Mouthfeel - average score 4/5
"great body, very creamy, nice carb level" , "good body , sour unforgettable finish" , "medium light body, some alcohol warming, slightly astringent"
Overall Impression - average score 4.33/10
"not appropriate for style, lacking hop signature" , "this beer reminds me of a Belgian ale. It doesn't seem to fit in this category making the flavors confusing" , "an ok beer but lacking in the hop character needed for and American IPA. Try increasing your late kettle hop additions to improve"
Final score - 24/50
Well, that was a little humbling. Did I create an IPA or bubblegum ale? Time to put it to the only test that matters - me and Josie.
The beer has a really good color and a nice foamy head. It has a strong aroma - but I'm not sure it smells like hops - the smell is more like .... bubblegum. Its got decent bitterness - but not as much as I would like. Its got a thick and creamy mouthfeel...again, not what I was shooting for, but not too bad. If you can get over the fact that the flavors are abnormal for an IPA...the beer is actually pretty decent.
I'm pretty satisfied with this first batch. It wasn't exactly what I was trying to create, but not bad.
I took a bottle to the brewshop for some advice. They thought that I may have used too much sugar when bottling - leaving excess residual sugar in the bottles - which may have led to the bubblegum taste and thick mouth feel. I'm going to try again in a few weeks.
Before we get to the taste test - here are the results from the Heart of the Valley Oregon Homebrewer's Competition. Suffice it to say, I didn't win.
There were 3 judges - there comments are listed below:
Aroma - average score 5/12
"high bubblegum, no hop coming through, fruity, blueberry", "bubblegum, sweet, alcoholic", "some phenolics in the nose - like bubblegum"
Appearance - average score 2.33/3
"nice color, great head retention, clear", "great color/clarity" , "slightly cloudy, good head retention, copper color"
Flavor - average score 8/20
"decent bitterness, too much fruit, bubblegum estery, slight finishing hops" , "a synthetic/false flavor in front, artificially sweet central flavor, extremely sour finish" , "hop bitterness present, but very light, lightly sweet malt, some phenolics detected"
Mouthfeel - average score 4/5
"great body, very creamy, nice carb level" , "good body , sour unforgettable finish" , "medium light body, some alcohol warming, slightly astringent"
Overall Impression - average score 4.33/10
"not appropriate for style, lacking hop signature" , "this beer reminds me of a Belgian ale. It doesn't seem to fit in this category making the flavors confusing" , "an ok beer but lacking in the hop character needed for and American IPA. Try increasing your late kettle hop additions to improve"
Final score - 24/50
Well, that was a little humbling. Did I create an IPA or bubblegum ale? Time to put it to the only test that matters - me and Josie.
The beer has a really good color and a nice foamy head. It has a strong aroma - but I'm not sure it smells like hops - the smell is more like .... bubblegum. Its got decent bitterness - but not as much as I would like. Its got a thick and creamy mouthfeel...again, not what I was shooting for, but not too bad. If you can get over the fact that the flavors are abnormal for an IPA...the beer is actually pretty decent.
I'm pretty satisfied with this first batch. It wasn't exactly what I was trying to create, but not bad.
I took a bottle to the brewshop for some advice. They thought that I may have used too much sugar when bottling - leaving excess residual sugar in the bottles - which may have led to the bubblegum taste and thick mouth feel. I'm going to try again in a few weeks.
1 comment:
OK, so I'm drinking this IPA right now.
I never woulda made the "bubblegum" call without reading this beforehand. I can see what they're talking about. But I also think that all IPAs kinda smell like that. I don't think it's overpowering or anything, and I certainly don't think it's "bad." It's pretty good, actually.
Great "mouth feel" (that's totally gay BTW) and it's got a decent bitter aftertaste that reminds me more of Fuller's Bitter rather than any other IPA. That certainly aint bad newz, bro.
In short, I will drink the hell outta this tipple.
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