Correcting a bad batch

[timmyf]

I attempted an IPA a few weeks ago that has turned out WAY too sweet. After cross checking my thermometer it turned out that the mash temp was about 3C too high which I reckon is the main culprit. The recipe is as follows:


Original Gravity (OG): 1.064 (°P): 15.7
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 (°P): 3.1
Alcohol (ABV): 6.79 %
Colour (SRM): 7.4 (EBC): 14.6
Bitterness (IBU): 63.8 (Rager)

70% Pale Malt
15% Rye Malt
10% Munich II
5% Crystal 20

1.2 g/L Super Pride (13% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
1.2 g/L Centennial (9.7% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
1.2 g/L Simcoe (12.2% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
1.2 g/L Citra (11.1% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)

0.2 g/L Whirlfloc Tablet @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
0.2 g/L Yeast Nutrient @ 10 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 66°C for 90 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 19°C with Safale US-05




As it is it's pretty undrinkable. My options are to ditch it or try to blend it with something really bitter to balance it out. Any ideas on how to create a beer that can balance this? I'm thinking my best bet is to make a plain LME extract brew to 60-70 IBU (bitterness only) and adding it 50/50.

 

[Helles]

I would use an all grain recipe the same as what you did
But mash as low a temp as possible use thin mash and mash for a couple of hours
Make it as fermentable as you can ferment to low FG and combine 50/50
Never tried this but its what i would if i needed too

 

[Midnight Brew]

What's the conversion of rager to tinsinth? Could that be it?

Or the combo of crystal and rye? I've never used rye myself but personally I use very little crystal malt in my apa's around 2%. Have a few iPas planned and got no crystal in any of them. Just a stab in the dark

 

[dmac80]

Did you use 1 packet of so5?

May be underattenuated or diacetyl at that SG.

Edit:Typo

 

[sp0rk]

I had this same problem recently
my solution?
I dry hopped with a buttload of Nelson Sauvin in keg
that balanced the sweetness out and it became a great beer!

 

[Yob]

I dry hopped with a buttload of Nelson Sauvin in keg
that balanced the sweetness out and it became a great beer!

Nice.. Ive just kegged an IIIPA that finished about 1020 and to my mind is just a tad sweet... it's had a feckload of hops in it but plan on a Simcoe/Mosaic/Citra keg hop to get it just right. Its a huge beer, about ~12%-13% and really shaping up well... try as I might, I couldnt get it to drop below that 1020 mark... bloody thing...

 

[timmyf]

Thanks to everyone for offering help on this. I think I'll dump a heap of centennial in the keg and hopefully that balances it out a bit more.

For the record 2 packs of US05 were used and it got to the expected FG in about a week.


Cheers,
Tim

 

[A3k]

Hi Tim,
So it got to the final FG? is that 1.012 as per the recipe?

At 63.8 IBU i wouldn't expect you to see it as too sweet at 1.012. Even at a higher FG, if it was due to mash, i would expect it to be drinkable at 64 IBU

did you use a hop sock that's reducing the IBUs?

Thanks,
Alan

 

[timmyf]

Good point Alan.

I did use a hop sock, it was completely clogged by the end with next to no flow through the holes. At the time I thought that it might be an issue but I completely forgot about it until you just mentioned it.

Thanks,
Tim

 

[A3k]

Cool,
Perhaps you could try isohops, but I haven't before.
Is the hop flavour where you want it?