Your base malts are similar and your dry hopping with similar tasting hops. Try making a rye IPA or a Belgian style IPA . Use different grains and different yeasts. A lot of commercial IPA taste similar also. Don’t overthink it. I made my standard IPA with 3711 at normal temps and got a lot of compliments.
Yeah I think a new base malt would also probably go a long way to changing the flavor. The problem is, I buy 50lbs at a time so unless i find room to store multiple sacks at a time, I’ll lose the benefit of the bulk price of grain.
[quote=“mattnaik”][quote=“65SS427”]IMO a good pH meter is a necessity for consistently good results. If you want one that will last for more than a year or two, try this one:
http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/hanna ... -98127.htmIt’s a little spendy, but very accurate and waterproof unlike many, plus it’s temperature compensating. Being as I’m a geologist, I have one at home and one at work, so I can justify owning them easier than many, but I still recommend it highly.[/quote]
I noticed the calibration solutions were $25 for 25. How often do you need to do a 2 point calibration with the 4.01 pH solution? Is the solution reusable? Can I use distilled as the 7.01 pH medium for calibration purposes? I can see that getting a bit pricey if I have to do that often.[/quote]
I think I check the calibration every couple of weeks or so at a minimum. I do check with distilled water just before brewing, just to make sure it’s still “in the ballpark” and it always stays within at tenth or so, which is close enough for me. This particular meter seems to hold its calibration quite a bit better than other brands I’ve used. As far as the solution goes, it doesn’t take a lot of the solution to calibrate, so a little goes a long ways, but as zwiller says, the solution has a limited shelf life. The cleaning and storage solutions are a must for lab equipment, less so for field grade pH meters IMO. In the lab, accuracy and precision is much more an issue than it is in the field, or for such things as homebrewing, where a tenth one way or the other is going to be a minimal issue. One other thing, the pH meter I referenced is temperature compensating, and the one I use is pretty darned accurate at any temperature I’ve used it at up to mashout temps.
