Increased Hop Presence

Northern Brewer General
1

Hello Everyone,

Back in February I brewed Jamil’s California Common recipe from “Brewing Classic Styles”. Long story short, it turned out really well and is probably one of my best beers to date. The one thing that I have noticed, however, and that my wife (independently) commented on yesterday, is that the hop presence in this beer seems to be increasing as the weeks go on. It’s not to the point where it is unpleasant to drink, but in my other beers I’ve never noticed the flavor of the hops increasing over time – in fact, it seems like it has always been the opposite.

FWIW, the beer came out OG 1.053 at 41 IBUs, with additions of Northern Brewer hops at 60, 15 and 1 minute.

Has anyone else experienced this effect?

2

How long has it been conditioning? Could be that your beer is reaching it’s optimum maturity before the hop aromas begin to degrade, and fade. Hoppy beers are made to be enjoyed “fresh” while the hops are still the forward flavor in the beer.

3

This beer was brewed on 2/2 and has been in bottles since 3/1. One aspect of home brewing that I continue to enjoy is tasting a beer as it evolves over the course of its lifetime, which is usually ~4 months at my place. While I’ve experienced other flavor developments in the beers I’ve brewed so far, I’ve just never tasted the hops increase over time. It’s still a great beer, though!