Where does all my hop aroma (and flavour) go?

[mike_hifi]

Folks,

I have been brewing for about 15 years now but am having dire problems of late making beers that have decent hop aroma and flavour. I put bulk amounts of hops in and it smells overpowering when in the fermenter. When I taste it after a week, it is bursting with hop flavour but by week 4 it has all gone and I'm left with a malty mush that has very little character other than a residual soapy bitterness. I have entered beers in comps previously and done quite well but have recently received comments about lack of hop profile in events such as the QABC. As an example, below is recipe for an ESB clone that I've done recently. Was great at first but just had one now, at about 4 weeks, and all that lovely Challenger flavour has gone.

Boil Ingredients (12l)
5g Gypsum (I'm on rainwater)
200g Caramunich
100g Victory

500g LDME
100g LLWE
1500g LLME

10g Norther Brewer 60 min
25g Challenger 60 min
15g Fuggles 45 min
30g Challenger 15 min
30g EKG 5 min

Flameout
1000g LDME
750g Demarera Sugar
11l of bottled chilled water

Windsor yeast @ 20 deg (temp controlled)

Dry Hop
30g EKG at rack, after 4 days

The problems seems worse with Brit ales - APA's turn out a bit better, but then the hops are more pronounced to begin with.

I use Starsan for bottles and all other equipment as I cannot trust my tankwater for rinsing.

Help! I love hoppy beers but just cannot seem to make my love stay

[Tipsy]

You're not filtering?

[mike_hifi]

No, not filtering at all. Not so concerned about clarity, even though my steeping technique seems to generate a bit of haze.

[Tipsy]

Ok, I have heard filtering can strip aroma

I'm left with a malty mush that has very little character other than a residual soapy bitterness.

Soapy? Could it be the hops themselves? How long has this been happening?

[drsmurto]

How do you chill the wort down?

30g of EKG dry hop will easily overpower the challenger 15 min addition. The floral EKG aroma is winning that fight.

I'd be dry hopping with challenger if it's challenger you are after. One of my favourite english hops.

My best english IPA to date is still an all challenger IPA

[mike_hifi]

I chill my 12l boil in a tub with frozen ice cream containers - takes about 20 mins.

Yes, maybe the EKG is overpowering the Challenger but the Challenger taste was there after 1 week in the bottle? And I don't seem to be left with ANY hop aroma, not even EKG.

I'm thinking that it's more fermentation (or bottling) related but I'm pretty a.retentive about hygiene

[emnpaul]

G'day Mike,

I may be showing my ignorance here, as I don't use Starsan, but how long have you been using Starsan?

Would it be worth boiling some water to sterilise it and then rinsing off the Starsan with that, just to see if it makes a difference?

Cheers
Paul