How to get a crisp finish?

[siwelwerd]

I just got my scoresheets back from the first competition I entered. My APA got dinged for not enough hop flavor and not having a crisp finish. While the former is pretty easy to fix, I'm not sure what to do about the latter. How can I, to quote the judge "make the finish a bit crisper"? They also mentioned the carbonation might be a bit low for the style, is that going to affect the perception of the finish?

Thanks in advance.

[iloman]

Maybe by crisp the judge wanted it to be drier? Hard to tell. If they listed their email address I'd recommend an email asking what they define crisp to be and how they would recommend correcting for it.

On my one and only competition entry I got mixed results on carbonation. One judge wanted more and another said it was perfect. Go figure....

[BDawg]

He's asking you to make it drier, use a cleaner yeast, and you probably need to raise your sulfate content in the water. I've found that even extract brews can benefit from a little gypsum in the water (a tsp or so) if your water is naturally soft and you are brewing a hoppy beer like an IPA/APA. Check your fermentation temp, too. Too high can create fruity esters.

HTH-

BDawg-
(BJCP Certified Judge)

[Mylo]

+1

Doc always recommends a little gypsum to make it a little crisper.


Mylo

[siwelwerd]

Thanks guys. I haven't thought much about my water before. According to How to Brew, and looking at what someone in the local club gave for the local water profile, the Calcium and Sulfates are both low, which would mean my water is a bit soft, right? Right now I partial mash (have to fix a leak in my mash tun before i can get to all grain), so the gypsum could help more than it would if I just used extract?

Also, I used Wyeast 1056. I was under the impression that that was about as clean a yeast as I would find. I think my temps were a bit high, would would this yeast still be fine if I can get my temps down?

[BDawg]

Yes, on both questions. Your water is soft. It will help your mash and the sulfates will accentuate hops. 1056 is a great yeast that ferments clean and at low temps starts fermenting almost lager-like.

HTH-

[TapItGood]

There is a British Crsip Malt that you can use if you are steeping grains. About a 1\4 oz. is good. Also if you are trying to get it dryer, add a little bit O' sugar 1/2 pound will dry it out a bit without effecting the flavor. If you use sugar make sure to cut back a little on the extract so the gravity stays the same.

[siwelwerd]

Just to follow up on this, I brewed an IPA a few weeks ago and added 1 tsp gypsum, in addition to subbing in 1 lb corn sugar for 1 lb extract. I took it to the local club last night, and several people commented on the nice crisp, dry finish. It even was selected as our club's entry to the upcoming COC. So thanks again guys!