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Hi all
is there a way to rescue a over-bittered beer? The IBU is about 45, which looks ok on paper. But wait till you try it out! Makes my lips all puckered up... It's currently in the primary fermenter and I was thinking of adding 3-4L of wort with the same OG to counter the bitterness. Does this sound workable
If you're going to add water add some malt as well. The benifits of this will be non-watered down beer and sweetness to counter the bitterness.
However your beer is really green at the moment. If I was you I'd probably leave it and see what it tastes like after 2 weeks in the bottle. If it's still too bitter for you then, leave it another few weeks. The bitterness should dull down over time.
I always add less than the reccomended amount of hops (about 75%) coz I'm not a real fan of really hoppy beer and I don't like waiting for the strong hop presence to subside.
yeh i just did an exsperiment with hops which reveiled that some hops although they have a high AA dosent mean they have a strong aroma to match (which i found with some hops), hense bittering hops, silly silly me,
its looking like a dtd job (down the drain)
Don't chuck it, it can be salvaged. If nothing else it is vrai fraiche et jeune
as my French friends would say. The biggest problem is that it is about 5 minutes old, uncarbonated and warm
If you are worried, blend it in as you suggest. Me, I would bottle it up let it sit for a month or so and try it then. Believe me, the character will change dramaticly and you won't be dissapointed.
If you still think it sucks, you can cut half and half with good stuff or give it away to those people who think you brew free brew or to those that think they are your friend but really aren't. There all sorts of reasons to leave it alone.
Just give it a chance
Dogger
"Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religous fanatic talk about the day he saw the light" Ross Murray, Montreal Gazette
Dont mix it with anything yet. Bitterness really mellows out with more time in the fermenter and bottle. I've made some 80IBU monsters that really settle down into a smooth bitterness after a few months.
Some high AA can have a perceived "harsh" bitterness or other weird flavors. Chinook is a common culprit, with many people citing a Pine tree flavor.
My advice, tough it out, we'll make a hophead out of you yet
Centennial to fits that crowd. Excessive citrus if used in large quantity
Dogger
"Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religous fanatic talk about the day he saw the light" Ross Murray, Montreal Gazette
Well, I've gone and added extra wort, the bitterness level has gone down to a more acceptable level.
Even with the current level of bitterness, I'm hoping it will mellow down as it is still harsh. The downside of this whole episode is that the hop flavour has reduced abit too.
I was using Clusters for bittering and Cascade for flavouring. Guess I have to add more Cascade for dry-hopping when I rack to secondary.
