Beer Not Bitter Enough

[rupal]

I bottled up my Witbier yesterday & i had one bottle that was only 3/4 full which i tried today, just to preview how it will taste. There is almost no bitterness to the beer at all, These are the hops i used:

Vanguard (Pellets, 5% AAU) 20g - 60min
Saaz (Pellets, 3.6% AAU) 15g - 30min
Saaz (Pellets, 3.6% AAU) 8g - Primary
(According to Beersmith it is supposed to be 14.7 IBU)

Is there anything i can do to make it a bit more bitter like boil up a concentrated hop tea & add a bit to each bottle then reseal ? I have some: Vanguard (Pellets), Saaz (Pellets), Styrian Goldings (Flowers) left over.

cheers - Rupa

 

[Supra-Jim]

IBU's for a Wit are 10-20 so you're pretty much in the middle of the ball park. Wit's aren't supposed to be bitter beers (apologies if I'm re-stating the obvious to you).

What did you final gravity read? Could it be possible it didn't fully ferment out and some residual sweetness is hiding some of the hops?

If you had kegged the beer, adding a hop tea would be nice and simple, but un-capping and re-sealing your bottle, i would say it's not worth it. Drink it, note your recipe, make some modifications and brew again!

Cheers SJ

 

[glaab]

I'd get some nice bitter stout and mix black & tans with it, that's the easy way out. :icon_chickcheers:

 

[rupal]

The FG went down to about 1.012 , Maybe the sweetness from the unfermented priming sugar also has some thing to do with it.

thanks - Rupa

 

[RobboMC]

I bottled up my Witbier yesterday & i had one bottle that was only 3/4 full which i tried today, just to preview how it will taste. There is almost no bitterness to the beer at all, These are the hops i used:

Vanguard (Pellets, 5% AAU) 20g - 60min
Saaz (Pellets, 3.6% AAU) 15g - 30min
Saaz (Pellets, 3.6% AAU) 8g - Primary
(According to Beersmith it is supposed to be 14.7 IBU)

Is there anything i can do to make it a bit more bitter like boil up a concentrated hop tea & add a bit to each bottle then reseal ? I have some: Vanguard (Pellets), Saaz (Pellets), Styrian Goldings (Flowers) left over.

cheers - Rupa

What else is in the recipe, like how much malt? How much sugar?

14 IBU is desperately low, even a smooth malty ale might have 18-20 IBU to balance small amounts of malt. If it's drinkable beer you could just take the lesson and enjoy the drink as it is. Failing that, it's POSSIBLE to boil up a couple of litres with say 25g of high alpha hops like Gold Cluster, pour the whole lot into a fermenter, reprime and rebottle, but this exposes serious risks of oxidation and infection. Getting the beer out of the bottles undamaged will be difficult.

My advice: make a second batch with higher IBU, then invite your beer-swilling mates over for a party to get rid of the old stuff.

Also, your vanguard are only 5% AAU, consider using something with higher AAU for the bittering addition, saves some $ as well.

I have a batch of American Pale Ale that I didn't think was very good, way too bitter for my liking, but at a recent party the family of SWMBO went thru an entire 15 bottles box of it swearing it was the best beer they had ever tasted ( and since they are VB/Tooyees New lovers it probably was! )

 

[Supra-Jim]

Also what yeast did you use? Can you share the full recipe?

Here is an excert from the BJCP for the flavour profile:

Flavor: Pleasant sweetness (often with a honey and/or vanilla character) and a zesty, orange-citrusy fruitiness. Refreshingly crisp with a dry, often tart, finish. Can have a low wheat flavor. Optionally has a very light lactic-tasting sourness. Herbal-spicy flavors, which may include coriander and other spices, are common should be subtle and balanced, not overpowering. A spicy-earthy hop flavor is low to none, and if noticeable, never gets in the way of the spices. Hop bitterness is low to medium-low (as with a Hefeweizen), and doesnt interfere with refreshing flavors of fruit and spice, nor does it persist into the finish. Bitterness from orange pith should not be present. Vegetal, celery-like, ham-like, or soapy flavors are inappropriate. No diacetyl.

Hope this helps.

Cheers SJ

 

[rupal]

Sure, here is the recipe:

Pilsner Malt 2700g
Torrified Wheat 2000g
Oat Malt 500g - 15 EBC
Vanguard (Pellets, 5% AAU) 20g - 60min
Saaz (Pellets, 3.6% AAU) 15g - 30min
Saaz (Pellets, 3.6% AAU) 8g - Primary
Wyeast 3944 - Belgian Witbier
30g Coriander Seed: 5Min Boil
30g orange Zest: 5min Boil

 

[Supra-Jim]

Thanks Rupa, by the looks of the recipe, you're pretty well on the right track for a good Wit, hence you should be tasting bugger-all bitterness.

Does this seem substantially less bitter than a particular commercial example you've tasted?

Cheers SJ

 

[rupal]

Thanks Rupa, by the looks of the recipe, you're pretty well on the right track for a good Wit, hence you should be tasting bugger-all bitterness.

Does this seem substantially less bitter than a particular commercial example you've tasted?

Cheers SJ

Compared to say Hoegaarden it tastes much less bitter, But as i said in my earlier post i only just primed\bottled yesterday, so maybe the sweetness from the unfermented Priming sugar has something to do with it.

 

[Supra-Jim]

true, also once the beer is carbonated it will change the taste impression. Too early to call. Relax, have a beer, report back in two weeks time!

Cheers SJ

 

[rupal]

Will Do, Thanks for the great help.

Rupa

 

[marlow_coates]

Rupal,

I bottle, and bulk prime.
Rack straight from primary into bottling bucket with priming sugar dissolved in small amount of water within.

So the only taste I get of each brew, is either from hyrdometer samples, or the last stubby that doesn't fill right up, so gets tasted.

The problem is, that they always taste uber sweet, and I can rarely detect the bitterness in the sugar primed taste. Always has me stressing I have stuffed up somewhere etc... Pretty much tastes like shit beer.

After a week in the bottles though, once the priming sugars are mostly eaten up, you should be able to taste and get at least an apreciation of what sort of bittering is in there.

Also, it reduces the stress levels that I have buggered it up.
Of course, a couple of extra weeks, and they are tasting like they are meant too.

The hydrometer sample taste can usually be trusted to give an indication of bitterness, as there should be no priming sugars in it. (fermentation must have finished of course). But I can occasionally overestimate the bitterness from the hydro, and later down the track the beers aren't that bitter at all. This is usually when sampling unfinished beer, as I assume some the extra bitterness tasted here is blown off with further fermentation.

Give it some time before critiquing (spelling?) your beer. Time is your mate.

Marlow

 

[WeaselEstateBrewery]

Give it some time before critiquing (spelling?) your beer. Time is your mate.
Marlow

+1. I brewed a hefeweizen recently that tasted too sweet out of the fermenter, but I force carbed in the keg and waited 2 days and it was a real rippa!!

 

[rupal]

I tried another bottle today & it is really good now, The hops are noticeable now & it tastes like Hoegaarden but with a bit of a caramel finish probably from the Malted Oats.

Cheers - Rupa