Bitter Taste

[peterl1981]

hi all, my last couple of brews have been having a bitter taste, they are pales ales, what would be the problem

cheers

 

[kocken42]

Hi Lynchman!

You've really opened yourself up to ridicule with a post like that but anyways...

First we have to know whether you are doing kit beers, extract or all grain?

The bitterness is derived from the boiling of hops (alpha acids), if you are doing extract and all grain brewing, your bitterness is determined by the amount of hops added and at what times they are added (and also their alpha acid concentration).

If you are doing kit brewing, your bitterness is a set amount depending on the 'can of goo' you purchased to begin with (IPA cans have higher bitterness, blonde cans have low bitterness)

If you are finding your beers really bitter, you either have to reduce the amount of hops, increase the malt sweetness (to counteract the bitterness) or just let your beers age for longer...the bitterness will natural round out and may not be so noticable.

 

[peterl1981]

yeah i been doing kit brews, and i keg it,

When you say age it longer, what do you mean, should i use a secondery?

 

[eddy401]

i posted asking how to reduce the bitterness myself a while ago,
the answers people gave me were (assuming you are doing a kit tin brew)
increase the malt to counter the bitterness
increase the volume (so its more diluted, but this will obviously affect the overall taste, alcohol percent etc)
get a kit with a lower IBU! there is a spreadsheet on this site that is for desiginig beers, it has a section that says the different IBU's of the different beer kits, so buy ones like coopers mexican cerveza that is not very bitter, its here

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=29655

hope thats some help

also people said adding lots of dextrose to increase the alcohol content can make it seem more bitter as it thins the beer out, so make sure you balance dextrose with malt

 

[kocken42]

yeah i been doing kit brews, and i keg it,

When you say age it longer, what do you mean, should i use a secondery?

Yeah you can definately use a secondary and just let it sit for a month. The post above gives some good guidance.
If you've been doing kit brews for a while and have noticed a change perhaps the manufacturers have changed hopping rates or what-not...

Try and find a beer that you like and are happy with the bitterness (bitterness is expressed in IBU's (International Bittering Units)) and once you know the amount of IBU's that you prefer, you can make your beers to suit by buying cans with corresponding IBU's or lower IBU's which you then increase slightly with the addition of hops.

Hope you have some success mate.

 

[keifer33]

Steeping grains such as most cara'xxx' ones can mask bitterness in some certain recipes. Its finding that balance that works. Ive tasted a few high IBU beers and can appear not as full on with the balance. Might be worth looking at moving up to adding extra bits.

Lots of straight cans with no additions can be highly bitter and not in a good way. Ive used the same cans with added grains and hops and its a totally different beer. The can is only the base imo, Its like using pasta sauce and then comparing it to pasta sauce with fresh herbs and seasoning added, I know which id prefer. Sorry for the dodgy analogy but just had pasta for dinner.

 

[kelbygreen]

a recipe you done and think is to bitter would be good. I find all kits under bittered so couldnt see them being over bitter but I mainly brewed coopers APA. as said increase the malt. If your adding all dextrose this could be a reason add at least 50/50 malt and dextrose and adjust from there I went more the 60-70% malt 40-30% dex. But I was adding about 20g of different hops at 20mins

 

[bum]

lynchman, what have the recipes been for the beers you feel are too bitter and also throw a recipe up for one you've been happy with so we can get an idea of what your process is and what you're after.

If the guys above don't mind me saying so, don't take any of the advice given yet as gospel. Much of it can, and most likely would, be useful but there's too many unknowns here for good, tailored advice. Pay particular attention to ignoring the bit about the extended secondary - it might benefit your beers in some way but I don't think it is going to fix what is going on here.

As for the the finished beers - can you describe this bitterness at all? There is a chance this issue might not be IBU related so the more detail you can give the better answers you'll receive.

 

[Tony M]

I occasionally make a beer which has a harsh bitterness that has nothing to do with hops. I have shown it at WCB and the gurus nod knowingly and decide it is some kind of infection but nobody has enlightened me further. Maybe this is happening to Lynchman

 

[bum]

Yeah. It is also pretty common for some people to taste astringency as bitterness. These are the two main reasons I thought we should ask for more info.

lynchman, don't start panicking about infections just yet. Nothing to suggest that in what you've posted yet.