Diluting hop flavour in a beer - fixing over hopped beer

[trustyrusty]

Hi - I am not sure if this fits in brewing techniques but ...

I brewed a kit which I followed to the nth degree, hops is way too much in recipe...and I can now taste it...

The batch is in bottles which I am emptying into keg until I know what I can do with it.

The beer itself is great, good colour, carbonation, aroma...hops is good but awful after taste of hops or hop oil...

I was trying to think of how I can I fix it..


Thought of waiting for my next batch and mix it, it probably needs to be mixed with 50% of something else and would be fine...

Could I added dextrose ? Or something to sweeten it but I am not sure if that would help?

Any ideas...

I don;t want to chuck it as it was given as a gift and I wanted to share it with that person.....

The beer itself is great...

Thanks

 

[Matplat]

Maybe your friend will like it and you can just give it all to him/her?

What is it about the taste that you don't like? could just be that type of hop you aren't keen on... How long has it been in the bottle? harsh or strong flavours tend to mellow with a bit more conditioning....

 

[trustyrusty]

Thanks


No this is too much hops after taste, I don't think anyone would like this.... I don't if you have ever tasted steeps hop water, that it really bitter..... this has the same after taste, not to the extent but is evident... back of the throat hop oil flavour .. not pleasant

Been in bottle for about 3 months, I thought it would improve but is not.... I cannot see it getting to a point where you could drink it.

The taste of the beer is great....that is why I want to fix if I can..

cheers

 

[TimT]

Brew some beer without hops and dilute.

 

[kunfaced]

There is no beer too bitter.

 

[TimT]

Bitter is better?

 

[indica86]

Send it to me, I'll drink it.

 

[Dan Pratt]

What was the hop schedule and bitterness target?

Did you include bitterness from the kit/goo?

 

[Yob]

Bloody lager drinkers...

Blend it or drink it.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

To opening post. Aging is the only solution I believe. Should have left in the bottles for ~ ~ months. It is what it is. It will mellow and blend. Worst case If its no improvement after 6 months it will never really be your greatest beer.
Best case it will be your one of your greatest beers.

ps I have a lot of bottles. I never act in haste. The beer is what it is I really don't believe their are many successful after fixes. Just the next brew etc.

 

[manticle]

Depending on how you empty bottles into a keg, it may resolve itself by tasting like cardboard instead.

If it's really hop related bitterness you're experiencing then blending with less well hopped complementary style beer is your best bet. Otherwise long ageing but if you just poured each bottle into the keg, I think ageing will create other issues for which no fix is possible.

 

[Topher]

Yeah i was thinking the same. You are gonna make the beer stale super quick by banging bottles into kegs.

Most of my bad beer issues are resolved with adding water or sparkling water, or blending another beer. The easiest way is in the glass.

 

[Topher]

Could i clarify where the hops came from? Some of the dodgier lhbs dont refrigerate.

 

[trustyrusty]

Thanks Guys for the replies ...

OK this was a kit that came with yeast (You can buy yeast from maker as separate item, so not essentially just a kit yeast)
plus 1 kg liquid malt + pack of mixed hops - Cascade and Columbus. The bag did not say grams but from memory of size I would say it was 50 gram. It was dry hopped after 3 days.. no boil.. I am not mentioning maker right now as I don;t want to change the direction the post and become a discussion about the best kits etc. I am focusing on the hops, as I think it is too much. (I have emailed the maker, and they say it is down to tastes). If it was 50 gram dry hopped is that too much no matter the hops.... I think it is from what I read... I am trying to find out the weight - but I cannot find.
.
Yes and interesting, it was all in a box so it could not be in fridge...so are you saying you should keep hops in fridge even if unopened vacuum sealed bag?
I have kept a few bottles to see what happens say in 6 months... The rest is now in keg, waiting to see... I have something on the go that I might toss the 4 litres extra in....

I think is probably were need to have different words - ie I think the bitterness here should be a combination bitterness / sourness because I think the bitterness in this beer in terms of beer tasting is not pleasant..

Thanks

 

[SBOB]

If it was 50 gram dry hopped is that too much no matter the hops.... I think it is from what I read... I am trying to find out the weight - but I cannot find.
.

50 grams dry hopped too much? I think you just have Yob a heart attack...
Depending on style, 50grams could be 'too much', but for anything that you would usually dry hop 50g would be (imo) a minimum to get any decent benefit.

BUT-> you dont get 'bitterness' from dry hopping, you get aroma

On a side note,
I recently dumped a dry hop of about 200g of galaxy into a pacific ale just to see how it would go, and it was all passionfruit...mmmmmmmm

 

[manticle]

You do get bitterness from dry hopping - you just don't get ibu contribution. IBU is a measurement of isomerised alpha acids in solution. Alpha acids contribute to the main stable bittering in beer but hops have other components which are also bitter.

If you chew a hop pellet or make a hop tea, you will discern bitterness but it is not predominantly alpha acid related.

Dry hopping will also contribute to flavour. Again - make a hop tea and tell me it's aromatic but flavourless.

 

[Matplat]

Yep, if your hops were kept warm in the cupboard, they certainly won't keep fresh for very long... could be part of the problem.

 

[Dan Pratt]

I don't think the hops are the issue, although stored at room temp is not making the beer right.

Kit packet yeast and fermentation temperature I'm suggesting are the reason for the problem, you said you followed the instructions to the nth degree and that would mean direct pitch and warm ferment.

Was the kit a ale or lager?

 

[fletcher]

never used it, and don't want to ever use it, however mangrove jack's stock this product:

http://www.thehopandgrain.com.au/product/beer-and-wine-sweetener/

can't way how well it would go but it's an option i suppose. good luck however you go with it.

 

[trustyrusty]

I don't think the hops are the issue, although stored at room temp is not making the beer right.

Kit packet yeast and fermentation temperature I'm suggesting are the reason for the problem, you said you followed the instructions to the nth degree and that would mean direct pitch and warm ferment.

Was the kit a ale or lager?

Yes ... sprinkled yeast, normal room temp ferment, around 20 deg.

Ale kit.

The beer itself is great, definitely would be fine with hops.

Surely if there is too much hops it will be bitter, I am ONLY referring to an after taste of hops / hop oils.

The other day I tasted a teaspoon of steeped hop water for another batch to see if I could taste the same flavour and that is bitter - this has the same after taste

of hop bitterness but not nearly as strong of course, but the only flavour left in the back of the throat is that hop bitterness. I think an after taste of hops is

probably different to a taste of hops...?


cheers