Hi all
Been brewing for about 4 years now and having problems with my hoppy beers. I’m getting a dry, harsh bitterness that is completely overriding the hop flavour and aroma. Every beer I’ve made with even a small amount of desired hop flavour has this taste. It is present at the end of the boil before pitching yeast and carries through fermentation. It is still there after 2-3 months in the keg. I’ve brewed a few dark beers which still have this flavour, although much more subtle, I think because of the stronger malt flavours masking it.
I do a single 23L batches using BIAB, aiming for 68% efficiency which I usually hit. I recirculate the mash through an external HERMS coil for temp control for 90 mins, then rise to mashout. I pull the bag and generally boil for 60 mins, then chill with an immersion chiller. I use a pump to create a whirlpool while chilling. I brew exclusively on tank water (only option) but recently tried using RO water to rule out any water issues. I adjust the PH of the mash to ~5.4 for most beers and add usually 2-4g Calc Chloride or Gypsum depending on the beer. I also add 1-2ml of Phosphoric Acid to bring the PH down fully. This is measured with a calibrated PH meter. I use liquid yeasts with a stir-plate starter around 1.5L, and oxygenate with pure o2 for approx. 1 min. Usually ferment at 18-20 in a temp controlled freezer. I have a certified thermometer that I use to calibrate all my others with, they read within 1 degree of each other.
The last 5 batches have been Dr Smurto’s Golden Ale, scaled down to smaller batch sizes to try nut out the issue. I recently bought a FWK and fermented it as per my usual process and it tastes great, none of the same harsh bitterness. One thing I noticed was the FWK before pitching yeast tasted sweet, malty with some subtle smooth bitterness where my wort tastes sweet but very harsh and bitter, totally different. The predicted IBU on my beer was 31 and the FWK was 38.
Sorry for the long post but this issue has been driving me nuts for ages and would appreciate any advice or suggestions! Cheers
Been brewing for about 4 years now and having problems with my hoppy beers. I’m getting a dry, harsh bitterness that is completely overriding the hop flavour and aroma. Every beer I’ve made with even a small amount of desired hop flavour has this taste. It is present at the end of the boil before pitching yeast and carries through fermentation. It is still there after 2-3 months in the keg. I’ve brewed a few dark beers which still have this flavour, although much more subtle, I think because of the stronger malt flavours masking it.
I do a single 23L batches using BIAB, aiming for 68% efficiency which I usually hit. I recirculate the mash through an external HERMS coil for temp control for 90 mins, then rise to mashout. I pull the bag and generally boil for 60 mins, then chill with an immersion chiller. I use a pump to create a whirlpool while chilling. I brew exclusively on tank water (only option) but recently tried using RO water to rule out any water issues. I adjust the PH of the mash to ~5.4 for most beers and add usually 2-4g Calc Chloride or Gypsum depending on the beer. I also add 1-2ml of Phosphoric Acid to bring the PH down fully. This is measured with a calibrated PH meter. I use liquid yeasts with a stir-plate starter around 1.5L, and oxygenate with pure o2 for approx. 1 min. Usually ferment at 18-20 in a temp controlled freezer. I have a certified thermometer that I use to calibrate all my others with, they read within 1 degree of each other.
The last 5 batches have been Dr Smurto’s Golden Ale, scaled down to smaller batch sizes to try nut out the issue. I recently bought a FWK and fermented it as per my usual process and it tastes great, none of the same harsh bitterness. One thing I noticed was the FWK before pitching yeast tasted sweet, malty with some subtle smooth bitterness where my wort tastes sweet but very harsh and bitter, totally different. The predicted IBU on my beer was 31 and the FWK was 38.
Sorry for the long post but this issue has been driving me nuts for ages and would appreciate any advice or suggestions! Cheers