Help Bitter Brew

[Rowy]

I just took an FG on an AG ESB I made up 9 days ago and when I tasted it out of the tube it was quite bitter with no discernable hop taste or aroma at all. I used magnum for bittering and cluster at 20mins and a small amount of Topaz at flame out. Only new and am really just experimenting. Fermentation is over and I was thinking of chilling it to -1dg tomorrow and bottling over the weekend. Is it too late to throw some hop pellets into the fermenter to try and get a bit more aroma and hop flavour. Also if I do this now that fermentation as finsihed will taking the lid off the fermenter and allowing oxygen in effect the beer.

Thanks in advance.

Rowy

 

[manticle]

Beers change with time - when yeast drops out and things carb up, you can find a massive difference.

There is nothing wrong with altering/adding to beers that aren't as you expect them to be at FG - I do it all the time: minimashes, blending, dry hopping, infusing fruit, oak cacao nibs etc.

However be sure that the beer is really not where you think it should be and adjust accordingly. Otherwise, leave and adjust next time. It may mature to become a great beer.

Is it too bitter? Maybe it needs more malt from a minimash instead? Or maybe a minimash and some extra aroma hops?

 

[Rowy]

Beers change with time - when yeast drops out and things carb up, you can find a massive difference.

There is nothing wrong with altering/adding to beers that aren't as you expect them to be at FG - I do it all the time: minimashes, blending, dry hopping, infusing fruit, oak cacao nibs etc.

However be sure that the beer is really not where you think it should be and adjust accordingly. Otherwise, leave and adjust next time. It may mature to become a great beer.

Is it too bitter? Maybe it needs more malt from a minimash instead? Or maybe a minimash and some extra aroma hops?

Not too bitter Manticle just like a bitter megaswill. Hard to explain but no extra flavour after the bitterness.

 

[manticle]

Well dry hopping might be enough. Maybe run off a glass, dry hop proportionally and cover for a couple of days, refrigerated then allow to warm up and see if it's in the ballpark?

 

[MaltyHops]

... thinking of chilling it to -1dg tomorrow and bottling over the weekend. ...

Err... if your systems is really capable of chilling down to -1, frozen beer
is a bugger to bottle Unless you mean setting a temp controller to -1C
and let fridge get as cold as it can (but still over 0C)?

T.

 

[Rowy]

Err... if your systems is really capable of chilling down to -1, frozen beer
is a bugger to bottle Unless you mean setting a temp controller to -1C
and let fridge get as cold as it can (but still over 0C)?

T.

Thats what I mean. I get it icey cold without freezing pretty quickly.

 

[Nick JD]

Beer doesn't freeze at -1. It's got 5% antifreeze in it.

And hydrometer samples can sometimes have a lot of hop trub in them making them taste more bitter than the beer above.

 

[katzke]

I used magnum for bittering and cluster at 20mins and a small amount of Topaz at flame out.

Rowy

Recipe please? How much magnum? How long of boil? How much cluster & topaz?

Hard to give advice with out knowing what you are doing.

Yes you can dry hop before bottleing. About a week with some nice hops will add to it. hard to say if you will end up with an IPA or ESB with out knowing the recipe.

Did I say what is the recipe?

 

[MaltyHops]

Beer doesn't freeze at -1. It's got 5% antifreeze in it. ...

Something for me did - I have a steel fermenter and set tempmate to about
1C overnight and tried to transfer out for bulk priming - out came icy slush.
And what about trub? It would have a lower amount of alcohol in it?

T.

 

[Amber Fluid]

Beer won't freeze or become an icy slush at 1C. Maybe your tempmate is out or your FV may have been touching the internal side of the freezer when it was cooling??

 

[MaltyHops]

... Maybe your tempmate is out or your FV may have been touching the internal
side of the freezer when it was cooling??

Possibly, did check re. contact. Getting a bit off topic (apologies to OP)
but there have been reports of frozen fermenters here and even in
Palmers' book. I did decide not to attach the heat belt that time and
my tempmate probe is foam pressed against the fermenter, which
being relatively large, reckon the core temperature could be colder
than the outside and maybe lead to a runaway cooling process.

Agree beer shouldn't freeze at 0C but other factors could be at play
here - could just set temp controller to 5C rather than 0C to avoid
all the extra fun. In any case, not a disaster when it happens - just
inconvenient.

 

[DUANNE]

Beer doesn't freeze at -1. It's got 5% antifreeze in it.

And hydrometer samples can sometimes have a lot of hop trub in them making them taste more bitter than the beer above.

agree with this. i regularly chill my beer down to -1.5 for a week or two before kegging it without freezing it in to a slushy.it really helps the clarity out a lot and improves the overall flavour i find.

 

[Rowy]

Recipe please? How much magnum? How long of boil? How much cluster & topaz?

Hard to give advice with out knowing what you are doing.

Yes you can dry hop before bottleing. About a week with some nice hops will add to it. hard to say if you will end up with an IPA or ESB with out knowing the recipe.

Did I say what is the recipe?

20 magnum at 60 (60 min Boil), 15 cluster at 10 and 8 Topaz at 5. By the way an American will always address an Australian in a much more respectful way unless he's got a very good dentist.

 

[bradsbrew]

Rowy, I think Katzke was refering to recipe as in grains, OG etc. Easier to give you advice regarding the bitterness with the extra detail mate.



Cheers

 

[Rowy]

Rowy, I think Katzke was refering to recipe as in grains, OG etc. Easier to give you advice regarding the bitterness with the extra detail mate.



Cheers

Its the principle Brad. I'm going to crack that Brissy River on Friday arvo.

 

[goomboogo]

Its the principle Brad. I'm going to crack that Brissy River on Friday arvo.

Is that the principle of overreaction?