Hop Flavor Questions

[AndrewQLD]

Not having used SAAZ hops much, I need some reasurance on my latest brew.
Kegged the beer 4 days ago and force carbonated.
The flavor of the hops is quite overpowering and it is like grass, the closest beer I could compare this to, flavor-wise is LCPA, it has a definate grassy flavor but much stronger than LCPA.

Is this the normal flavor/aroma of saaz, have I overdone my hop additions and will this subside to the point where it doesn't taste like a glas of grass juice.

Only three weeks to my 40th and this was to be the celebration brew.
The hops were fresh plugs




Pilsener
4.50 kg Pilsner Export Malt Craft (3 EBC) Grain 95.7 %
0.20 kg Wheat Malt Malt Craft (4 EBC) Grain 4.3 %
60.00 gm Saaz [3.2%] (75 min) Hops 18.8 IBU
45.00 gm Saaz [3.2%] (30 min) Hops 10.4 IBU
25.00 gm Saaz [3.2%] (15 min) Hops 3.7 IBU
25.00 gm Saaz [3.2%] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Czech Budejovice Lager (White Labs #WLP802) [Starter 1000 ml] Yeast-Lager

 

[Doc]

I've brewed a few single hopped saaz brews but have never found them grassy.
Did you have a good rolling boil going ?
Also what temp did you ferment at ?

Doc

 

[GMK]

Did you do any dry hoping with the saaz.

 

[wedge]

the dry hopping would cause it if thats what you did

 

[AndrewQLD]

Doc,
75 min boil, very vigorous, fermented @ 12c.

GMK and Wedge, No dry hopping, steeped 25 g saaz during cool down.

After tasting the beer again a week later the grass flavor is not as bad, but still prominant, I am thinking maybe that the beer is not malty enough to blend with the hops SG 1.048 FG 1.008, so the hop flavor is overpowering. Still I have never tasted hops that were like grass.

 

[Asher]

I take it from the %AA that you were using plugs?..

If there like the Saaz plugs I'm using.. Have a wiff of them! there quite pungent. Some of the beers that I've used all saaz plugs for bittering and flavour/aroma additions have this flavour also. If it's any concellation - 3 monts lagering fixed the problem.
Due to the very low %AA of these imported hops, the mass required to reach your desired bitterness is getting on the high side and so I've started substituting sime higher %AA hops for bittering to try and aleviate this problem.
Just did a Bo Pills on the weekend and used 50% Saaz puugs and Spalt pellets with a higher %AA. Will get back to the list in a few weeks and report how this goes....

Asher for now...

 

[joecast]

Due to the very low %AA of these imported hops, the mass required to reach your desired bitterness is getting on the high side and so I've started substituting sime higher %AA hops for bittering to try and aleviate this problem.
Just did a Bo Pills on the weekend and used 50% Saaz puugs and Spalt pellets with a higher %AA. Will get back to the list in a few weeks and report how this goes....

Asher for now...

i was thinking the same thing. 150g of hops in 5 gal may give some the grassy flavor, but i have only used pellets. a few weeks/months may help though.
joe

 

[AndrewQLD]

Thanks for the advice guys, I shall leave it for another 2 weeks and see if it has improved enough for the party, if not I will leave for a few months.

 

[sluggerdog]

AndrewQLD - Just wondering how this went and did the flavour mellow? I am having the same trouble with the grassy flavour in a few of my batches at the moment, the taste is so overpowering I cannot drink it yet (4 weeks in the bottle) Fingers crossed it will be ready by xmas.