Over did it with bittering hops

[labrewski]

As the title says I have a keg that just too bitter I tried adding syrups to pint glass first but no good
I tried a dash of water it's OK not too bitter but lacks flavour any little tips or tricks out there please

 

[The Baron]

Yeah less hops next time
No seriously if you have dumped too may hops in especially bittering hop times (early in the boil) I would just leave to see if it drops some of the bitterness with time. Or you could brew another very low IBU beer and blend it.

Going forward if you want to put loads of hops in try whirlpooling only which will help to get loads of hops in but keep the bitterness down.
Give us a run down of the style and hop drops and times

 

[Sadfield]

Table salt may be worth a try. Sodium can counter bitterness, and is often used in cooking on bitter aubergines and courgettes. The chloride may also accentuate malt flavours.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sciencefocus.com/science/why-does-salt-enhance-flavour/amp/

 

[An Ankoù]

If you can afford the keg space, then leave it for a few months. The bitterness should start to mellow down. If not, bottle it and stash the bottles away for a good while.

 

[Sandimas]

What IBU did you aim for? Do you have the recipe?

I'm intrigued because, no matter what I do, I don't seem to be able to achieve adequate bitterness. The only over-bittered beer I've tasted was at a beer festival, can't remember what it was but my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth: reckon they got something wrong in the brew that time.

 

[thegrantickle]

Or you could brew another very low IBU beer and blend it.

+1 for brew and blend

 

[MrRook]

If you can afford the keg space, then leave it for a few months. The bitterness should start to mellow down. If not, bottle it and stash the bottles away for a good while.

Several years ago I tried to mask mimic how IPAs were made 200 years ago for a Zymurgy online extra. They were often hopped to high heaven and aged for up to a year before release. On paper I had close to 200 IBUs. It was close to undrinkable at first. I tasted it every month starting in month three. It mellowed a bit every month until it hit nine months when it was pretty good.

 

[Donegal john]

Several years ago I tried to mask mimic how IPAs were made 200 years ago for a Zymurgy online extra. They were often hopped to high heaven and aged for up to a year before release. On paper I had close to 200 IBUs. It was close to undrinkable at first. I tasted it every month starting in month three. It mellowed a bit every month until it hit nine months when it was pretty good.

Curious to see was it better for the amount of ibu’s added at the start in relation to how it tasted a year later. What I mean is did it benefit with the amount of hops that mellowed or would less hops/bitterness have resulted in the same taste with less conditioning ?

 

[MrRook]

Curious to see was it better for the amount of ibu’s added at the start in relation to how it tasted a year later. What I mean is did it benefit with the amount of hops that mellowed or would less hops/bitterness have resulted in the same taste with less conditioning ?

I'm pretty sure that if I'd started with 40-50 IBUs and the beer had been ready to bottle after 9 days aging instead of 9 months the resulting beer would have been different. Would it have been better? I couldn't tell you as I brewed the 200 IBU batch for the article and it didn't occur to me to brew it with less IBUs and to compare them.

 

[RichardM]

Table salt may be worth a try. Sodium can counter bitterness, and is often used in cooking on bitter aubergines and courgettes. The chloride may also accentuate malt flavours.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sciencefocus.com/science/why-does-salt-enhance-flavour/amp/

Salt is sprinkled on sliced aubergines and courgettes before cooking to draw the bitter liquid from them. It is then usual to rinse the salt off before cooking. I don't see how that would work with beer.

 

[Sadfield]

Salt is sprinkled on sliced aubergines and courgettes before cooking to draw the bitter liquid from them. It is then usual to rinse the salt off before cooking. I don't see how that would work with beer.

How about coffee?

https://www.homegrounds.co/uk/salt-in-coffee/
https://www.thoughtco.com/does-salt-in-coffee-reduce-bitterness-607366
Given that its an instant, easy and readily accessible potential fix, worth trying? No?

 

[RichardM]

How about coffee?

https://www.homegrounds.co/uk/salt-in-coffee/
https://www.thoughtco.com/does-salt-in-coffee-reduce-bitterness-607366
Given that its an instant, easy and readily accessible potential fix, worth trying? No?

Let us know how it goes when you try it.

 

[roboto]

I made an ESB a few months back and it was too bitter to start with, but it was pretty good after a month and it's even better after two. If you can just let it mellow and it will likely improve. If you need to drink it quick then blending is probably your best option.

 

[Sadfield]

Let us know how it goes when you try it.

It works. How hard is it to sprinkle some salt into beer. Jesus.

 

[jeg3]

I brewed a bitter recently which was based on GH summer ale, but I left it after the boil for another 10 minutes or so, so the hop timings got effectively extended by 10 minutes.

Anyway after 4 weeks in the bottle it way too bitter, but another 4 weeks and it's mellowed nicely

 

[RichardM]

It works. How hard is it to sprinkle some salt into beer. Jesus.

You said "worth trying? ". You were questioning it. You didn't say you had done it and it works. It is not hard to add salt to beer but it would be good to know how much you added when you did it.

 

[Alan_Reginato]

I added table salt in some bottles once, 0.2 g/L. Wasn't too much, I couldn't taste it salty.
It gives a roundness to the hop charge.
Never used again, because I kind like it sharp. In fact, while brewing, I'm used to chewing on those small slices of hop pellets. So I can't imagine a beer too bitter.

 

[Sadfield]

You said "worth trying? ". You were questioning it. You didn't say you had done it and it works. It is not hard to add salt to beer but it would be good to know how much you added when you did it.

It was a one off, to a commercial beer, I didn't make any measurements. I also don't know how bitter the OPs beer is or have their palate. Most people are well accustomed to seasoning with salt, so assumed this wouldn't be necessary. Further to this, if the beer has very high levels of Sulphates, it could potentially go harsher in bitterness. So, worth a try.

 

[RichardM]

It was a one off, to a commercial beer, I didn't make any measurements. I also don't know how bitter the OPs beer is or have their palate. Most people are well accustomed to seasoning with salt, so assumed this wouldn't be necessary. Further to this, if the beer has very high levels of Sulphates, it could potentially go harsher in bitterness. So, worth a try.

I doubt if many people are accustomed to seasoning beer with salt.

 

[Donegal john]

I doubt if many people are accustomed to seasoning beer with salt.

I seem to have done it inadvertently
Too much calcium chloride or gypsum I think. Or else the water profile to my house has changed. I only live 400 yards from the treatment plant.