Belgian Brew too Bitter...

So I made up as close an approximation to a dubble as I could a while back and brewed it up on the 18th of Feb. I was originally planning on using about 3 oz. of hops but decided I would up it a bit when I bought them and they were 3.5%AA and 2.5%AA (Argentine Cascade and Strisselspalt respectively). I went with 1oz 3.5%AA for 60 minutes, 2 oz (1oz each variety) for 20 minutes and 1 oz for 5 minutes. Beersmith tells me this should add up to about 26 IBU's and tells me it is within style guidelines(are the ones provided with the software correct?). The last hydrometer reading I took tasted far too bitter to me... Will this disappear with time? Is there any unfermentable which would be suitable to add that might help balance out what might have been an overuse of hops? I might also add that I didn't quite hit my mash temperatures properly and it stayed at about 152F when I was shooting for about 154-6F which has added to the dryness as well as my yeast having an apparent attenuation of 83% (OG=1.068 FG=1.010) when I was expecting more along the lines of 75-78%.

Thanks for all the help guys! I love this forum, even when I don't need any brew help!

This does sound a bit high in terms of AA for a dubbel. In a dubbel, by and large you really don't want much in the way of flavor or aroma from the hops (although some Belgians use aroma hops nicely).

That being said, the hydrometer sample isn't a great indicator of the flavor profile - at least the initial one. There is so much hop particulate in suspension that you will get a disproportional amount of hop flavor on your tongue. I wouldn't get your worry on based on that sample. And hop flavor does become more subtle over time.

As to additions, I may not be the expert here, but any simple fermentables that you add will most likely dry out the beer and exaggerate the hops. You could try DME to up the OG points to balance with the hops. But truthfully, I'd leave it alone. Once it's finished, you'll get a much better read on what you like and don't like about it. Make the changes next time.

my opinion, but a dubble should be dry or "digestable" like they say in Brew Like a Monk. belgian yeast is notorious for high attenuation, thats what they shoot for. i've been playing around a lot with belgians lately and that does seem like a lot of hops. i use a total of 2 oz. in my dubble (.75 oz styrian goldings @ 60 min and 1.25 oz czech saaz @ 30 min) and that is at 22 ibu's. if you haven't already, and you are in to trying more belgians, read Brew Like a Monk. Big help with understanding belgians. as for this beer that you've already brewed, i agree with cimirie. leave it, drink it, and use it to hone in your recipe.

Happy brewing!

How quickly did you cool it after the boil?

With 20 minute hop additions you can get more bitterness than your expecting if your wort stays hot enough to isomerize alpha acids.

However, I think you'll be fine by the time this is ready to drink. The only time my carboy samples taste like the final beer is when I do stouts. Also, yeasties can be kind of bitter.

So what I hear you guys saying is I should leave it to bottle condition and if it's still to bitter, well, that's just one of what I'm sure will be many lessons in hop usage. Thanks guys!

thelastdandy:

Thanks for the suggestion I'll look into ordering that book from chapters maybe... I do like belgians. mmmm.

svraines:

I put it in a bathtub full of water and ice to cool it so it took a while. Would I be able to avoid this in the future by removing the hops after flameout with a muslin bag or something?