Beers seem overly bitter

HI all,
I have a question about what would cause my brews to be more bitter than expected?? I've done a limited number of brews, extract, PM, partial boil, full boil, stove top BIAB, all kit stuff. Everything has came out drinkable, but much more bitter that I think it should have. I can't tell you the IBU of a given HB by taste, but I can tell if a Fat Tire clone tastes like an IPA.

This points at my water chemistry to me. I know my tap water is 'hard' and high in PH (7.6), but that's about it. I have requested a copy of my cities water test (I live in a town of 900 people), but haven't received anything yet. I'm not sure I would know what I'd be looking at if I do get a copy.

Tried to do a little research on here, but get lost quickly. I could try to go the RO route, but I'm not sure what to add back. ?? I could try the 'spring' water from a bottle fill station, but I hear that may be tap water from the city30 miles away. ??

I would like to brew this coming week-end and would welcome suggestion from those of you with more knowledge than myself.

Thanks in Advance!!

Sounds like water to me. A buddy got a PH meter and tested his one town over and it was 9.2! I did a couple of extract kits and they had a very bitter taste that was not easily identifiable.

The last two batches I bought 4 gallon containers of water from Menards and used that. For a 5 gallon AG batch I used 2 of those 4 gallon containers, and it always comes out to 6.5 gallons in the boil kettle.

FWIW, I bottle my beers, and somehow the bitterness has faded. Not sure how but they are more drinkable than when they were green...

Try RO or distilled water for your next brew. Extract and partial mash brews will not need anything added back. Partial mash brews usually involve small amounts of grain for conversion, so I don't think the water pH will have a large impact on the outcome of the beer.
How have you been treating your city water supply for the chlorine or chloramines in it?

First step would be to lower your bittering addition by say 10%. Then dive into the deep water.

I don't know what type of recipe or guidelines you brew from, but the very first thing I did when I started out was to back off on the bittering hops a little? Everyone's brewing set up is a little different and sometimes these little differences can make big differences in your final beers. Just a thought.

Dang, uncleleon beat me to it, ha!

grrickar,
We have a Menards locally, I've never looked there. Are these pre filled containers, or the fill your own type of station? The reason I ask is I have plumber friend that have told me to many stories about the fill stations that advertise 'spring water' and are nothing but tap water ran though a filter that never gets changed.

flars,
I agree completely with everything you said, and next in line is a PM stove top. May very well try RO, that I can get by the 5 gal bucket at a tropical fish store.
However, when spring comes I will be going AG, building my manifold and mash tun now, so I would really like to get this water thing figured out.
I just pre boil my tap water. I don't know what they treat with, although I could treat with campdon tablet.

Thank you both for your quick replies.

Good point on just backing off the bittering hop. Hard for me to trim it by 10%

I don't have a scale, I have just used pellet hops and Eyeballed it, meaning pour an ounce out on the counter and 'cut' it in half for a half ounce and so on.
Is it practical to change to timing of the additions to change the IBU? Add at 45 min instead of at 60 min lets say??

I'm still NOOBing it.

Thanks

Sounds like a good homebrew tactic. Necessity is the mother of invention!

WillieP said:

Good point on just backing off the bittering hop. Hard for me to trim it by 10%

I don't have a scale, I have just used pellet hops and Eyeballed it, meaning pour an ounce out on the counter and 'cut' it in half for a half ounce and so on.
Is it practical to change to timing of the additions to change the IBU? Add at 45 min instead of at 60 min lets say??

I'm still NOOBing it.

Thanks

Click to expand...

Scales are cheap.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oneida-Digital-Kitchen-Scale/16486675
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Etekcity-11lb-5kg-Precision-Digital-Multifunction-Scale/39520491
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Taylor-Digital-Kitchen-Scale-Set-of-2/10098024
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Professional-Electronic-Kitchen-Scale/38241740

There are several others, but I didn't want to take the time to post them.

The one I use for hops is an adjustable spring type scale. Very simple to use. I'd suggest you visit Wal-Mart - or some other big box retali store if you boycot Wal-Mart - and browse the isle that has kitchen scales on it. It's a very nice thing to have a small price to pay to know just how much of one thing or another that you're puting into your wort during the boil. Hops is one thing that comes to mind.

Boiling or letting a bucket of water sit for 24 hours will eliminate chlorine, but not chloramines. If you are brewing with municipal water, it is a problem.

flars said:

Boiling or letting a bucket of water sit for 24 hours will eliminate chlorine, but not chloramines. If you are brewing with municipal water, it is a problem.

Click to expand...

Not to mention flouride....I don't want/need flouride in my drinking/brewin/cooking water....I don't want/need to wash my body/clothes in flouride....should not flouridated toothpaste suffice??? Gov't bassturds...

WillieP said:

grrickar,
We have a Menards locally, I've never looked there. Are these pre filled containers, or the fill your own type of station? The reason I ask is I have plumber friend that have told me to many stories about the fill stations that advertise 'spring water' and are nothing but tap water ran though a filter that never gets changed.

flars,
I agree completely with everything you said, and next in line is a PM stove top. May very well try RO, that I can get by the 5 gal bucket at a tropical fish store.
However, when spring comes I will be going AG, building my manifold and mash tun now, so I would really like to get this water thing figured out.
I just pre boil my tap water. I don't know what they treat with, although I could treat with campdon tablet.

Thank you both for your quick replies.

Click to expand...

They are back in the food section, and are green 4 gallon PET containers. PET is supposedly safe to ferment in, so I guess if you wanted you could reuse the containers. They are already filled, and the water is typically from someplace local but they reverse osmosis filter it. The brand is Ice River Green. It is typically $5 for 4 gallons, but a few weeks ago it was on sale and I bought 14 gallons for $3 each and now I have those I can ferment in if I care to use them.

Thanks for the re-reply grrickar,

Seems like this is a good 'quick fix' for me and my next PM.
I will be able to tell if the bitterness issue clears up, and clearly points at my tap water as the cause.
I have been looking at related water issues on here and it seems like a Wards Lab water test may be in my future before spring if I don't hear back from my 'city' water dept.
Thanks again,
Cheers!!

Camden tablets solved my bitter problem. City uses Chloramine, also seasonal line flushing makes for heavy chlorine/Chloramine additions.
First try bottled water to rule out anything else.
Small portion scales are inexpensive at most retailers that offer kitchen utensils.
Good luck and hang in there.