roofpig

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Hey there, all. Complete n00b to this board and to home brewing in general. I just recently completed my first brew, had a lot of fun, and ended up with a product that was better than I expected!

The only problem I have is that the brew tastes a bit hoppier than I would have expected. I purchased a True Brew Amber Ale kit to start off, thinking it would be an easy one to do, and it was, but I didn't end up with what I thought I would.

Has anyone used this particular kit? Is it supposed to be a hoppy amber?

I did a large amount of research into the situation, but the only thing I could come up with (and this is a bit of a stretch) is that since I didn't have a blow-off tube connected to the primary fermenter (I just had a fermentation lock), the krausen didn't have anywhere to go and contributed to the flavor.

In any case, the beer is still drinkable and I'm looking forward to my next venture!

broadbill

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How long has it been since you brewed it? How long was your fermentation? When did you bottle?

Chances are if it was an extract kit and you followed the directions, there wasn't any mistakes with measuring that would have lead to an imbalance of malt to hops.

My guess is that the beer is still young (not knowing anything about your fermentation). Young/green beer typically has a harsh/bitter hop bite to it until it mellows a bit.

Try it in a couple week and it will be a different beer.

roofpig

Recipes 

I had it in my primary for a week (as per the directions; I do have a hydrometer, but with all else I was learning I forsook it until the next time around), and the I had it in my secondary for a little over a week. It's been bottled for about a week and I cracked one open to test it on Saturday.

It very well could have been that I didn't let it sit in the primary for long enough. I'll have to watch that next time around.

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broadbill

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Yup, way to soon-I aim to keep my beer in the fermentor for at least a month before I even think about bottling/kegging. Give it a couple weeks...Good luck!

roofpig

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Live and learn, eh? ;-)

Thanks!

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BioBeing

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If it has only been in the bottle a week, it probably hasn't carbed up fully yet either. The amount of carbonation will also affect the flavour. Just drink some craft microbrews for another couple three weeks, and then taste it again. Good things come to those who wait

bernerbrau

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Hops will mellow out. If it's your first batch you'll probably blow through it, but try and leave a couple for a year from now for comparison.

TommyBoy

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Hide them and do your best to forget about them for a little while. If it is a lighter beer, 3-6 months should be plenty.

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Dave258

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I have this one in the fermentor right now. Today is 6 days. I am going to leave it for at least another week.
My first brew was the true brew Brown Ale kit. I bottled it after a week also, and started drinking it after 1 week in the bottles. I thought it was great. I now have some bottles that are two and a half months in the bottles, and they taste even better!
I am giving things a bit longer now, and notice the beer being clearer and having better taste.
Dave

kyleobie

Recipes 

Hoppy amber, eh? That definitely sounds like an issue - better ship your batch to me for some taste testing.

Just kidding. Give it some time to balance. I recently brewed an amber with a load of late hop additions that balanced well over time - by 6 weeks in the bottle, the citrusy hop and caramel/toffee malt flavors were in happy unison.

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