JiveTurkey

Recipes 

New to brewing. Favorite beer are stout, fruit ales, and Belgian (especially wit); least favorite are IPA, lagers, and blondes. I like my beer flavorful, but not bitter.

First batch was a stout from a standard recipe at the LHBS. Good, but too bitter for my taste (recipe estimated ~35 IBU, turned out to be 42 after later inputting into Beersmith).

Being bottled next week is my second batch: a honey wit. I experimented with the hop additions to give more flavor and aroma without increasing bitterness, but later learned the hop flavors may interfere with the corriander and orange peel. We'll see.

For the third batch, I'm looking for an extract recipe or help making one that has low bitterness, but moderate to high hop flavor and aroma. I've been looking through the style guidelines, but haven't found anything like that. Something in the pale to amber color range. Moderate maltiness. And creamy. Ideas?

Airborneguy

Recipes 

You could always make an IPA... tone down the bittering hops and up the flavor and aroma hops. Dry hopping is a great way to do this. It's how I make my IPA's because I am not a big fan of bitter either.

Ksosh

Recipes 

Look up california common/steam beer, or english (northern/southern) brown, you might like these? If they don't look hoppy enough for you, just add more hops around the 15 minute mark for flavor/aroma with little bitterness

__________________
-Ksosh
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Primary: Belgian Dark Strong, Version 2
Secondary: Second running session ale #2

JiveTurkey

Recipes 

Thank you for the comments so far.

The steam beer idea is interesting. I've not tried it because there is just something about the flavor of lager yeast I don't like. Maybe I'll try an Anchor Steam. Interestingly, years ago I did like Michelob's Amber Bock, but have since stopped supporting such macro-breweries.

The one thing I do like about IPAs are the citrusy notes. Please give me tips on how to increase this citrusiness. Also what kind of flavors might I expect to come out with the bitterness toned down? A lot of people I know love IPAs and the bitterness; If I brew a low-IBU IPA, I'll have to call it something else lest I mislead and disappoint them.

Ksosh

Recipes 

Check out this article:
http://www.byo.com/stories/recipes/article/indices/38-ingredients/1622-what-is-the-best-way-to-add-a-citrus-fruit-flavor-to-your-beer

...though it might not be what you're looking for. I'd say stick with the orange peel, but maybe experiment with citric acid additions? I have no idea if this is viable, but at least it sounds good

__________________
-Ksosh
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Primary: Belgian Dark Strong, Version 2
Secondary: Second running session ale #2

JiveTurkey

Recipes 

Thanks for the link.

From a tip from my LHBS, I added a small amount of citric acid to the priming sugar of the stout to give it a creamier carbonation. I was trying to give it a nitrogen feel, without actually using Nitrogen, of course.

TheFlatline

Recipes 

Dry hopping is going to be your best bet I imagine. Also, late addition hops (15 minutes for flavor, 5/flameout for aroma) works well.

If you can find it, try a hobgoblin. It's probably a smidge too bitter for you, but it's got a lovely hops flavor and aroma, though not a citrus hops.

If you're doing all grain, I f*cked up and threw hops in during my mash, and am REALLY happy with the results.

__________________
I never did like to do anything simple when I could do it ass-backwards...

JiveTurkey

Recipes 

Thanks for the tips everyone. I've decided to do an IPA that has about 30 IBUs, but 6oz total hops. 6.5% ABV.

I have an ounce each of Saaz (3.1 AA%) and Crystal (4.3 AA%) in the freezer left over from the Wit. I'm going to call the LHBS when they open again Tuesday and see what the AA% is of the Cascades hops (for the citrusy flavor). I'd like to put 2 oz at various times in the boil and another 2 oz dry-hopped. Beersmith estimates it is 5.5 AA% (I hope it is really a little lower).

This is my recipe as of now (5 gallon batch):

8 lbs. Light DME (8.0 SRM)
2 lbs. Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)
30 min. 0.5 oz Cascade hops [5.5%] (6.3 IBU)
30 min. 0.5 oz Crystal hops [4.3%] (4.9 IBU)
30 min. 0.5 oz Saaz hops [3.1%] (3.6 IBU)
20 min. 0.5 oz Cascade hops [5.5%] (5.0 IBU)
20 min. 0.5 oz Crystal hops [4.3%] (3.9 IBU)
20 min. 0.5 oz Saaz hops [3.1%] (2.8 IBU)
10 min. 0.5 oz Cascade hops [5.5%] (3.0 IBU)
5 min. 0.5 oz Cascade hops [5.5%] (1.6 IBU)
Dry hop: 2 oz Cascade hops (last 7 days of Secondary)
(Gypsum)
(Irish Moss)
Yeast: White Labs Pacific Ale (#WLP041)

Primary: 14 days
Secondary: 56 days

Est. IBU: 31
Est. OG: 1.072
Est: FG: 1.022
Est. ABV: 6.5%

I may mess around some more with the hop additions once I know the Cascade AA%, but any comments about the above recipe?

Am I doing the dry-hopping right?

I read in a book that the original IPAs' bitterness toned down and the aromas came out more as they conditioned on the journey to India; I'm trying to re-create this with the long Secondary.

Edit: I'm naming this brew: "Be Hoppy, Not Bitter"

Ksosh

Recipes 

Did it work?

__________________
-Ksosh
----------------------------------
Primary: Belgian Dark Strong, Version 2
Secondary: Second running session ale #2

JiveTurkey

Recipes 

I think it did, but maybe it was a placebo effect. I'll compare the stout (w/acid) to the wit (w/out acid) next month and report back.