Sweet vs bitter

I like to keep my bitterness as low as I can, maybe I'm more of a lager/pilsner/some ale guy than anything, but has anyone else been worried by the amount of hops flavor going into their first few batches? I'm almost finding myself a little disappointed that I may have ended up making more of a pale ale than an amber ale-many pale ales I've tasted have been pretty hoppy.......

*edit* I also wonder if I left my grains to steep for a bit longer than I should have

I like and make everything but sours. I don't pay much attention to styles of beer. If it sounds good to me, I'll try it or try to make it. I love a hoppy beer just as much as a malty, yeasty, or well balanced one. I'm not a big fan of spices and other flavor additives, but I've used them. I've come up with some recipes that were too bitter for what I was aiming for, but that doesn't mean I don't like a bitter beer. If you are using recipe kits from a home brew shop, pick a less bitter style. Use hop bags to pull your bittering hops out as soon as you hit the bitterring hops time. Get some brewing software to better estimate the bitterness ratio you enjoy and shoot for that with future brews.

How do you calculate IBUs? It's important to know the alpha acid% of the hops you use and the amount. Also, the point at which you add the hops will also affect the bitterness. Sometimes, just a half ounce of an average AA bittering hop added at 60 min is all you need. It'll depend on style of course but I suggest getting an app or program that will calculate IBUs for you. This will go a long way in helping you get the right amount of bitterness in your beers.

Edit: Also if you feel you are getting too much hop flavor, it may be because you are adding the hops too late. Try adding just one addition at 60 minutes.

Cheapo said:

I like to keep my bitterness as low as I can, maybe I'm more of a lager/pilsner/some ale guy than anything, but has anyone else been worried by the amount of hops flavor going into their first few batches? I'm almost finding myself a little disappointed that I may have ended up making more of a pale ale than an amber ale-many pale ales I've tasted have been pretty hoppy.......

*edit* I also wonder if I left my grains to steep for a bit longer than I should have

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i screwed up the taste balance of bitter vs sweet and smooth with every batch, until i learned to calculate the hops additions with IBU's, rather than just by weighing the pellets.

I like malty beers, sweet to not sweet, seems like most beers are better with less than the recommended hops as far as I am concerned, this hophead thing is a fad, and beer the way it was meant to be is a malty well balanced flavorful drink, there is nothing well balanced about an IPA, Im sure Ill get blasted for speaking my mind, thats just my 2 cents and you asked lol

Cheers

WileECoyote said:

I like malty beers, sweet to not sweet, seems like most beers are better with less than the recommended hops as far as I am concerned, this hophead thing is a fad, and beer the way it was meant to be is a malty well balanced flavorful drink, there is nothing well balanced about an IPA, Im sure Ill get blasted for speaking my mind, thats just my 2 cents and you asked lol

Cheers

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Try any good English IPA's lately?? IMO, you're describing the American IPA's to a T. The English version, IME/IMO, is much more balanced.

WileECoyote said:

I like malty beers, sweet to not sweet, seems like most beers are better with less than the recommended hops as far as I am concerned, this hophead thing is a fad, and beer the way it was meant to be is a malty well balanced flavorful drink, there is nothing well balanced about an IPA, Im sure Ill get blasted for speaking my mind, thats just my 2 cents and you asked lol

Cheers

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How dare you! Haha jk. I love hoppy beers and would probably consider myself a hop head. But I also really love malty beers, especially in the winter. There is just something really nice about a full flavored sweet malty beer. Mmm...

Hahaha, yes malty is more the word to describe some of my more favorite beers. I will definitely look at the grain bags approach, also maybe reducing some of the amounts in my future recipes so that more of the malts come through. I'll have to see if the ferment takes any of that flavor out as well- anybody had that happen?

Remember, though, that the longer you leave a hoppy beer to condition, the more the hoppiness will mellow-out and the maltiness will become far more apparent.

And yes. There's definitely going to be a change in the perceivable hoppiness from a sample tasted as you pour the wort into your fermenter and one after fermentation is finished, you probably lose some of the flavour/aroma and possibly a little bittering, although the beer will be a lot less sweet so the hoppiness might be a bit more "in your face" for the first few weeks.

Thanks guys. I'm thinking of splitting this one half n half, maybe pumpkin-ing half....it is an ale after all, and I'd like to try adding some complex flavours to it and see what happens

look at using BU:GU ratio when making or modifying recipes. Download brewtarget for free. It will calculate both IBUs and gravity and give you the ratio. Then, find a beer whose balance you like and put that recipe in to see the ratio, and either make/modify your recipes to be close to that value. For example, you might like sweeter beers with a gravity of 1.06 with a bitterness of about 20 IBU. your ratio is 20:60, or .333. When you make a lighter gravity beer, say at 1.045, shoot for 15 IBU. If you make a really big beer, go for 1.09 with 30 IBU. As stated above, make sure you put the right AA% in the software. If you buy kits, put in the ingredients and adjust your hop additions as necessary.

I've been liking some malty beers myself, lately, but part of my next brew will be an IPA with a ratio of .9, which is low bitterness for an IPA. It'll be hoppy, but pretty easy drinking. Learn what you like and learn how to brew it!