My first batch seems bitter

OK, brewed my first batch of beer. It was an IPA using 3 lbs of light DME and a can of Thomas Coopers IPA pre-hopped liquid malt extract using the included dry yeast.

Beer was fermented in the primary for 7 days and moved to the secondary to clarify. It was bottled after an additional week.

It has been bottle conditioning for almost two weeks and I chilled and drank one last night. It was very bitter and had little body to it, but still drinkable.

Any idea what I may have done wrong?

You probably haven't done anything wrong.
IPA's are supposed to be bitter.

I've done this kit once, and experienced the beer to taste "green" the first couple of weeks.

After about 3-4 weeks in the bottle, I think it tasted very good

Give it time...at least 3 weeks at 70°.

Rivets said:

OK, brewed my first batch of beer. It was an IPA using 3 lbs of light DME and a can of Thomas Coopers IPA pre-hopped liquid malt extract using the included dry yeast.

Beer was fermented in the primary for 7 days and moved to the secondary to clarify. It was bottled after an additional week.

It has been bottle conditioning for almost two weeks and I chilled and drank one last night. It was very bitter and had little body to it, but still drinkable.

Any idea what I may have done wrong?

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Hard to say, really. You'd need to explain a bit more about your process. Things like your schedule for adding ingredients, volume into fermenter, what yeast used (although I suspect you used the Cooper's yeast from under the lid of the can and don't think that would have contributed to the bitterness) Pitching temp, fermentation temps. Do you know what the profile is, of the water you used to brew with?

I'd have thought that adding an extra 3lbs of DME without doing any hop additions would lead to the beer ending up more malty/sweet and fuller bodied.

The only thing I can think of that could have made the beer more bitter is if you'd added the can of Cooper's IPA extract at the beginning of the brew session, boiling it for a while, which might have scorched the extract and/or altered the flavour profile of the hops in there.

Sorry been away from the forums for awhile. Yes, letting the beer mature in the bottle for an additional week made an amazing difference. Thanks for the advice. Ogri, I will include more details next time.

I usually brew with a friend and split the batch with him. He always tries one at 1, 2 and 3 weeks. I usually let him tell me what it is doing and wait until he says it is ready. Every once in a while I can't help but try a green one myself though.

Try hop pellets next time instead of the prehopped extract.

Thakaz said:

Try hop pellets next time instead of the prehopped extract.

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+1.

Now that you've gotten that first batch brewed, use the next batch add two things to your brewing skills that you will use for a long time to come:

1) Steeping grains

2) Hop additions

There are lots of 5-gallon extract batch kits out there which will require you to utilize those two techniques.

Also, if you're using dry yeast, read up on rehydrating it and then do that for the next batch as well. You will get a healthier, more vigorous fermentation that way.

Craigtube mentioned on his Homebrew Wednesday this week that he doctors up his Coopers IPA with some pretty good results. He promised to detail his recipe soon.

I brewed a porter kit last weekend with specialty grains and hop pellets. It smelled and tasted awesome out of the kettle. I am moving it to the secondary tomorrow. The local home brew where I got my starter kit wasn't very helpful. I have found another HBS closer to my house that has been very great. I also joined a local brew club and they have helped answer a lot of my questions. I love this hobby!

Rivets said:

I have found another HBS closer to my house that has been very great. I also joined a local brew club and they have helped answer a lot of my questions. I love this hobby!

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The brewers that I know around here have been, to a man, a most helpful bunch of folks.

Of course, they are Texans after all.