taste question

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tim1970

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I just sampled my first batch last night. I did a German Alt recipe from extract. It fermented for 3 weeks total, and has now been in a keg for 3 additional weeks. Carbonation is great. However I am unsure about the taste. The initial taste when you first take a drink is good, however the finish is bitter. I would compare it to at least as bitter as a Sierra nevada pale ale, maybe more. My question is this... Does this mean i got too many hops to suit my taste, or is it possible my brew got contaminated during the fermenting process? What would be the difference in taste between a real hoppy beer and a skunk beer?


Thanks

Tim
 
If it was skunked you would know, it will litterally taste, and smell like a skunk so I doubt that was you problem. What was the recipe you used? That might help everyone figure out where the problem lies.
 
Either it's just hoppier than you're used to, or it's still a bit green. Beer is just starting to hit it's stride at three weeks in the bottle (or keg). It may taste much different at 4, 5, or 6 weeks.
 
Here is my recipe that I used....

German Amber Ale (Alt)

4lbs Light Malt Extract
2lbs Amber Malt Extract

1.5 lb German Pilsner Malt
1lb Medium Crystal Malt 60L
.25 Special "B" Malt
1/4 lb Wheat Malt

1oz Hallertaur 60minutes (Bittering)
1oz Hallertaur 10 minutes (flavoring)
1oz Hallertaur 5 minutes (finishing)

I boiled approx 3 gallons of wort, and then finished with enough water to make 5 gallons total

pitched with dry yeast (not sure of the brand).

How bitter should this be?

Thanks

Tim
 
What was your OG and what was the AA % for your hops? The BU:GU ratio is a good guide to how bitter your beer will taste. A ratio of 1 is IPA bitter, and a ratio of 0.5 is pretty malty like a brown ale.
 
Well an update...

I tasted last night, and it has definately mellowed some. It still has a somewhat bitter finish, but it is not mouth puckering like it was before. So I guess that it is not infected. I went back over my notes, and was wrong about how long it had been in the keg. This coming Friday (2 more days) will actually be the 3 week mark in the keg(6 weeks total). So maybe the beer was still a little green.

I do have a couple of questions though...

1. Given the recipe (see 2 posts above) what would you expect the IBU to be? I was hoping around 30, but it may be a tad higher. (Unfortunately, I do not know the AA% of the hops that I used. It was pellets if that helps)

2. When I finished steeping my grains, I removed my grain bag, and then squeezed the bag to get all the liquid out of the grains. I read another post that said this is something that can release bitter tanins, so you should never do this. Could this be the cause of the somewhat bitter finish of my brew? Next time i brew should I just drop my steeping bag in the water, and do not agitate after that. then when time is up, pull the bag out of the water without squeezing?


Thanks

Tim
 
Duesseldorf Alt bier definitley has a slight bite. It's one of my favorites. Three onces (total) hops is on the slightly high side, but okay.

Don't confuse hops bitterness with grain "roastiness" though. You have amber malt extract and a full pound of crystal 60 in there and that will influence the flavor.

Sounds like it'll be fine.
 
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