Too hoppy. Can it be corrected?

So I have two kegs full of brew that is so hoppy as to be practically undrinkable. I can't post the recipe because they come from mh HBS as a pre-prepared kit. I had made his kits in the past with no problems, so I've been wracking my brains trying to think why I got such huge utilization from these brews.

I believe the bulk of the problem is the fact that I started doing late extract additions. The thinner boil with just the steeped grains must have pulled more from the hops. I may also have had to put hops in one of them without the bag because I was out. In any case, what's done is done.

These brews are at about 10 weeks and 8 weeks respectively. Are they going to mellow out? I only have five kegs and I don't want to tie them up too long if I can put something better in them. I have maybe two weeks or so before the decision needs to be made.

By the way, they are both pale ales of differing types. The bitterness is slightly more than the can of Kilkenny I bought on Friday. I guess another option is to just drink them as they are and hope I develop a taste for over hopped pale ales.

So, is there anything that can be done? If I do sit on them, will the hops mellow much more in the next little while?

I don't know how likely the hoppyness is to fade.

IBUs do vary depending upon the s.g. of the wort and if you put them in a bag or let them run free. But the difference between is noticable but isn't huge.

I'm wondering if they sold you a pre-hopped extract instead of an unhopped extract. Or maybe the AA% of the bittering hops they sold you is a lot higher than what you are used to. Those would both make a huge difference.

The bitterness will not fade, but eventually the hop flavor and aroma will. If you store them around 70F, it will fade faster. The alternative is to make a low hop version and mix. My BRR is very hoppy & the 1909 Mild has almost zero nose. They are both on tap & I can mix to my mood.

Your best bet is probably to brew another batch from the same recipe, but under-shoot the hops the second time around. Then blend the beer to make 10 gallons with the appropriate bitterness.

I am not sure how to figure out how few hops to use in the second batch, but you might fiddle a bit with something like Beersmith and see how much that late addition affected your hop utilization. At least that will give you an idea of how much you have to under-shoot your bitterness for the second batch to blend with.

I was going to recommend the same as David and Flyguy, but call it a "special blend".

Mix/blend them in a pitcher before serving and your guests won't know the difference.

You will though as you'll have 20 gals of the same brew!

Boy, I sure wish I had asked this question earlier. I just finished brewing the same batch again but with all the regular hops. I think I'll do as you guys suggest anyway. I'll just do a steeping grain and extract brew and leave the hops out entirely. There's plenty in these two batches to do 10 gallons.

Do you think I'd have to leave it for another six weeks to condition?

make a 2nd batch less hoppy and blend the 2 if you can. I know but its all I can think of.

So I'm heading to the city today to get some more supplies to correct these kegs. I'll buy a seven pound can of extract for each, the steeping grains, and the yeast, but nobody has commented on the conditioning time. My brother, who is as big a liquor pig as I am, is coming out for a visit in a week and a half. We haven't seen each other in a number of years so it will be a big piss up.

I'll repeat the question. Do I need to age the low-hop and high-hop combination another six weeks? In other words, is it the hops that need to condition, the malt, or both?

To REALLY generalize: hops first, malts second.

There are lots of variables at play here. If this is a big IPA, it will benefit from conditioning the second keg. But it is still going to be drinkable.

If it is a lighter (<1.050) gravity beer, then just go for it. Piss it up!

FlyGuy said:

If it is a lighter (<1.050) gravity beer, then just go for it. Piss it up!

Click to expand...

Bingo! They're both around 1.045 - 1,048. Thanks Fly.

Use some very low AA hops in the salvage batch, just for the anti-bacterial properties in the fermenter. You can skip the flavor and aroma if you want.

Remember, malt balances hops, so if it's too hoppy, just diluting it isn't the only answer, you need to increase the malt flavor of the blend.

I don't know if a beer could be too hoppy for me. I'd bottle and celler, and save for your hop loving friends. That would free you up to do some more home brew. Good luck

Murphy just reared up and bit me for commenting on this thread, I kegged a Pale Ale where I tried an ounce of Cascade hops for 10 minutes for flavor, very strong citrusy hop flavor.

It's an unusual flavor, which overpowers the maltyness, it's not bad, but not as good as a really balanced beer. And to give you a referrence point, the OG was 1.065, so there should be a lot more malt flavor.

Note to self, back to 1/2 oz of flavor hops at 20 minutes left, not 1 oz at 10 minutes.