Experiment: How to "un-hop" an accidentally double-hopped Irish stout.

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bigbeergeek

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It may sound like blasphemy to some (myself included), but I need to un-hop a batch of beer. I accidentally added 4 oz of fuggles (which corresponded to the 10 gallon version of my recipe) to my 5 gallon batch... and landed my beer at 69 IBUs! Needless to say, the hop head in me is a little excited to taste this skewed take on an otherwise traditional dry Irish stout, but this beer needs to be straightened out by St. Pat's day.

So my plan is to brew a NON hopped version of the same beer, 60 minute boil etc, and blend the two post fermentation.

Has anyone done this? Are there any theoretical concerns I should address in recipe formulation etc before I mash in for the 2nd time?

Thanks in advance by brewing brothers and sisters.
 
Curious to see how it turns out. I have heard of people doing this before, so that's a good sign. The tricky part is that, by my understanding, 4oz of hops is not twice as bitter as 2oz of hops. You could always try gradually blending to taste, but that might end you up with a few gallons of unused, unhopped stout.
 
instead of brewing an unhopped batch and blending...why don't you brew up a new fresh batch for the st paddys day party and keep the hoppy one for yourself? Maybe oak age it and let those hops mellow out with some time?
 
I would imagine that 4 oz of hops will be less utilized in 5 gallons of wort compared to 10 gallons of wort of the same gravity. I suppose I could lightly hop the 2nd beer...

...interesting thought strat, I thought of just re-brewing with the correct recipe, but then I wouldn't get to experiment. :) I like the idea of blending two beers, neither of which tastes quite like the intended final product. Plus, with an OG of 1.050, I don't expect this beer to stand up to extended aging very well...
 
If you use software for your recipes (like BeerSmith), figure out the IBUs with the hops you used, and then play with the amount of hops used to get to the IBUs needed to achieve an average of your intended IBUs.
 
If you use software for your recipes (like BeerSmith), figure out the IBUs with the hops you used, and then play with the amount of hops used to get to the IBUs needed to achieve an average of your intended IBUs.

I like it emjay. I'm on the job!
 
Is part of the point of hopping to help preserve the beer? I'm interested to see how this turns out.
 
Is part of the point of hopping to help preserve the beer? I'm interested to see how this turns out.

We could talk all night about the point of hopping (its bitter flavor, foam stabilizing properties, antibacterial properties, etc) but I think it would take more than 4 oz of hops to stabilize a 5% beer for any reasonable amount of aging.

I'll keep you posted...
 
Update: blended the beers 50/50 into two cornies as best as I could eyeball it. Force carbed. They'll be served tomorrow afternoon so I'll update with tasting notes.

One more thing: the first batch fermented out to a lower FG than expected (1.008) so I mashed hotter than I ever have before, 160*F, on the second batch. Batch #2 had a SG reading of 1.010 on kegging day, and sure enough the gravity of the blended kegs were identical: 1.009. So I hopefully accomplished un-hopping and boosting the FG by a smidgen at the same time.
 
Update: blended the beers 50/50 into two cornies as best as I could eyeball it. Force carbed. They'll be served tomorrow afternoon so I'll update with tasting notes.

One more thing: the first batch fermented out to a lower FG than expected (1.008) so I mashed hotter than I ever have before, 160*F, on the second batch. Batch #2 had a SG reading of 1.010 on kegging day, and sure enough the gravity of the blended kegs were identical: 1.009. So I hopefully accomplished un-hopping and boosting the FG by a smidgen at the same time.

I am extremely curious to see how this turned out. That would be awesome if it turned out perfectly. I hope it goes well for you!
 
Update:

the blend worked out great. The bitterness seems balanced and to style. This method worked perfectly for me to de-bitter my stout -- the only side effect seems to be more stout t o drink. I imagine that won't be too difficult this time of year:)
 
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