Tasting the FG Reading

I am very new to the hobby. My first batch (Brewers Best IPA kit) has been in the primary for 2 weeks now. I took a FG reading and it was right where it should be at. I then tasted the sample and it was pretty good to me, but I was really surprised at how strong the hops were. VERY bitter (even for most IPA's). This is fine for me but I'm the only one in my circle of friends who will enjoy it.

So to my question: Is how it tastes now pretty much how it will taste when it's ready for drinking, or will the bitterness mellow out a bit? I'm plannng on leaving it in the primary for another week (3 weeks total), then letting it bottle condition for another 2 weeks.

It will mellow out. Especially after some carbonation. The hops will mellow with time as well.

In the end, if it's too much for your friends, more homebrew for you ;-).

The bitterness will definitely mellow.

You'll find that as your beer ages, it will improve...to a point. Usually a month after my beers are ready to drink is when they hit their peak, but this can vary from beer to beer. It will be fine, just be patient.

I have a detailed answer to this here...

FWIW, as a semi-noob and professed hophead, one of my biggest lessons has come from experimenting with the timing and amounts of hop additions. Hoppy bears are among my favorite styles, but I discovered that with only 7 months of brewing I haven't got the experience or equipment to make hugely bitter ales balanced enough to enjoy. So I've been backing off the bittering hops and playing with different types and AA levels. I just bottled a Cascade IPA that I think will finally be the house beer I've trying for all this time.

BTW, if you haven't already, you may want to search & read threads on hop bursting. It focuses on late hop additions to get aroma & flava without huge bitterness. I'm brewing a SMaSH on Saturday that will also be my first hop burst attempt.

I enjoy tasting batches as the process goes along. Sometimes there is a weird flavor here or there but I just try not to get too excited about it. In most cases, the odd flavors resolve with time whether as a result of conditioning, carbonation and/or cooling.

This is fine for me but I'm the only one in my circle of friends who will enjoy it.

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Sound like you can just keep this whole batch to yourself. Score!!!

I made this kit not that long ago. The flavors will definitley mellow over time. I felt that this beer really hit its peak after 21 days in primary and another 21-35 days in the bottle. FWIW I also felt it was much better if I let it chill in the fridge for about 4 days. Ultimatley, I was pleased with the flavor. It wasn't distinct but it was enjoyable none the less.