A few months ago I started a batch of maerzen-style ale hoping to make something my friends might want to drink, using 5 pounds of Munich malt extract from the LHBS, and 2.4 pounds of random Mr. Beer extract I had sitting around.
I did a full 5 gallon boil of the following:
2.42 lb Mr Beer Extract
5.00 lb Munich malt extract
1.00 oz Argentine Cascade (3.2%) Pellet 10 minutes
1.00 oz Argentine Cascade Pellet 60 minutes
0.50 oz Hallertauer (2.7%) Pellet 10 minutes
0.50 oz Hallertauer Pellet 60 minutes
1.00 unit safale US-05 (starter: 1.5 cups water + 1 tsp bru-vigor)
My brewing software (qbrew) said the IBUs should be at 23, around the middle of the range for the style, so I felt ok with this recipe.
Well, after letting it age a little while in a keg I finally carbonated it and gave it a try, and it was far too hoppy for most people's tastes (although perfectly fine by my own).
I remembered I had 6oz of maltodextrin sitting around, so I boiled it in a few cups of water, let it cool, then dumped it into the keg and mixed. After letting things settle we tasted it again, and although the hop flavor is still distinctive, the balance is much better and this beer should now work for its original purpose!
This feels like I kind of cheated, but now I have what I wanted. Just a reference point for anyone else who might run into this issue.
I did a full 5 gallon boil of the following:
2.42 lb Mr Beer Extract
5.00 lb Munich malt extract
1.00 oz Argentine Cascade (3.2%) Pellet 10 minutes
1.00 oz Argentine Cascade Pellet 60 minutes
0.50 oz Hallertauer (2.7%) Pellet 10 minutes
0.50 oz Hallertauer Pellet 60 minutes
1.00 unit safale US-05 (starter: 1.5 cups water + 1 tsp bru-vigor)
My brewing software (qbrew) said the IBUs should be at 23, around the middle of the range for the style, so I felt ok with this recipe.
Well, after letting it age a little while in a keg I finally carbonated it and gave it a try, and it was far too hoppy for most people's tastes (although perfectly fine by my own).
I remembered I had 6oz of maltodextrin sitting around, so I boiled it in a few cups of water, let it cool, then dumped it into the keg and mixed. After letting things settle we tasted it again, and although the hop flavor is still distinctive, the balance is much better and this beer should now work for its original purpose!
This feels like I kind of cheated, but now I have what I wanted. Just a reference point for anyone else who might run into this issue.
