Hello From Baton Rouge, La.

Hello people! My name is Bill. I have several friends that brew. And I just started my first batch. I have a question for this introduction.

The gravity is about a .01 or so away from being what it should be in the end. But the brew tastes very malty. I put in a bunch of hops at different times and the IBU should be like 85. (It's an IPA) But the hops are not as strong as I thought they should be. I think the hops were kindof old. The store I bought them from gets almost no business. What else could the problem be? Oh yeah, the beer was also very lightly carbonated when I sampled it today. Is that just the yeast acting or do I have a problem?

What's up, Bill. Welcome. I'm not sure about the hops, but my guess would be the same as yours. Old hops. Did you get them from the store out in Denham Springs? As for the carbonation, how long has the beer been in the bottle?

Bill, welcome from the New Orleans area. There are quite a few people on the board from Baton Rouge. As for your question, how long have you had the beer fermenting? Hops can last a long time if frozen and stored in the proper bag (O2 blocking) out of the light. So I wouldn't think this would be as much of a concern.

I am assuming you are using extract. Many people have experienced difficulty with the beer finishing a little high (SG), which it seems is often attributed to the extract not being fresh. So if your LHBS (Local Homebrew Store) is not moving a lot of product, this would probably be more of a concern. I had this problem with my first batch, and there was recently a pretty long thread from those who have experienced the 1.020 curse. I am fairly new to this, but I understand the flavor of the beer changes pretty substantially over time. Patience is touted and apparently rewarded.

Let us know how it turns out, good luck and enjoy

Well, I bought the kit from Bootlegger supply in BR. They said the hops were not that old and they got the kit less than a month ago--both LD Carlson. I think their kits kindof suck--the yeast really sucks. I checked the gravity today and tasted a sample. The malts have mellowed out and it is more bitter. The gravity is about 1.015 or 6. I figure I will leave it in the fermenter until Saturday. The final gravity should be between 1.015 and 1.011. My start was about 1.055. I figure a week or two in the bottle and it won't be that bad.

I ordered an Anchor Porter kit from Austin Homebrew--hopefully it works out better. I have always been very picky and don't like it when can taste the syrupy malt extract flavour. That could be all it is, I am picky.