Does bitterness mellow with time?

[Juicyipadrinkingdad]

i brewed morehaze ipa. Underpitched and missed the og was supposed to be around 1.09. Mine was 1.076. Pitched one pack of yeast and followed directions for dry hopping (recipe called for days 3-5 and again 5-9). I fermented 16 days and it stalled out at a final gravity of 1.016 (1.008-1.012 was ideal)... at that point I had been sitting on my hops a long time, so I went ahead and bottled. It’s been 4 days and I tried one yesterday. The flavor was pretty good but had a lingering bitterness. Normally I would expect that with any ipa however the recipe said the Ibu’s should be lower than my previous pale ale. If I had it to do over again I would have pitched two packs and waited a minimum of 5 days before dry hopping and then spaced it out as called for. I know 4 days is not near enough time to judge the beer but do you think this bitterness will mellow out? Any suggestions on how I could brew this same brew again and get it right the next time? I’d like to try again and compare... luckily with the high alcohol content after one or two I’m sure it will taste just great

 

[MaxM]

i brewed morehaze ipa. Underpitched and missed the og was supposed to be around 1.09. Mine was 1.076. Pitched one pack of yeast and followed directions for dry hopping (recipe called for days 3-5 and again 5-9). I fermented 16 days and it stalled out at a final gravity of 1.016 (1.008-1.012 was ideal)... at that point I had been sitting on my hops a long time, so I went ahead and bottled. It’s been 4 days and I tried one yesterday. The flavor was pretty good but had a lingering bitterness. Normally I would expect that with any ipa however the recipe said the Ibu’s should be lower than my previous pale ale. If I had it to do over again I would have pitched two packs and waited a minimum of 5 days before dry hopping and then spaced it out as called for. I know 4 days is not near enough time to judge the beer but do you think this bitterness will mellow out? Any suggestions on how I could brew this same brew again and get it right the next time? I’d like to try again and compare... luckily with the high alcohol content after one or two I’m sure it will taste just great

The short answer to the main question is, "Yes." Hop bitterness does mellow over time, but it's on the time scale of years rather than days, weeks, or even months. Check out some more detail here.

1.076 is still a pretty hefty OG for only one pack of yeast, so I think you're right about pitching 2 next time. Was it dry or liquid yeast?

Any chance you could post the recipe? That would provide some direction for troubleshooting. Glad it turned out good enough to drink!

 

[IslandLizard]

Yup, 2 packs of dry yeast would be better, but so is good wort aeration or oxygenation, especially in higher gravity beers.

Were there whirlpool hopstand hops in the recipe? If so, at what temps. Any hops added above 150F still add some bittering, especially when whirlpooled for 30'.

You may also experience some 'hop bite,' left from the dry hopping (hop dust in the beer). That should settle out to the bottom after a few days in the fridge.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

You didn't mention if it was grain or extract. If grain are you sure it's bitterness and not astringency? I think it's sometimes hard to tell the difference, but I had one that was harshly bitter and I felt it was more than just too many IBUs. Astingency will sometimes make your mouth feel dry. The taste will change and mellow a little in the keg, but don't expect miracles. Mine was definitely more drinkable at week 2 in the keg than week 1 but I never came to love it.

As previously stated it could also be hopburn. That will definitely fade with time.

 

[BarleyStanding]

Water chemistry can give you that "hop bite". My muni water is really hard and I used to get a flavor similar to what you are describing, a funky bitter bite with a hint of soapy. After much trail and error, I focused on using more neutral water and adding some gypsum (a very small amount), and my hoppy beers have never had that bite since. I forget what ion was the culprit, I want to say it was one of the Cl salts, but I could be wrong. Anyway, water chemistry is something to consider. If it is a water chemistry issue, that taste will probably fade a little over time, but you will always taste it to some degree.

 

[rhys333]

i brewed morehaze ipa. Underpitched and missed the og was supposed to be around 1.09. Mine was 1.076. Pitched one pack of yeast and followed directions for dry hopping (recipe called for days 3-5 and again 5-9). I fermented 16 days and it stalled out at a final gravity of 1.016 (1.008-1.012 was ideal)... at that point I had been sitting on my hops a long time, so I went ahead and bottled. It’s been 4 days and I tried one yesterday. The flavor was pretty good but had a lingering bitterness. Normally I would expect that with any ipa however the recipe said the Ibu’s should be lower than my previous pale ale. If I had it to do over again I would have pitched two packs and waited a minimum of 5 days before dry hopping and then spaced it out as called for. I know 4 days is not near enough time to judge the beer but do you think this bitterness will mellow out? Any suggestions on how I could brew this same brew again and get it right the next time? I’d like to try again and compare... luckily with the high alcohol content after one or two I’m sure it will taste just great

Whenever I read "lingering bitterness" I think astringency due to high mash pH... if it's all-grain or extract with grains.