Falconers Flight - Brewers Best kit

[cableman]

Hello all, i brewed the Falconers Flight kit about 6 weeks ago, I tried the first bottle today. It's a little bitter hoppy for my taste right now. the kit called for the last hops to be added when racked to secondary fermenter. here's the exert - DRY HOPPING
Add the other pack of 1 oz. Falconer’s Flight® hops after you rack the beer into your secondary fermenter 10. After a few days the hops will fall to the bottom of the fermenter and the beer can be carefully siphoned off on bottling day. If you do not use a secondary fermenter then add the hops to your primary after fermentation has completed and leave for 5-7 days before bottling.
I put them in a muslin bag, maybe that was my problem. Anyway my question, if I make it again, what are your thought on adding them at the end during chilling and not dry hopping. I like everything else about it. For those not familiar with it here is the descript. -
This year’s Extra IPA recipe showcases the superior flavor and aromatic qualities of Falconer’s Flight. This proprietary hop blend was created to
honor and support the legacy of Northwest Brewing legend Glen Hay Falconer. Caramel and Munich malts lend their sweetness while the special hop blend dominates the palate... a truly unique beer to celebrate a truly unique brewer.

Thanks to all and cheers

 

[Suicid]

Hi cableman,

Just couple of my 0.02s
I don't think a muslin bag caused the issue.
Moreover, AFAIK dry hopping does not add a bitterness but only aroma.
And last but not least, give it to sit in the bottles for month or more, it become better ballanced after conditioning.

Cheers!

 

[DennisinIowa]

I have done that AHS kit about 6 times to hone my system. I have shortened the boil to 30 min. and add almost all LME at flameout. A very drinkable beer.
Give it time in the bottle.
D

 

[brewprint]

Bitterness is caused by the hops that are put in at the beginning of the boil.

Dry hopping adds aroma not bitterness and maybe some flavor.

If you brew it again you could lower the amount of hops at the beginning of the boil. How much hops did you add at the beginning?

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Echoing everyone else's statement that bitterness comes from the hops at the beginning of the boil - not the hops at the end or the dry hops. I just dry hopped with 3 oz Falconers Flight in a Rye IPA actually - has a phenomenal aroma.

What was your hop schedule and quantity for the whole brew?

 

[cableman]

Thanks for the advice, here is what the instructions were for the brew. I will let it set a while longer and see how much it mellows. If not should I reduce one of the hops.

BREW DAY SCHEDULE
1. Add 1 oz. Magnum hops
2. Boil 40 minutes
3. Add 2 oz. pack of Falconer’s Flight® hops
4. Boil 15 minutes
5. Add 1 pack of 1 oz. Falconer’s Flight® hops
6. Boil 5 minutes
7. Terminate boil
Total Boil Time: 60 Minutes

again thank you

 

[HolmA]

I'm pretty sure the whole "dry-hopping adds absolutely no bitterness" is a textbook myth.. Sure - it shouldn't add any isomerized alfa-acids but seriously: Sample your beers before and after big dryhop additions there's a very distinct difference in the perceived bitterness..

Moreover, I recently did a SMASH galaxy batch only adding hops (0.3 oz pr liter) at pasteurisation temp (74 C - 165 F).. That is well below isomerization threshold..

I can assure you that this beer is quite a lot more bitter than your standard IPA..
(Although of course not as bitter as it would have been with boil additons!)

 

[brewprint]

I would cut back a tad on the magnum hops and on that 15 minute boil of 2 oz hops I'd go 10. I could be wrong but the way I understand it is that the longer hops boil the more bitterness is extracted. Also if not boiled long enough the more bitter the beer on the bittering hops.

Most ipa drinkers like a bitter beer. I do not. I like ipas like Sweetwater IPA, Deschutes Fresh Squeezed and great lakes chillwave. I doubt that there will be any magnum hops in any recipes I make.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

BREW DAY SCHEDULE
1. Add 1 oz. Magnum hops
2. Boil 40 minutes
3. Add 2 oz. pack of Falconer’s Flight® hops
4. Boil 15 minutes
5. Add 1 pack of 1 oz. Falconer’s Flight® hops
6. Boil 5 minutes
7. Terminate boil
Total Boil Time: 60 Minutes

again thank you

Your bitterness is coming mostly from that 1oz Magnum addition, but that's not an insanely high amount of IBUs - maybe around 40 or so. That middle addition of 2 oz Falconer's Flight with 15 to go is pretty significant though and could add around 35 IBUs to it. So, just between those two you'd have nearly 80 IBUs in my very roughly calculated equation, which seems pretty high to me (both in terms of my calculation and hop content).

As far as aging the bitterness out, you won't accomplish much of that. On the other hand you will most likely age out the flavor from the Falconers Flight hops.

 

[amcclai7]

I'm pretty sure the whole "dry-hopping adds absolutely no bitterness" is a textbook myth.. Sure - it shouldn't add any isomerized alfa-acids but seriously: Sample your beers before and after big dryhop additions there's a very distinct difference in the perceived bitterness..

Moreover, I recently did a SMASH galaxy batch only adding hops (0.3 oz pr liter) at pasteurisation temp (74 C - 165 F).. That is well below isomerization threshold..

I can assure you that this beer is quite a lot more bitter than your standard IPA..
(Although of course not as bitter as it would have been with boil additons!)

So no hops in the boil whatsoever?? Sounds like you're doing a hopstand. I always employ this tactic for my IPAs but that is in addition to a tame amount of bittering and flavor hops. How did it turn out? I assume you'd get crazy flavor and aroma, but I would think the bitterness would be too low. Give us a review, i'm interested!

To the OP, Dry-hopping can give you grassy bitter flavors if you do it too long. I usually do 4 days. Also, if it were me and I had 4 oz of FF i would do the following.

1 oz 15 min
1 oz flameout
1 oz hopstand (let wort cool to 180F after boil, throw hops in, put lid on and let sit for 30 mins)
1 oz dry-hop

Just a suggestion, but you'll get more flavor and aroma that way and less bitterness.

Finally there is no need to secondary in order to dry-hop. Just do it all in the primary.

 

[HolmA]

So no hops in the boil whatsoever?? Sounds like you're doing a hopstand. I always employ this tactic for my IPAs but that is in addition to a tame amount of bittering and flavor hops. How did it turn out? I assume you'd get crazy flavor and aroma, but I would think the bitterness would be too low. Give us a review, i'm interested!

Well as I said - It is far more bitter than your average commercial IPA (in the lower craft beer price segment), so there's definitely a lot perceived bitterness.. Again - just one huge addition at 165 degrees. Then I cooled to fermentation temp over 30 min. It's a good beer - for a number of reasons (not really related to hops) its not a great beer.. One thing I did notice is that Galaxy - which I'm quite familiar with in terms of flameout and dryhopping has quite a different character than what I'm used to - like only some characteristics are coming through. It has a much more lemony/citric/elderflower flavour - and less melon/tropical..

Anyway - I just wanted to make the point that no boil = no bitterness is by no means accurate.. At least not in terms of "perceived bitterness"..

 

[cableman]

I would like to say thanks to everyone who helped with answers I can work from. I will make this again and I will cut back on the Magnums and some boil times after hops. I have tried to read up on the functions of the ingredients and their functions but didn't run across anything on what I thought I was tasting. I'm one of those "anal" people who read and reread before I start anything.

Thanks again for what everyone of you guys do to help.