Finished...now....?

[bbksv]

So my first brew was a stout. It was a basic extract called beer. simply beer.

It as pretty cut and dry but it tastes a little too hoppy. Now I think that is because when I poured everything in to the fermenter I also poured in some of the junk on the bottom..primarily the hops waste. So...next time I plan on using a bag for the hops.

Now...the question is....is there anything I can add now to mellow out the hops a little now? I have it in a keg already and have been drinking it. I can live with it but if there is something I can do to mellow out the hops that would be awesome

 

[flars]

Pouring the hop debris into the fermentor won't change the bitterness. The bitterness comes from the oils isomerized into the wort during the boil. Hop aroma and bitterness will mellow a little with age.

 

[RM-MN]

So my first brew was a stout. It was a basic extract called beer. simply beer.

It as pretty cut and dry but it tastes a little too hoppy. Now I think that is because when I poured everything in to the fermenter I also poured in some of the junk on the bottom..primarily the hops waste. So...next time I plan on using a bag for the hops.

Now...the question is....is there anything I can add now to mellow out the hops a little now? I have it in a keg already and have been drinking it. I can live with it but if there is something I can do to mellow out the hops that would be awesome

You didn't mention how long you had the beer fermenting or how long it has been since it was kegged nor whether it had any time in the keg before you chilled it to drink but since this is your first stout I'm going to guess that you rushed the beer. Stouts take more time to mature than a lighter colored beer and if you let this beer sit at room temp for some time it will improve. I only bottle but my bottled stouts get really good...after about 6 months at room temp. I think most people who keg stouts drink them up long before they hit their peak.

 

[bbksv]

Well I probably did rush it by most standards. I did about a week in the primary and 2 weeks in the secondary (this was before I did more reading about just keeping basic ales in the primary)...It has been about a week since I kegged but I have mostly kept it kegged cold.

If I pour a glass and if it sit a little bit the hops mellows out a lot even just in that little time so I am sure it will mellow out a bit after time.

This was my first brew...and I built a kegerator at the same time so I pretty just needed something to fill it. Now I have the stout, blonde ale, and a hard cider so for the brews after this I will give them a little more time. Starting soon I will be traveling for a few weeks at a time so that will force me not to mess with it

 

[Bradlo]

I've brewed this stout. It was a bit harsh less than a couple weeks in the bottle, but has mellowed nicely. This is a good smooth stout.