First Brew Day not using a Kit Mistake!

[Tedyfinger]

So, after doing a couple of extract kits I thought I was ready to do a scale down version (2.5 Gallons) of Northern Brewer's all grain recipe for a cream ale, it would be also my first BIAB ever. I chose that beer for its simplicity and also wanted to brew something lighter for my wife. Brew day was yesterday, everything went fine, I hit my OG of 1.040 and the thing is fermenting away beautiful. But today while I was going over the recipe I realized I put an extra half ounce of cluster hops. The original recipe for 5 gallons batch called for 1 oz. 60 min. Mine was 0.50 oz 60 min. I don't know what was I thinking yesterday that I just opened that one oz package and threw it in the pot. What do you think the final beer taste like? First time using cluster hops so no idea of taste or aroma.

 

[wilconrad]

It will just be twice as bitter. A 60 minute addition won't carry over much flavor/aroma; you'll get mostly bitterness out of that addition and it'll be twice what you planned. What was the AA% on the hops you used?

 

[agrazela]

You're gonna be bitter, probably ~50-60 IBU instead of the target ~25-30 IBU.

I see two obvious options:
1) Just continue, and bottle up a really bitter ale. Call it "Cluster F**ked Ale" (Given your grain bill, I think this would be really unbalanced, personally)

2) If you have another fermenter to use, make the second half of the kit w/o any hop additions, then blend both halves in the bottling bucket, and have what you aimed for.

 

[Tedyfinger]

I did not buy the kit, I just ordered what I needed for 2.5 gallons. The AA% was on the package I guess right?, that is gone, do you guys think that it will be drinkable?

 

[Tedyfinger]

Now that I remember I have a few pounds of light DME

 

[wilconrad]

I did not buy the kit, I just ordered what I needed for 2.5 gallons. The AA% was on the package I guess right?, that is gone, do you guys think that it will be drinkable?

Assuming the AA was 6.5-7.5% (which is normal for Cluster), you've got a 55-65 IBU brew there. That's in the range of an American IPA, so pretty bitter. This wouldn't be a very drinkable beer; the light malt character would be totally overpowered by the strong hop bitterness. The total lack of hop flavor/aroma wouldn't help things either. Honestly, I'd probably pitch it and brew again. Or you could try as a previous poster suggested and try to dilute it with a second 2.5 gal unhopped batch, but that's getting into somewhat uncharted territory.

 

[freisste]

Dude, it's beer. Drink it. It will remind you to double check recipes in the future. If you drink half the batch (your batch is only 24 beers, btw) and decide to dump it, go ahead. But don't dump it without giving it a try.

 

[joyceman]

Maybe dry-hop it with some cascade and try to get more of an APA.

 

[agrazela]

Blending batches in the bottling bucket is not uncharted territory at all, I've done it many times. Usually to fix a screw-up of my own (wrong mash temp, too much crystal malt, too much hops added, etc.), but sometimes just because I want to bottle 10gal of beer and only have the facilities to make 5gal batches at a time.

Never dump! It's immoral. Those yeasts gave their lives for you!

OP you say you've got a couple pounds of Light DME; 2 lbs of that, 0.25lb of sugar (dextrose, sucrose, no matter really), and no hops in a 2.5 gal, 1.040 OG "blender" batch and you'd basically have 5 gal of a "partial mash" version of something very similar to what you were aiming for in the first place. (or alternately, just buy 4 more lbs of grain and do another BIAB half-batch, grain's cheap!)

 

[Tedyfinger]

Thanks agrazela, you know, I am going to do just that, I am going to do a blender batch, I think I got better chances of getting something nicer at the end that if I don't do anything. Thanks!

 

[Tedyfinger]

I will let you know how it comes up at the end.

 

[petey_c]

Thanks agrazela, you know, I am going to do just that, I am going to do a blender batch, I think I got better chances of getting something nicer at the end that if I don't do anything. Thanks!

Tedy, before you blend the two batches, bottle one of each. This way you can see how each contributed to the blend. Just thinkin' out loud.

 

[Tedyfinger]

Cool idea, will do, Thanks!

 

[Docbruw]

I'm with joyceman. Dry hop it.

 

[dobe12]

Maybe dry-hop it with some cascade and try to get more of an APA.

This ^^^^. Dry hop with a few ounces of something good (Cascade, Citra, etc) and call it a Blonde IPA. It won't be undrinkable. Don't dump it at least until you try it. It's going to be on the bitter side, but guess what... that will fade!

Blending is another good idea, but for the love of god, don't dump it! Telling you to dump it is just ridiculous. There are many ways to save this beer.... and just maybe it doesn't need saving. Give it a taste and see what you got.

 

[dkevinb]

Now I don't feel so bad. I put together a batch of ESB based on one of John Palmer's recipes. I used the right amounts of the right ingredients, but I didn't check the AA% of the hops I bought vs. the ones in his recipe. The calculators tell me it's going to have an IBU of around 80. NOT within ESB guidelines and not what I was shooting for. Oh, well. At least it's a little batch. I'm going to bottle it this weekend and take a nip to see if it is in any way drinkable.