Help correcting too bitter beer

[BrewRunning]

Looking for suggestions/ideas

Due to a terrible miscalculation on brew day, I have a beer in the fermenter that is way too bitter. Long story short, I added more late boil addition hops and forgot to remove the 60 min hop addition from my recipe. That plus undershooting my OG has left the beer a lot more bitter than intended.

I'm looking for options to offset the bitterness in a 5 gallon batch that has already been fermenting for 5 days (currently 1.013). Some of my thoughts are:

1. Add non fermentable sugar (Lactose?) to taste

2. Make a small batch of high gravity wort and add to fermenter

3. Brew another entire 5 gallon batch and blend the beers

Any other suggestions?

FYI, OG was 1.057 and IBUs were estimated around 80 (A whopping 1.40 BU:GU ratio, Yikes!)

Thanks!

EDIT: Here is the recipe if needed

9.5# 2Row
1.5# Flaked Oats
1.5# Flaked Wheat
1.5# White Wheat
1# Rice Hulls

.5oz Columbus 60 min. (Should have been removed from recipe)
1oz Citra 20 min.
.5oz Amarillo 20 min.
3oz Amarillo 5 min.
1oz Citra 5 min.
3oz Citra FO
1oz Amarillo FO
3oz Citra Dry Hop
1.5oz Amarillo Dry Hop

WLP067 Coastal Haze Ale Yeast (1 Liter Starter)

 

[MaxStout]

So the only thing excessive is the 60 min addition of 1/2 oz of Columbus? Not sure how many IBUs that adds (don't have Beersmith handy). It might not be as bad as you'd think--80 IBU is normal IPA territory. If you do want to tone it down, maybe add some DME to the fermenter. That would bump up the malt level to counter the bitterness. Maybe bump up the dry hops to get aroma to track the higher IBUs.

 

[Dland]

Looking for suggestions/ideas

Due to a terrible miscalculation on brew day, I have a beer in the fermenter that is way too bitter. ...

Any other suggestions?

FYI, OG was 1.057 and IBUs were estimated around 80 (A whopping 1.40 BU:GU ratio, Yikes

.5oz Columbus 60 min. (Should have been removed from recipe)
1oz Citra 20 min.
.5oz Amarillo 20 min.
3oz Amarillo 5 min.
1oz Citra 5 min.
3oz Citra FO
1oz Amarillo FO
3oz Citra Dry Hop
1.5oz Amarillo Dry Hop

There's your problem right there, way too much hops for that sized recipe.

If you are willing to age it for a while, it may eventually become an interesting and less overwhelming beverage.

Don't forget the option of blending some of the beers you make to "round out" any extremes.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Brew another entire 5 gallon batch and blend the beers

This. When in doubt, blend it out.

 

[Kickass]

Here's what i do when i miss my style: relabel it.

All those buddies you were chatting with about your upcoming NEIPA, just remind them that they misheard you because you were never brewing a NEIPA, it was a West Coast IPA from the start. All that wheat and oat protein? Simple, thats chill haze.

See, its easy!

 

[couchsending]

Wait how is it too bitter? You tasted it out of the fermenter and though it was too bitter or you’re just basing that off your OG and amount of hops? With that many hops the .5oz if Columbus will barely be detectable. To me the addition that looks really out of place is the 3oz of Amarillo at 5 minutes. Actually I’d move the 4 oz at 5 minutes to the dry hop next time for this style of beer.

IBUs are almost a worthless calculation these days. For instance Heavy dry hopping can actually decrease IBUs technically. There are also so many different kinds of bitterness caused by other compounds in the hops other than alpha acids. Perceived bitterness can be influenced by a lot of different variables as well. Wort PH, water profile, pitch rate, to name a few.

If you’re really worried about it a Lactose or Maltodextrin addition might be the easiest way to solve your issue.

 

[Soulshine2]

Looking for suggestions/ideas

Due to a terrible miscalculation on brew day, I have a beer in the fermenter that is way too bitter. Long story short, I added more late boil addition hops and forgot to remove the 60 min hop addition from my recipe. That plus undershooting my OG has left the beer a lot more bitter than intended.

I'm looking for options to offset the bitterness in a 5 gallon batch that has already been fermenting for 5 days (currently 1.013). Some of my thoughts are:

1. Add non fermentable sugar (Lactose?) to taste

2. Make a small batch of high gravity wort and add to fermenter

3. Brew another entire 5 gallon batch and blend the beers

Any other suggestions?

FYI, OG was 1.057 and IBUs were estimated around 80 (A whopping 1.40 BU:GU ratio, Yikes!)

Thanks!

EDIT: Here is the recipe if needed

9.5# 2Row
1.5# Flaked Oats
1.5# Flaked Wheat
1.5# White Wheat
1# Rice Hulls

.5oz Columbus 60 min. (Should have been removed from recipe)
1oz Citra 20 min.
.5oz Amarillo 20 min.
3oz Amarillo 5 min.
1oz Citra 5 min.
3oz Citra FO
1oz Amarillo FO
3oz Citra Dry Hop
1.5oz Amarillo Dry Hop

WLP067 Coastal Haze Ale Yeast (1 Liter Starter)

14.5 oz of hops...wow. thats insane.
If it was me, I think I would brew another high gravity hop-less beer and blend .

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Keg it with as little oxygen exposure as possible (purged keg, etc) and let it age out.

 

[BrewRunning]

Thanks for all of the input.

I’m basing my assertion of too bitter off of flavor and numbers. I realize 80 IBU is not that high for an IPA but for a NEIPA that only started at 1.057, it’s pretty dang high. I look more at BU:GU ratios than I do actual IBU. For this beer the ratio is off the charts!

I think I’m going to follow Kickass’ advice and go WC IPA on this one and try again next time. I’ll just dry hop this one and hope for the best.

It shouldn’t be a bad beer just not what I originally was shooting for.

 

[Pappers_]

Thanks for all of the input.

I’m basing my assertion of too bitter off of flavor and numbers. I realize 80 IBU is not that high for an IPA but for a NEIPA that only started at 1.057, it’s pretty dang high. I look more at BU:GU ratios than I do actual IBU. For this beer the ratio is off the charts!

I think I’m going to follow Kickass’ advice and go WC IPA on this one and try again next time. I’ll just dry hop this one and hope for the best.

It shouldn’t be a bad beer just not what I originally was shooting for.

Yeah, most of the time, trying to 'correct' a beer leads to other (sometimes) worse problems. Its a bitter NEIPA - your own new style!

 

[wilserbrewer]

Tasting a beer this young can be very misleading....

I think a little patience is in order.

Taste can change very dramatically in 2-6 weeks from fermenter to cold condition...

Jmo, your trying to put the cart ahead of the horse...lol