How to fix too bitter Brett?

[7brew]

I brewed an American wheat that I’ll eventually add Brett Clauss. to. I just happened to have some el dorado hops on hand, and wasn’t thinking. I added 2 oz of 13% AAU to the 60 minute boil, with no other additions.

I didn’t think anything til I sampled the wort for taking OG calculations. It was pretty bitter.

The beer will sit for about six months with Brett once primary fermentation is done. Will much of the bitterness drop out in that time?

Thinking about dry hopping before bottling to make it a hoppy Brett. Any other suggestions to compliment the bitterness?

Blending with something else?

I’ll have to taste the final results for a true answer, but open to any speculation at this time!

 

[JKaranka]

What are your estimated OG and IBU? If it is something outrageous you could brew a second low IBU batch of the same and blend them. Brett C doesn't have much impact on flavour (more on aroma and FG) and I do like it in very bitter styles like historical British stock ales and barley wines. If the OG is in the 1.050s I'd expect them to lack body for the American beer palate.

 

[7brew]

OG was 1061, but not sure about IBUs. I’ve never calculated those.

I’ll have to see how it turns out but might have to blend down the road. I’ve never had a Brett C. beer either, no I’m not sure what to expect.

Do you have any “British stock ales” you can recommend? Never heard of or tried one!!

 

[nrjones89]

It would be wise to start calculating IBUs to avoid this problem in the future. I was going to recommend doubling your wort volume by mixing with another batch, but it may be fine. How bitter do you want the end product to be? Darker sweeter malts will balance out bitterness.

 

[xico]

If this is a 5 gallon or smaller batch a couple ounces of El Dorado will definitely pack a punch. Wort always tastes much more bitter than the finished product so don't be too discouraged. I second the use of calculators to help you determine IBU of your beers.

It may turn out enjoyable anyway. Did you save some El Dorados for flavoring hops? That will play nicely with some cherry and plum notes some Bretts can produce.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Do you have any “British stock ales” you can recommend? Never heard of or tried one!!

Really you'd need a time machine to go back to the mid-19th century, but equal measures of Orval, an English IPA like White Shield and an English barleywine would give you a rough approximation - they were Bretty, well-hopped (with Goldings and similar) and fairly strong, and aged for 9-12 months. See eg http://barclayperkins.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/whitbread-stock-ales-in-1830s.html

 

[7brew]

Well, it turns out the bitterness mellowed out a bit in the finished product, so that's not really a worry. The concern now is that I used 5.2 stablizer for the first time, and my beer tastes soapy and salty.

I just inoculated with brett, and will let it finish out as originally intended. I was certain it would be undrinkable from over hopping, but I was wrong on that point, so maybe the brett will change something up with the salty soapy flavor. See you in six months!

@Northern Brewer - Thanks for the tips!

@xico - I plan on dry hopping, so I might use El Dorado for that. Or if I blend, I may do some flavoring with El Dorado and blend with that. It depends on how it turns out from the pH stablizer issue.

 

[chrilr]

In my experience, soapy stays