Less hops - am I a wuss?

[McGreen]

I am about to try an Oktoberfest so I can make adjustments for July's batch. I will be brewing tonight with a friend. We both agreed that most kits give too much hops for our taste. Now I am certainly no BMC, but am I a wuss? Does anybody else think there are too much hops in most kits?

Or maybe I am not letting it condition enough? The hops are VERY powerful anywhere between 5-10 weeks after brewing. Do I just add less hops for taste?

Cheers!

 

[Priemus]

There in lays the beauty of homebrewing. If you dont like Bitterness, or hoppy tastes, add less, or substitute for a more mild variety.

Examaple if its too bitter and your adding 1oz of cascade at 60 minutes, try a half oz. If you dont like so much of the flowery hop smell, cut back on the late editions. Or swap the Cascade for Saaz or something a little more neutral.

There is no right/wrong Wuss arguement, taste is subjective.

edit:
I know cascade wouldnt be in an october was just giving a general example.

 

[Barnzy02]

Eh, everyone's pallet is a bit different. I have friends who love hops and friends who loathe them.

It depends on the recipe, but you can always dial back the 60 minute addition to get a little less bitterness.

Or the later additions if its the flavor/aroma that is too much for you.

Of the few kits i've used, they've all seemed to be 'hopped' according to style.

 

[jbrookeiv]

Never really seen an overhopped kit, at least to my palate. Kits are usually within style guidelines, and I typically bump up the hops on most things I brew because I love hops.

 

[tchuklobrau]

You will have to play with different hop substitutions. And while most kits are "hoped accoeding to style" like barnzy02 said. that hops might not agree with you. for example a 32ibu pils with all centennial might be to hoppy for some compared to a 32ibu pils with all saaz. research and play. cause thats where i am at with my brewing. gettin different profile cause im not a hop head

 

[Golddiggie]

The recipes I've seen (just did a quick check) are not really high in the IBU range. Under 30 IBU in one example alone, so you can make a batch without a lot of bitterness and still have it to style. Actually, looks like 20-30 IBU is within style, so you should be able to balance that out nicely.

If you want more flavor/aroma, then just adjust the hop schedule to match.

As mentioned, being able to tweak the recipe to be as YOU want it is one of the wonderful things about home brewing.

 

[McGreen]

Cheers guys!

I am not a fan of the hopped extract they supply with the kits. It is hard to understand how many hops are in the final wort when you only know the hops you added but don't know the hops added to the extract beforehand. I understand they are prepared to taste, but for those of you how use extract - do you prefer hopped or unhopped?

 

[Priemus]

one of my guilty pleasures is buying a coopers IPA kit prehopped, and boiling it with extra hops

But aside from that unhopped is best. You can have more control over the addiotons, and you actually know what hops are used.

 

[Golddiggie]

When I was brewing extract batches, I only used unhopped extracts... I would prefer to add the hops I want, or as the good recipe has listed than trust someone in a factory to do a proper job of it... It also allows me to change the hop selection, amount, and boil time to fit MY tastes.

Personally, you couldn't give me hopped extract...

BTW, all the extract batches I made also included specialty grains... Came out really good... But, since going all grain, my brews are GREAT... Having tighter control over your ingredients, IMO, is critical to getting really great brews time and again... Not to say some people don't get great brews from extracts, I just seriously doubt they use hopped extracts... They probably also use good specialty grains...

 

[McGreen]

When I was brewing extract batches, I only used unhopped extracts... I would prefer to add the hops I want, or as the good recipe has listed than trust someone in a factory to do a proper job of it... It also allows me to change the hop selection, amount, and boil time to fit MY tastes.

Personally, you couldn't give me hopped extract...

BTW, all the extract batches I made also included specialty grains... Came out really good... But, since going all grain, my brews are GREAT... Having tighter control over your ingredients, IMO, is critical to getting really great brews time and again... Not to say some people don't get great brews from extracts, I just seriously doubt they use hopped extracts... They probably also use good specialty grains...

I have only done 1 kit ever without specialty grains. It was an Amber starter kit - supposedly the easiest start ever from True Brew. It was easy alright. But I had no real idea what was going in the beer except syrup, dry extract, and a few hop pellets. Not bad taste, but again, how can I know how to adjust?

Now I always mash some specialty grains, even if the kit does not provide! I LOVE HOMEBREWING!

 

[Begin2Brew]

I am about to try an Oktoberfest so I can make adjustments for July's batch. I will be brewing tonight with a friend. We both agreed that most kits give too much hops for our taste. Now I am certainly no BMC, but am I a wuss? Does anybody else think there are too much hops in most kits?

Or maybe I am not letting it condition enough? The hops are VERY powerful anywhere between 5-10 weeks after brewing. Do I just add less hops for taste?

Cheers!

Nope, I am the same way. IIRC Sam Adams Lager is around 40 IBU's which is the most I can take. Most of my beers have all been kits but I still plug them into Beersmith and see what the IBU's come to. I then make adjustments accordingly. This is the great thing about home brewing, you get to make what you like!

 

[BenjaminBier]

Agree with all. If it's too bitter or aromatic, reduce your hops until your at the low-end of the style, or even lower if you like.

German Tradition are not especially bitter but have some nice earthy spice notes that substitute for bitterness. To my taste, anyway.

 

[cfonnes]

Plug your nose and drink some of the beer that you think is too hoppy. If it still tastes too hoppy, then reduce the bittering addition, if not then you need to reduce the flavor or aroma additions.

 

[unionrdr]

Just in case anyone is interested,the cooper's site has the IBU's,etc for each style listed before mixing/topping off. They list the type of hops used in their better kits. All the OS kits use Pride of Ringwood that I remember reading. It's a rather neutral hop with a slight fruitiness.
I'm not going to bother arguing the merits of extract vs AG/partial mash,etc. People like whatever they like,& will zealously defend it. I get good beer out of extract. But I do like adding DME's,hops,whatever pushes the brew to new heights. But,to each their own...