Lingering bitterness -- is it a flaw?

[ScottieByNature]

Hey gang,

Just bottled my first batch the other day; it's an IPA from a Brewer's Best kit. I've taken a couple tastes during the brewing process; once after racking to secondary, and once on bottling day. It seems like it's going to shape up to be a pretty decent first showing. The Cascade and Columbus hops are very present in the aroma, flavor, and bitterness. It's a nice deep shade of amber, maybe slightly cloudy (if it's not supposed to be that way, then I'm guessing it could be chill haze from getting my wort chilled too slowly). But my main concern is in the bitterness. The up-front bitterness profile seems to be on par for the IPA style, but I notice that after I swallow, there's a lingering bitterness to it that I don't get from commercial IPAs. It's not off-putting and the beer seems like it will still be drinkable, but it seems a little out of place to me. SWMBO gave it a taste and said it reminded her of the finish of Guinness.

I don't think I would describe it as astringent as it's not a mouth-puckering bitterness. And I'm not quite certain it's a tannic bitterness, although there were some specialty grains that were steeped, and the accuracy of my thermometer is suspect. If it's of any worth to the mystery, I also opted to use tap water since it tastes pretty decent around.

I can't tell if this lingering bitterness is normal, or if it will mellow with age, or if there's a flaw. Any thoughts?

 

[mixedbrewer]

I am guessing it will mellow with age. The finishing hop bitterness tends to fade with time.

 

[vitrael]

Try tasting it when it's cold. Perceived bitterness is weird.

 

[Smokeater233]

How long has it aged for?

 

[ksbrain]

I think you're tasting a green beer flavor combined with a warm flat beer flavor. I find that beer at bottling time (assuming fermentation of two or three weeks) has a lot of yeast still in it, which definitely affects the perception of the beer.

It's your first batch. If you can taste and smell hops, you're in good shape! Try to let it sit two weeks in bottles and then try one. You'll be amazed!