Question

[EZFrag]

Ok, I finished my first brew. I waited patiently to put in my first keg. I might have been too anxious with the carbonation. Although I know that carbing up has nothing to do with this, the beer was so bad I can bearly drink it. It was an IPA kit from Austin Brewing Supply. The beer turned out really bitter. During the boil, hops went in at 3 different times. Is there anyway to save this beer?

Also, I have finished my second brew. It is a wheat beer kit from Northern Brewing supply. I fermented until I have 2 same specific gravities. I filtered, then kegged. I have it in the keezer under 10 to 12 psi of CO2. How long do I need to let it sit there carbing before it is ready to drink?

Thanks.

 

[LakewoodBrew]

The bitterness of hops mellows with age. Just leave it alone for a 6-8wks and try it again.

I leave beer on serving pressure for no less than 1 wk before expecting it to be drinkable.

 

[northernlad]

You say bitter like its a bad thing. Have you ever had an IPA. Are you aware that one of the hallmarks of the style is bitterness?
If you made the beer and added the hops per the recipe, there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[joel4482]

If you didn't want a bitter beer why did you brew an IPA. Like lakewood said leave it a while you may like it after it mellows. As for carbonation depending on how cold it is it may take more or less time, but the only way to tell if it is done is to try it out. It usually will take at least a week at that pressure.

 

[sendkyleanemail]

+1 Bitter is GOOD!! Even still, a few weeks of mellowing won't hurt.

 

[malkore]

I too have to wonder how familiar you are with the 60+ beer styles out there, as every commercial and home brewed IPA I've tasted was properly hoppy and bitter, with a strong malt profile to balance things a bit (I don't like a lot of pale ales though since they tend to lean more towards bitter than an IPA.../shrugs)

Do give it time, as a green IPA is definitely more robust than one that's sat around for a month.

 

[EZFrag]

I too have to wonder how familiar you are with the 60+ beer styles out there, as every commercial and home brewed IPA I've tasted was properly hoppy and bitter, with a strong malt profile to balance things a bit (I don't like a lot of pale ales though since they tend to lean more towards bitter than an IPA.../shrugs)

You guys are a little tough here in the Beginners Forum

 

[kapbrew13]

The perceived tone of the replies are just that. Sounds like regular replies to me but I'm just reading the replies. So its always good to take in the information and take it as that.
If you like the beer minus it being too hoppy. You can let it age more or add the 60 minute hops later in the boil. Research online and tailor the kit to your liking. Homebrewing always me to make beers I like but takes some experimentation and trial and error.
Good luck on your future brews.

 

[waldoar15]

Can't comment without seeing what kit you used.

But, not all IPA's are all that bitter. Hoppy, yes, but not bitter to a point. Take DFH 60 as a commercial example. Not overly bitter because of the way it's hopped.

ETA, why would you filter a wheat beer?

 

[Yooper]

It will mellow with time, unless there is something wrong.

When you say you filtered, did you use a co2 filter set up?

In the fridge at 12 psi, it should be carbed up in 7-10 days or so, getting about perfect in two weeks!

 

[Caboose]

My 2nd batch was an IPA and it was like nothing I'd had before. I can drink a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot just fine, but my IPA from Brewers Best is ridiculous. Only one of my friends has been able to drink the whole bottle and that was because I told him he'd get a trophy (which he did!)

Let it sit for a month of 2 and it should mellow out enough to drink it.

 

[flagman]

Out of curiosity why did you decide to filter the Wheat Beer?

 

[EZFrag]

Out of curiosity why did you decide to filter the Wheat Beer?

I guess I don't like any floaters. That and I'm a noob at this. The first batch I brewed was the IPA that I purchased from Austin. It came with the grains in a sock, plus extract in a bucket. 3 hops added through the boil. The result was that It was so bitter that I couldn't drink it. When I tried, it still had hops floating through it. I didn't have a filtration system when I kegged it. I thought if i could take the floating hops out, It might help with the bitterness.

The wheat ale was the second brew I did. I was trying to make something the wife would like so she would stop bitchin'. We recently made a trip to Madison, WI. She really like the wheat beer at the Great Dane. Crop Circle Wheat was it's name. When I bought this kit from Northern Brewers, It came with just 2 buckets of extract and only 1 hop through the boil. When I got through, I filtered it because I didn't want to have this one be as bitter as the last one. While I was filtering, I filtered the IPA keg I had.

With the great advice I got from this thread, I have let the IPA sit. And It is 100% better. Thanks for the advice.

 

[flagman]

I was just curious as most wheat beers are cloudy. You might try putting your hops in a small grain bag during the boil rather than straight into the kettle. I do it sometimes, I just clip the bag to the side with one of those black document clips and then add hops to the sack as I go along. When you are finished just drain the sack into the kettle and dispose of the hops in the sack.

Good luck with the wheat and the wife.