Sample when racking to secondary bland and bitter. Thoughts?

[igvandeventer]

This is my very first brew. It is a Brewers best PSA IPA kit. Before racking to the secondary, I took a sample which was 1.014. When I tasted the sample, it tasted kinda bland with alot of bitterness. The smell was kind of astringent but I'm assuming that is the hops used. Does anyone have any feedback? Possible error or should I wait it out?

 

[BlackGoat]

When you are just getting started, its very difficult to really judge your beer until you get to the finished product. Unfinished beers will often taste sweet or dry, or bland, or whatever but you just have to continue through the process. As you get more comfortable and experienced at picking out what is going on with the flavor, you'll start to be able to understand how it might taste once packaged, carbonated and conditioned. Are you adding dry hops? Definitely continue through the process, I have no doubt that you'll be quite surprised at how good it will be once finished and served at proper temperature.

 

[frazier]

Too soon to tell, really. My hoppy beers always taste bitter at this stage. Later, when properly carbed, it's totally different.

There are lots of other variables - what hops, when were they added, how was it chilled, etc. There may also be a lot of hop particles suspended in the beer at this point, increasing the preception of bitterness.

So relax, don't worry, and let the process run its course.

Cheers,

 

[ChuBru]

Wait it out RDWHAHB..it will be fine when its chilled and carbed..let it do its thing..beer sometimes tastes bland,thin,hop assertive,rough,etc when its young but some time will even the beer out, also only judge a beer once its completely finished ..i just racked a DIS into a keg and tasted the sample it was very very bitter but i know though experience that this beer will be much rounder and harmonious with a few weeks of aging and other flavors will start to come out..no stress dude..time will help

 

[igvandeventer]

I hope I'm not confusing the bitterness with sourness. That would be a bummer.

 

[BlackGoat]

I hope I'm not confusing the bitterness with sourness. That would be a bummer.

You're just doing what all of us did in the first couple brews and overanalyzing things.

 

[igvandeventer]

I keep telling myself "patience, grasshopper." Not sure if its working!

 

[fuzzy2133]

Helps to have other craft "research" to consume when starting out.

 

[igvandeventer]

Too soon to tell, really. My hoppy beers always taste bitter at this stage. Later, when properly carbed, it's totally different.

There are lots of other variables - what hops, when were they added, how was it chilled, etc. There may also be a lot of hop particles suspended in the beer at this point, increasing the preception of bitterness.

So relax, don't worry, and let the process run its course.

Cheers,

The hops were:
1 oz Palisade 60m
1 oz Palisade 35m
1 oz Simcoe 15m
1 oz Ahtanum at end of boil

I had a hell of a time chilling the wort down. I do not have a wort chiller so I chilled with ice water in my sink. It took a ridiculous amount of time to chill. As of right now, the beer is still hazy. I'm hoping a couple weeks in the secondary will clear it out. I still have a little action going on in the airlock.

 

[501irishred]

I keep telling myself "patience, grasshopper." Not sure if its working!

The good news is that the waiting gets much easier once you get a couple batches in your pipeline.