Sweeter beer - Less Hops ?

[devilssoninlaw]

I recently made a Vanilla Porter and it's really good, it is a tad on the bitter side which made me wonder, if I cut back on the hops a bit would the end product be sweeter? The recipe called for 1 oz at the beginning of the boil and 1 oz 5 minutes before flame out.

Of course I could do experiments or ask people that have already done it. This was a from an extract kit, thanks!!

 

[camonick]

A generic answer since it’s an extract brew, yes, adding less bittering hops would work or add them later in the boil. Without knowing what your kit was, the kind of hops and their AA%, there’s no exact answer we could give. Do you use any brewing software like BeerSmith, Brewer’s Friend, etc.? You could plug in the recipe and play with the amount of hops or their timing in the boil. The 5 minute hops in your recipe is an aroma addition and changing that one won’t affect the bitterness enough to notice.
Sláinte

 

[camonick]

One other thing, since I don’t know your brewing system, is how fast you cool the wort after flame out. The longer it takes to cool, the more bitterness you’ll get from your hops.

 

[deuc224]

as much as some brewers may shun it, add some erythritol. I started doing it cuz no matter what my chocolate stouts wouldnt get sweet. Less hops, higher mash temps, nothing would help, one cup( 5 gal) of erythritol and its been a savior for me.

 

[Falstaff]

Yup. Less hops will up perceived sweetness.