toning down hops

[hb771]

every craft brewer in my state makes a pale ale. And every single one is under bodied and over hopped. I tried mixing in a tiny bit of honey to some the other day and it seems to make it more palatable. Anyone else have tricks for upping the body and toning down the hops in a brew??

 

[agrazela]

Use less hops?

 

[Homercidal]

And maybe more carapils or crystal malt. The trend is for Pale Ales and IPAs to use less crystal malt these days. I still like a little body and sweetness in mine, but I'm liking the drier versions more too. My next Pale Ale will be a Red Rye Pale with a good amount of body and crystal malt caramel flavor. Mixing it up a bit.

Oh, but with lots of hops. If I wanted a less hoppy pale ale, I'd brew an Amber...

 

[hb771]

i meant when I buy a growler of their pale ale what can I put in it to make it more drinkable...yea I could buy their tasteless golden ales but they suck worse.
my own homebrew has less hops and is better than any craft brew I have tried at least in my state. And I am unskilled in anybodys book.
But I do like Ska Brewings Blond Ale...Colorado...
but I cant get it locally.

 

[m00ps]

must be some serious stuff you're making there, what state do you live in?

 

[aprichman]

In order to add body and thickness to the mouth feel:

*Mash warmer (154-156F)
*Addition of oats (~1lb for 5 gallon batches tends to work well)
*Make sure brewing salt additions are tuned in (i.e. don't over due the sulfate additions)
*Small addition of caramel malts are also appropriate
*Use a yeast that has lower attenuation

To minimize the hops presence:

*Make sure you are targeting appropriate amount of IBUs
*If you are looking for bitterness instead of flavor/aroma reduce late additions
*Make sure your brewing salts are tuned in
*Use a yeast that accentuates malt flavors

 

[Homercidal]

i meant when I buy a growler of their pale ale what can I put in it to make it more drinkable...yea I could buy their tasteless golden ales but they suck worse.
my own homebrew has less hops and is better than any craft brew I have tried at least in my state. And I am unskilled in anybodys book.
But I do like Ska Brewings Blond Ale...Colorado...
but I cant get it locally.

So what you are saying is that you aren't interesting in knowing how to brew a better pale ale, you just want to know what to add to the commercial beer to make IT better?

If it were me I'd find another beer. I can't think of anything palatable that would serve the purpose.