Too much hop!

[Mystikty]

I just started an Amber Ale brew last night using a partial mash recipe. For the bittering hops, I boiled 1 oz chinook for an hour. The recipe called for 1/2 oz. will this ruin my ale? Is there anyway to counteract the bitterness during my secondary fermentation?

 

[aiptasia]

Congratulations on your first Amber IPA.

It might be a little bitter but given some time, its should settle down to drinkable. Hops bitterness decreases with time, so if it's too bitter for you, just let it sit and condition someplace.

 

[Newbeerguy]

I just started an Amber Ale brew last night using a partial mash recipe. For the bittering hops, I boiled 1 oz chinook for an hour. The recipe called for 1/2 oz. will this ruin my ale? Is there anyway to counteract the bitterness during my secondary fermentation?

No it won't ruin it, but it will affect the flavor. My suggestion is to wait it out, taste it and go from there. Sometimes it better to let it be than to start messing with it. Try it and report back.

 

[45_70sharps]

I would never worry about a half ounce of hops.
It may taste slightly different, but it will still be good.

I think that just about anytime a beer comes out to bitter, a little time is all it needs anyway.

 

[Mystikty]

Thank you everyone. Who knows, the best recipes have come from accidents. Although I have not yet developed the palet to drink IPAs, maybe I'll create an awesome "Amber IPA". ;-)

 

[whiskeyjack]

Is it a full boil ? If not the hops may be closer to what its supposed to be

 

[kombat]

What's the batch size? If it's 1 gallon, then it would be a significant difference. But for a 5 gallon batch, yes it'll be a little more bitter than normal, but it'd still be quite palatable. I'm guessing you'll really enjoy it.

 

[Mystikty]

I just used a calculator to estimate the IBU of my brew using all the hops I added to the boil (chinook and willamette) and it turned out to be around 45. How bitter is that? Had I followed the recipe, it would have been around 23.

 

[Mystikty]

What's the batch size? If it's 1 gallon, then it would be a significant difference. But for a 5 gallon batch, yes it'll be a little more bitter than normal, but it'd still be quite palatable. I'm guessing you'll really enjoy it.

I brewing a 5 gallon batch.

 

[HopZombie99]

I wouldn't try and fix something like that during secondary. Dont worry, 45 isn't that high. It actually sounds like you've made a happy mistake. It'll be a great beer!

 

[Mystikty]

Thanks for all the encouragement. I will let you know how it goes in about 2 weeks.

 

[Mystikty]

I am now in Day 6 of my fermentation. The specific gravity post-boil/pre-pitch was 1.099. It is now 1.011. I plan to re-rack tomorrow. I took a little taste and it was pretty decent. There is still some fermentation left to go but I wanted to find out how bitter it was. It wasn't bad at all. I look forward to the finished product.

 

[Jay1]

When the yeast floculates, its gonna taste even better. Ive had some mistakes turn out better than I had originally planned and an extra 1/2 oz of cascade isn't gonna make enough of a difference to ruin it.

 

[HopZombie99]

That is a HUGE beer. The extra 1/2 oz prolly was a good thing.

 

[signpost]

I just used a calculator to estimate the IBU of my brew using all the hops I added to the boil (chinook and willamette) and it turned out to be around 45. How bitter is that? Had I followed the recipe, it would have been around 23.

How bitter is that? Given that describing bitterness is pretty subjective, I think an objective form of measurement is probably the best way to answer that question. So, I'd say 45 IBUs is about twice as bitter as 23 IBUs.

Sorry, had to be a smart-ass.

I am now in Day 6 of my fermentation. The specific gravity post-boil/pre-pitch was 1.099. It is now 1.011. I plan to re-rack tomorrow. I took a little taste and it was pretty decent. There is still some fermentation left to go but I wanted to find out how bitter it was. It wasn't bad at all. I look forward to the finished product.

I've got a couple assumptions I'm going to try on for size (you could post a recipe if you want to confirm or deny any of these). First, I assume you are pretty new to brewing if you are asking how this would effect your beer. Secondly, I assume that also means that you did a partial boil and brought it up to the full volume by adding water to the fermenter. Thirdly, I assume you did not thoroughly mix the wort and the top-off water.

If the predicted OG from the recipe was way lower than the 1.099 you measured, then you probably got an inaccurate reading from insufficiently mixed wort. In that case, if it is actually an average strength beer, the extra half ounce of hops will probably have a noticeable effect. It will still be beer. And it still has a fair chance of tasting good, too. But there will be more bitterness.

If you actually did brew a batch with a 1.099 OG, then (like HopZombie said) it is probably a good thing to add the extra hops to balance out the residual sweetness of the malt that the yeast can't finish off.

 

[GrogNerd]

too much hop?

ain't no such critter

45 IBU to a 1.099 gravity is balanced

what did the recipe say for OG?

 

[Mystikty]

How bitter is that? Given that describing bitterness is pretty subjective, I think an objective form of measurement is probably the best way to answer that question. So, I'd say 45 IBUs is about twice as bitter as 23 IBUs.

Sorry, had to be a smart-ass.

I've got a couple assumptions I'm going to try on for size (you could post a recipe if you want to confirm or deny any of these). First, I assume you are pretty new to brewing if you are asking how this would effect your beer. Secondly, I assume that also means that you did a partial boil and brought it up to the full volume by adding water to the fermenter. Thirdly, I assume you did not thoroughly mix the wort and the top-off water.

If the predicted OG from the recipe was way lower than the 1.099 you measured, then you probably got an inaccurate reading from insufficiently mixed wort. In that case, if it is actually an average strength beer, the extra half ounce of hops will probably have a noticeable effect. It will still be beer. And it still has a fair chance of tasting good, too. But there will be more bitterness.

If you actually did brew a batch with a 1.099 OG, then (like HopZombie said) it is probably a good thing to add the extra hops to balance out the residual sweetness of the malt that the yeast can't finish off.

Hee hee. Yes, I am very new at brewing as this is only my second batch. I don't know what IBU 23 tastes like verses 45. All I know is that it will be bitter than the original recipe has intended. Yes, I did do a partial boil because I don't have a large enough pot to boil 5 gal. When I added the wort (3gal) to the fermentor, I made a concerted effort to swirl the bottle but it was pretty heavy and full. Your last assumption is likely correct. The expected OG was 1.052. I even tried swirling it again after I pitched the yeast. I suppose I should have taken another SG reading. The expected FG is 1.013 but now I'm reading 1.011 as of yesterday. I'm planning to re-rack but I'm wondering if it is really necessary to do so being that i'm not planning to make additions.

 

[GrogNerd]

45 IBU to 1.052 isn't too bad.

Sierra Nevada PA is 37 to 1.053, so I think you're good

no need to secondary, unless you're adding fruit or oak.

3 weeks in primary, 3 weeks in bottle; enjoy

 

[signpost]

Hee hee. Yes, I am very new at brewing as this is only my second batch. I don't know what IBU 23 tastes like verses 45. All I know is that it will be bitter than the original recipe has intended. Yes, I did do a partial boil because I don't have a large enough pot to boil 5 gal. When I added the wort (3gal) to the fermentor, I made a concerted effort to swirl the bottle but it was pretty heavy and full. Your last assumption is likely correct. The expected OG was 1.052. I even tried swirling it again after I pitched the yeast. I suppose I should have taken another SG reading. The expected FG is 1.013 but now I'm reading 1.011 as of yesterday. I'm planning to re-rack but I'm wondering if it is really necessary to do so being that i'm not planning to make additions.

Being lower than the expected FG is not an issue at all. A lot of my recipes and the kits I've brewed have ended up slightly lower than predicted. Just make sure to measure it again and check that it is the same for a couple readings in a row before bottling.

Back to the OG question. If this is an extract batch and you used the correct amount of extract, then you can bet you nailed the OG. No question about it.

Also, no need to worry about the partial boil thing. I have been brewing for about a year and have done extract, partial-mash and all-grain batches. And all of my batches were partial boils, except for a SMaSH I brewed a couple weeks ago. I'm working with a 5 gallon kettle as well. You just have to be aware that there is a good chance your OG reading will be wrong if you try to rush it. Give is a good shake for as long as your arms can stand it, then go clean up some gear and let it rest. Come back and shake it some more. Do that a couple times, then your OG reading should come out a little more accurate.

 

[Mystikty]

45 IBU to 1.052 isn't too bad.

Sierra Nevada PA is 37 to 1.053, so I think you're good

no need to secondary, unless you're adding fruit or oak.

3 weeks in primary, 3 weeks in bottle; enjoy

I don't know about the three weeks in primary. I just took another reading, and it was still 1.011. Today marks day 7 of my fermentation and it seems that it is time to bottle. The recipe says that the typical fermentation time is 7-10 days. I'll give it another day or two before taking another reading.

 

[WyomingBrewer]

It is you beer and I know how hard it is to wait and be patient when you're on your second batch ever. I suggest the 3 weeks primary then transfer to the bottling bucket and bottling. It has worked for many of us. Patience pays, trust us. You will probably try it eventually anyways and wish you had sooner.

 

[brewingbound]

I don't know about the three weeks in primary. I just took another reading, and it was still 1.011. Today marks day 7 of my fermentation and it seems that it is time to bottle. The recipe says that the typical fermentation time is 7-10 days. I'll give it another day or two before taking another reading.

Although fermentation may be complete, you will want to give it a couple of weeks to condition. This will let the yeast "clean up" and produce a better tasting beer.

 

[CatHead]

I don't know about the three weeks in primary. I just took another reading, and it was still 1.011. Today marks day 7 of my fermentation and it seems that it is time to bottle. The recipe says that the typical fermentation time is 7-10 days. I'll give it another day or two before taking another reading.

Wait at least two weaks no matter what the gravity says. The extra time will help clear your beer and let the yeast clean up and leave any biproducts in the bucket and not the bottle. My first two I left in the bucket 3 weeks and 2.5 weeks and my third will be in there between 2.5 and 3 weeks.

To your original question it may be more bitter than style but it should taste fine. I LOVE Chinook though so if you don't like it mail me a couple and I will help you get rid of them.

 

[Mystikty]

Thank you for your replies. I do trust you and will do what you suggest. I have heard of the term "conditioning" but I never knew what it meant. I do have a question though. Will my yeast stay alive for three weeks or will I need to re-pitch at the time I add the priming sugar?

 

[Newbeerguy]

Thank you for your replies. I do trust you and will do what you suggest. I have heard of the term "conditioning" but I never knew what it meant. I do have a question though. Will my yeast stay alive for three weeks or will I need to re-pitch at the time I add the priming sugar?

No need to repitch, there will be plenty of yeast for priming. Make sure that after you add the priming sugar and bottle, that you give the bottles about 3 weeks at 70 degrees to properly carbonate.

 

[Mystikty]

Well, I just bottled my brew last night. Before I did that I checked the FG and it stayed at 1.011. The broth was a beautiful amber

 

[Clonefan94]

Chinook is a great hop IMO, one of my favorite IPAs is an all Chinook, in fact, I'm drinking it as I type. It might be bitter for an amber, but if you like Hops, imo, you'll love it.

 

[Mystikty]

Well, I just bottled my brew last night. Before I did that I checked the FG and it stayed at 1.011. The broth was a beautiful amber

I accidently sent out a post before finishing what I had to say. Sorry about that. Anyway, the broth came out to be a beautiful clear amber color and the smell was amazing. My husband and I took a swig and the bitterness wasn't so bad. Actually, the beer tasted pretty good. I look forward to tasting the final product in about three weeks. Next, I am working on a recipe for a Belgium Witbier. I haven't decided if I would go AG or PM. Either way, I don't have the pot to do a full-boil so I would either need to cut the recipe in half or do a split pot where I would boil the spices and hops in one pot and the extracts and grains in the other. I'm still researching my options.

 

[Mystikty]

Well, I have tried my amber ale. It is a bit hoppy for what I like but the flavor is nice. The problem is that it is a little flat. I kept the brew in primary for three weeks and then bottled it with 3/4 cup of corn syrup. I Iet the brew sit for three weeks before tasting it. I have 52 bottles of this. My concern was that my viable yeast count after three weeks would be too low to sufficiently carbonate the beer without re pitching. Now, I'm worried that my beer is ruined. Is there anyway to salvage this?

 

[HopZombie99]

How long has it been since packaging? There's no way that 3 weeks would change the viability of the yeast. If you have already bottled it, there's not a helluva lot you can do to carb it up more. Give it three weeks and if it aint carbed up properly by then, call it an English bitter and pretend it was on purpose.

Either way the beer isn't ruined, its just different to what you expected it to be. Still beer. Still drinkable.