Any way to rescue an overly bitter beer?

Question

Any way to rescue an overly bitter beer?

dazoakley

2022年2月11日 04:00

My latest batch of IPA has come out really unpleasantly bitter, it was only supposed to be about 45 IBUs, using a combination of Northdown, Target and Bobek for bittering (60 minutes) and some more Bobek at flame out and for dry hopping. But I think I may have messup up somewhere as it tastes like it's much much higher than that...

I've not bottled it yet (it's still in the secondary - been there for a couple of weeks), so I was wondering if there was a way I could rescue this batch, or at least make it more pleasant to drink?

Is there something I could add to the secondary, prior to bottling?

Should I just shove it in the bottles and age it for a while to see if it mellows out?

If it's still too harsh after aging, would it be worth trying to blend it with another beer to counteract the over the top bitterness? If yes, what do you suggest, something more malty?

EDIT:

Here's the details on the hops as requested in the comments...

Northdown (8.1% AA) - 23g at 60min
Target (9.3% AA) - 23g at 60min
Bobek (5.25% AA) - 23g at 0min, 20g dry hop for 4 days

OG was 1.059, FG was 1.012

Topic bitterness bittering flavor homebrew

Category Mac

David Pridham · Accepted Answer · 2022年2月11日 04:00

add dry malt,candy,or other sugarlike dextrose to fermenter and water...maintaining original OG 2.add say half a can of Coopers or other "kit" beer and 10 litres of water to fermenterUse a lager kit or low IBU 3.sweeten the beer e.g. lactose.

I have this problem I think..lol...hence I am looking for help.Loved the paracetemol and sidifinil jokes.

James Pillar Jr. · Accepted Answer · 2019年6月19日 18:51

I have a similar issue at the moment. I am attempting a Cascadian Coffee ale. My bitterness is coming from the coffee. I used 4oz coursely ground light roasted coffee in secondary fermentation. At the same time I am amping my AVB's a little so I added a pound of corn sugar. I may have pulled a wild yeast strand from the grounds but I'm pretty sure it's just the coffee itself. I'm almost considering trying some sort of lactose if there are no other suggestions. I'll sample it again tonight and either rack it in a keg and let it sit or fool around with lactose. Anything? Wow this is an old thread.

Pablo sanjari · Accepted Answer · 2016年4月30日 01:42

Chew paracetamol before drinking it and it will taste great after that!
No seriously , I'm sitting here with the same problem. My idea is to balance out with sugar even though that's bringing me away from the dry crispness that I was after. My initial thought was to boil equal amounts of sugar and water to make a simple syrup and then experiment with the amounts needed per serving.

Ryan Whitt · Accepted Answer · 2016年4月8日 17:42

Pick a juice and make a shandy. I made a grapefruit IPA that ended up getting more bitter than I wanted. So, I decided to make a shandy out of it. I ended up adding 1.5 quarts of grapefruit juice to the keg after trying different ratios. I added an additional 1/2 gallon grapefruit juice after carbonating to get more juice flavor. This worked very well. I now have a new grapefruit shandy with nice juice sweet/tart at the front and a slight bitterness toward the middle of the flavor palate. I also dry hopped in the keg with 1 oz centennial and think that brought a nice aroma to what was an overwhelming bitter flavor.

George · Accepted Answer · 2016年1月19日 13:29

1

George answered at 2016年1月19日 13:29

I would suggest aging the beer, and if that doesnt work, blend it with a nice, sweet, malty amber ale.

Andrew r · Accepted Answer · 2016年1月18日 13:56

A quick idea which works for me. After bottled. when serving the beer. Pint glass put 1/4 teaspoon of granulated white sugar (regular sugar u put in coffee). Pour your beer into glass n sugar.Play with this to your liking. Works well for my unbearably bitter IPA.

paul · Accepted Answer · 2012年7月26日 20:55

You could try blending it with another beer, probably would do this when serving. It might taste good mixed with something that has a similar malt profile but obviously less bitterness, maybe a pale ale. In case this sounds weird to you, remember people have been doing it for a long time. Two popular examples are a black & tan - a blend of dark and light beer, or a gueuze, which is a blend of lambics of different ages.

hartski · Accepted Answer · 2012年7月15日 12:37

As an alternative to drinking it, you could cook with it and use it in marinades. In this arena you can take advantage of the concentrated flavors and bitterness. Obvious examples would be beer brats, beer cheese soup, beer cheese dip, beer bread etc.

Over the time it would take you to cook with 5 gallons of beer, it would still offer you the chance to see if it improves with age (as mdma describes). Then each time you make food with the beer you have a chance to sample for any improvement in bitterness.

mdma · Accepted Answer · 2012年7月15日 10:18

I vote for ageing, 45 IBUs isn't that bitter, and the bitterness will round out over time. It's more important that you nail down if this is how it should have turned out, or if there was a process problem, so you can avoid doing the same again in future.

Are you accustomed to drinking IPAs? I remember my first which was around 45 IBUs, and thought it was unpleasant. Now I barely taste 45 IBUs. You may simply need to acquire the taste for the hop bitterness.

Finally, are you sure it's hop bitterness you're tasting. Could it be astringency from the hops or from excessive fly sparging?

Either way, let it age. I wouldn't start messing with it, since you're equally likely to end up with a brew that is at least as undrinkable, only for different reasons. If you want to blend, I would blend in the glass with another brew, such as a pale ale. At least you can then enjoy some of the brew now while you're waiting for it to round out.

Any way to rescue an overly bitter beer?

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