Jmac Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 I have just tasted my Beer Oclock Session IPA made from the recipe list on the Coopers site. Followed the recipe (almost) exactly which goes along the lines of Can plus 1kg LDM 200gms crystal wheat steeped 25gm nelson sauvin @ 30mins 25gms galaxy @20mins 25gms Bravo @10mins ( unavailable so LHBS substituted with Columbus) It is bitter. So so bitter. Tastes ok at the front of the mouth, nice initial flavour but when it hits the back, lookout! It leaves an unpleasant sensation at the back of mouth due to its bitterness level. This does not seem right since it is from a recipe and mustve been tried before. It is pretty much undrinkable with the earthy after taste and bitterness level ( and I am not fussy). Very disappointed as it smells great and tastes good for the first second but when it gets to the back of the mouth the party is over. Would this be one particular hop that has caused this? Too long boil times? Anyone else tried this recipe with success? Confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian.taylor4 Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Did you use the Pale Ale can or the IPA can ? Did you taste the wort before the hop additions ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payno Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 HI Jmac I made this one a while back and it came out very nice - its night not be the hops but perhaps your boil was left too long and as such extracted more bitterness than planned, mind you I think I used Cascade not Columbus and Im not familiar with the bitterness of that hop . I made this mistake with another brew - if you can leave it the bitterness will fade over time, but so does the hop flavour a bit. Shame as its a tasty recipe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ale.Coholic Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Gday Jmac, I have this on my to do list. How long in the bottle? Did you chill in the sink or ice bath after flame out? My understanding is the hops keep adding bitterness whilst the wort is over 78 degrees. Could that be a factor? Cheers, Luke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Isomerisation of the alpha acids will still occur down to about 78-80C or whatever it is but it drops off as it cools to that temperature as well. For instance, there wouldn't be as much bitterness extracted at 83C as there would be at 95C. If it was chilled down pretty quickly it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Either the IPA tin was used by mistake or the style isn't to Jmac's preference would be my guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmac Posted May 19, 2016 Author Share Posted May 19, 2016 Cheers for the advice boys. Twas definitely the Pale Ale tin. Basically straight off the boil after thirty minutes and into the FV with the rest of the ingredients then adding cold water within about 2 minutes so it didn't have long to keep adding bitterness. Unfortunately I didn't taste it at that point ( rookey mistake ) I thought maybe the Columbus was the issue as a substitute hop but as Otto suggests maybe its my palate. Interestingly its not even the taste its more the unpleasant sensation that's hard to take. Its so bitter its painful after a couple of mouthfuls. Trust me, Ive persisted in trying to enjoy it. Gonna have another crack with reduced boil times 10mins, 5 mins and flameout. I will not be defeated. To answer Paynos question I tried it after 2 weeks in the bottle and then kept trying up to about 8 weeks (still just as earthy and bitter at back of mouth). If this was the sessionable IPA Im scared! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payno Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Nah, that doesn't seem right mate - I'm no expert brewer, but I've never had a beer that hurt before, that's just plain weird! and this recipe shouldn't be that bitter, especially after 8weeks!!! I don't know what a badly infected beer tastes like but maybe someone on here can confirm to save drinking 23 litres of poison!!! it should be a nice drop - mine was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Wonder if it's a wild yeast infection... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmac Posted May 19, 2016 Author Share Posted May 19, 2016 See what happens with the reduced boil times next time round. maybe I need to harden up. Hope its not poison because I still got thru a few bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Hi Jmac. Given what you've stated already, if the brew is still unpleasant bitterness-wise to you in a few weeks time, then perhaps look at making a "blending beer" (if there is such a term? ) Essentially all that means is brew a considerably lower IBU (bitterness) beer & once suitably aged, pour yourself a half & half into the glass. One part from the bitter beer & one part the lower bittered beer. It'll take the edge off the bitterness & likely make the beer more enjoyable to you. As an example, brew a batch of the basic DIY Coopers Pale Ale recipe & once suitably aged, pour a 50:50 mix into a glass combined with your overly bitter brew & that will make for a more pleasant drinking experience. You can obviously change that ratio to suit your tastes. As a side note, Galaxy is a b@#%h for throwing harsh tones if used for longish periods in the boil, but @ a 20min boil point that doesn't outwardly appear an excessively long time to develop that in the session-able IPA recipe. Outside that, I concur with the Otto Man in that the IPA style may not be your cup of tea. IPA's are meant to have a noticeable bitterness. English or American, it's a large part of what defines the style. Cheers, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpack Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Good information here. I'm about to do this with magnum substituted for the bravo. I'll be shore to stick to the boil times and chill it fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kradmelder Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Im also making an IPA this week. I'm using the Brew A IPA tin, but only doing late hop additions of Citra at 20 min and 5 min, and only 50 g in total. Im putting in the same amount of specialty malt but of carahell as a steep before the hop addition. Maybe I should rather do a 10 min and a dry hop..... My interpretation of the style is a hoppy taste and aroma. Since Im not found of overly bitter, the kit has enough bitterness without the need for any long boils. I figure 50 IBU is plenty for my taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpack Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Sounds like you might just want to dry hop the ipa can. I've got that on the list of to do's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Basically straight off the boil after thirty minutes and into the FV with the rest of the ingredients then adding cold water within about 2 minutes so it didn't have long to keep adding bitterness. Hi Jmac. I don't quite get what you mean here and just want to clarify: you didn't happen to boil the Pale Ale tin by any chance? Cheers! -Christina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickc1525229722 Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I was also wondering if the op may have boiled the contents of the can which led to the extra bitterness ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kradmelder Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 or maybe he didnt add any malt before doing his hop boil? Did you boil the hops in only the malt steep? straight off the boil after thirty minutes and into the FV with the rest of the ingredients Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpack Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 This is my first attempt at steeping grain. How hot should the water be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 About 70C will be fine mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty180 Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 @Jmac How did this turn out in the end mate? I've got this in the fermenter and had a taste of my gravity sample. I see what you mean. It's very bitter. I love IPA's but I've never had anything like this. I changed out the Bravo for Columbus (due to availability) I hope this mellows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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