1st batch has very high bitterness....is this normal?

[Elysium]

We have just bottled our 1st batch with my friend and the flat beer had a rather strong, bitter after taste (one that made us think our beer is a bitter...while we brewed IPA).
Is this normal? Have we done something wrong during the brewing process? Is this bitterness going to disappear after the fermentation in the bottles?

We actually believe that maybe we made a mistake...stiring the hop bag continuously for several minutes while it was in the can. (at the step where you add hot water to the can to wash out the rest of the malt extract from it and you add a bag full of hops and you wait for 15 minutes).

Thanks.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

you tasted it while bottling?

it's going to be flat because it carbonates in the bottle.

and it's going to be "bitter" because it's green.

relax, put it in the basement for about 4 weeks, and try again.

meanwhile, go get yourself some good brew at the store to keep your mind of your treasure in the basement.

you are entering the area of home brewing that is absolutely, positively, the hardest part.

WAITING.

good luck with it. i'm guessing your beer will be fine.

 

[SteveM]

Sometimes, your beer will taste good on bottling day, but more often, it's "an acquired taste." Don't sweat it. Bottle it up and forget about it for at least three weeks (as discussed at length in about twelve billion threads already) before you taste it again.

 

[Elysium]

you tasted it while bottling?

Yeah, we did. I was told that it is the final product and the only difference is that it would be flat.
However, the bitterness scared us a bit. Anyway.....we bottled the batch yesterday....I hope after sitting around for a few weeks it will taste much better and will resemble an IPA beer.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

it's nowhere near the final product... not even close.

just leave it alone for 4 weeks, and then put a bottle in the fridge for a couple days, and have a nice taste.

it's going to be much better, and smoother, and all those nice flavors will meld together like a dream.

just hang in... and stop listening to whoever told you that

 

[Vinny91]

My very first batch I made I did something similar. I then took the advice to let it sit out of sight, out of mind, for a few weeks. After the few weeks it mellowed out and tasted much better.

 

[beergolf]

I always taste the gravity sample when I bottle.

Yes, the beer will change with time. Like the others said, let it be for a few weeks and then taste it. To use a cooking analogy. Think about a batch of chili. It can be pretty good when you first make it, but let it sit for a while and let the flavors blend, and it is much better.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

funny... i was going to use spaghetti sauce as an example.

you can heat up tomato sauce in a pan until it's hot, or you can do an all day sunday gravy.

chili is a better example, but same concept