Ok so my first batch turned out super bitter think my recipe was incorrect. 1oz. Cascade@ 60 then another oz at 15 with half of liberty @30 all in all it was drinkable. Hope for better second time around
I don't know but this *sounds* like you made a mistake with the flavor at fifteen.
*if* the recipe said:
1 oz at 60
1/2 oz at 30
1 oz at 15
What you should have done was:
1 oz at 4 o'clock when the boil just started and you have 60 minutes to go.
1/2 oz at 4:30 when the boils been going for a half hour and you have 30 minutes to go.
1 oz at 4:45 when the boil's been going for three-quarters of an hour and you have 15 minutes to go.
What it *sounds* like you did was:
1 oz at 4 o'clock when the boil just started and you have 60 minutes to go.
1 oz at 4:15 when the boil has been going for 15 minutes and has 3/4 of an hour to go.
1/2 oz at 4:30 when the boils been going for a half hour and you have 30 minutes to go.
Thus 1 oz of hops cooked for a half hour longer than it should have (and got bitter).
At least that's what it *sounds* like. Forgive me if I misinterpreted.
Think of it as a counter counting down (which is precisely what the display on my microwave looks like). 0:60, 0:30, 0:15 and at the very and 0:00.
It also helps to realize that although the bittering hops are at 60 and at the beginning of the hour. All the other hops are nearly always (although there are probably exceptions) put in near the *end* of a boil. Simply assume that except for full hour hops *no* hops ever cook for over half an hour (unless you are doing a specifically unusual recipe). They are *always* less than half and always in the second half.
[Now I imagine I'll run across thousand of recipes with 45 minute hops....]