Lingering bitter aftertaste

[ryantollefson]

My 3rd batch was a double IPA. Overall I'm pleased with it, but am looking to improve.

I entered my first competition and got scores back (2 score sheets from BJCP judges) - one was a 36, the other a 38. I'm happy with that for my first comp., but both mentioned the aftertaste.

In regards to this issue they said:
Judge 1, "A long lingering hop aftertaste that actually gets unpleasant."

Judge 2, "lingering resiny bitterness... bitterness is harsh."

Having a glass as I read through the scores, I think they're right. It has a good aroma, tastes pretty good, but after you have swallowed, and are thinking to yourself, 'damn, that is a good beer,' the bitterness just sits there in your mouth... and sits there... and sits there... and sits there...

I've found the best way to fix this is to have another drink as quickly as possible, but eventually you run out of beer, and then you're left thinking, 'maybe that wasn't quite as good as I first thought.'

 

[ryantollefson]

This was a Hop Hammer clone from Brewing Classic Styles.

Ingredients:

• 15.25 lbs 2-row
• .5 lbs wheat malt
• 1.5 lbs corn sugar
• 2 oz Warrior (90 min)
• 2 oz Chinook (90 min)
• 1 oz Columbus (30 min)
• 1 oz Simcoe (45 min)
• 2.25 Centennial (0 min)
• 1 oz Simcoe (0 min)
• 3.25 oz Columbus (dry)
• 1.75 Centennial (dry)
• 1.75 oz Simcoe (dry)
• 2.66L starter (WPL001)

Other general info:
OG: 1.087
FG: 1.016

2-stage fermentation with BrewPi - 67*F with ramp to 69.8F

Brewed: 3/21
Bottled: 5/2 (6 weeks later)


Method:
Used BIAB

Used charcoal filtered municipal water - see attached profile for additions I used (minor, but some).

Mixed grains and closed up at 152*F... dropped to 148*F over about 40 minutes. Turned burner back on briefly and brought it back to ~152*. closed and let sit for another 35 minutes (75 minutes total).

Heated to ~170*F for about 10 minutes and removed grain bag.

Ran ~1/2 gallon distilled water through grains as a sparge (& to get volume up a bit more).

Est. 7.75 Gal wort -> kettle.

Boiled 90 minutes.

Took about 40 minutes to chill to 68*F.

Pitched starter.

Fermented first 24 hours at 67.1F, then let rise to 69.8F over the following 2 days.

About 2 weeks in I added 1/2 of the dry hops.

A week later I added the second 1/2 of the dry hops.

2.5 weeks after this I bottled.


Other notes:

• Forgot to whirlpool and got a fair amount of sediment in fermenter
• Was higher OG & FG than targeted

Trying to figure out why the lingering bitterness... ideas?

 

[TennBrewer]

Adjust the recipe so the total weight of the hops is less than the grain, that should solve your cat urine problem. But seriously, have you tried First Wort Hopping (FWH)? That may smooth out the bitterness somewhat.

 

[beergolf]

The recipe is going to be very bitter. You have 4 oz at 90, 1 oz at 45 and one oz at 30. The hops you used are all high alpha hops, so yes the recipe is going to be very bitter.

 

[ryantollefson]

Adjust the recipe so the total weight of the hops is less than the grain, that should solve your cat urine problem. But seriously, have you tried First Wort Hopping (FWH)? That may smooth out the bitterness somewhat.

No, I haven't tried First Wort Hopping. I could, but I still think there is an underlying problem somewhere else.

 

[ryantollefson]

The recipe is going to be very bitter. You have 4 oz at 90, 1 oz at 45 and one oz at 30. The hops you used are all high alpha hops, so yes the recipe is going to be very bitter.

Yeah, I expected it to be bitter, but I'm surprised by how long that aftertaste lingers. When you first taste it, it tastes like a good, strong, IIPA. However, you still have a fairly bitter aftertaste even 1-2 minutes later; not crazy, but not ideal either.

 

[beergolf]

Yeah, I expected it to be bitter, but I'm surprised by how long that aftertaste lingers. When you first taste it, it tastes like a good, strong, IIPA. However, you still have a fairly bitter aftertaste even 1-2 minutes later; not crazy, but not ideal either.

Yeah. That much long boil hops is going to make it very bitter. I can see the bitterness lingering. I would cut back on the early addition hops and even just get rid of the 30 and 45 minute additions.

 

[pablosbrewing]

Could be tannins?
-sparged with distilled water
-possibly exceeded 170F in the mash out?

Otherwise it's the result of a beer with a calculated IBU of nearly 300

 

[aprichman]

This one is easy - you're using too many hops at 90 minutes. 4 oz is way too much - you could easily cut that amount in HALF. Add the extra 2 oz back in at 0 minutes.

 

[rhys333]

I was experiencing similar problems with lasting unpleasant bitterness. I felt it was unrelated to hops, since most of my beers were 30-70 IBUs. That said, your problem could well be due to the massive early hop additions. If you're confident its not just hops, maybe consider what fixed my issues. First, I stopped using local water and switched to RO with salt additions. My city water is river water and minerals/chlorine vary way too much for reliable calculations. Second, I dropped my post-boil chill time from 45 minutes (water bath) down to between 6-8 minutes (immersion chiller). I suspect the long 45 minute cooling time caused the bittering to keep climbing. Anyway, since these changes the nasty lingering bitterness has gone and my beer tastes great.

 

[Schmoltsbeer]

How can one possibly think that anything but the hop-bill is what's causing this lingering bitterness?

 

[rhys333]

How can one possibly think that anything but the hop-bill is what's causing this lingering bitterness?

Over-hopping is a likely cause of lingering bitterness, as I mention in my previous post. Other factors can lead to this as well, including extended chill times and water chemistry. Note in post #5 the OP feels there's an underlying cause elsewhere.

 

[beergolf]

How can one possibly think that anything but the hop-bill is what's causing this lingering bitterness?

Agree. With 4 oz at 90, 1 oz at 45 and another at 30, all high alpha hops. Hell yess it is going to be bitter.

 

[pablosbrewing]

Yeah, I expected it to be bitter, but I'm surprised by how long that aftertaste lingers. When you first taste it, it tastes like a good, strong, IIPA. However, you still have a fairly bitter aftertaste even 1-2 minutes later; not crazy, but not ideal either.

It's a Pliny the Elder clone - all of the reviews talk about "lingering bitterness"

I suspect your would score better in the new 34A. Clone Beer category as lingering bitterness would not be a negative.

 

[KartRacer54]

Issue is probably hops but you may want to verify that your water does not contain chloramines or just use Camden tablets in every water vessel. They are good insurance and very inexpensive.
The bitterness will ease with time so you may just want to store this for a few months.

 

[rhys333]

Issue is probably hops but you may want to verify that your water does not contain chloramines or just use Camden tablets in every water vessel. They are good insurance and very inexpensive.
The bitterness will ease with time so you may just want to store this for a few months.

Agreed.

Also, comparing a commercial Pliny (or other mega-hopped beer) to the homebrewed version would be a great way to determine if its a reaction to hops alone. May pinpoint the issue right away. If not, consider other factors mentioned. I raise the point only because I struggled with similar issues the OP mentions across multiple batches.