Bitter after taste

[gijimmy]

I've made an oatmeal stout recipe 2 times and the northern brewer recipe palmer's elevenes and all end results have a bitter after taste. the only thing I can think of it being is my well water. Just trying to figure out what it could be. Thanks

 

[ladodger34]

I'm not an expert being all of about 6 batches in myself, but the bottles I just tasted today that were way young have been my best yet. I can't say exactly why but I do know I did a way better job with temp control during fermentation, pitched my yeast at a lower temp, and didn't use tap water.

The water in our area is hard and heavily chlorinated (at least compared to my previous residence). At least where I live, there are water stores* and vending machines on every corner.

* The tap water where I live is perfectly okay to drink, but the large Mexican population in the area is naturally skeptical. Thus, we get purified water stores in every shopping center. As a brewer, I'm not going to complain. Water for .25 a gallon is an alright deal.

 

[tjashing]

Bitterness can be caused by a few problems.

One. Fermenting at too high temperatures can cause certain alcohols to be accentuated and cause some bitterness. Keep your fermentation temp at around 18-22 degC.
Two. Not removing most of the trub after cool down. I brew a lot of IPAs in a primary only (and we like bitter beers). If you still have some trub after primary fermentation you could always rack to a secondary to remove this. However I’d be really carefully when racking to a secondary as the beer is susceptible to oxygen which will cause bitterness and other off flavors.
Three. Oxidation can lead to bitterness. After pitching your yeast, ensure no oxygen comes into contact with the beer.

It may be due to your water profile also, especially if your water contains a high alkalinity content. You can alleviate this by using brewing salts or brewing with distilled or bottled water.

Just my thoughts - hope it helps.