Too bitter Gruit

[GeneDaniels1963]

I am making my second Gruit ale, with an addition of blackberries. My first one was with raspberries. First time I used a locally mixed, herbal tea for the gruit, but this time I added a pinch of wormwood to the tea. I let the wort ferment for 2 days and just added the blackberries. A quick taste shows it is too bitter, not horrible, but more than would be pleasant to quaf by the pint.

So, would the best way to fix this be to make another batch without the bittering tea, then blend after fermentation? I am thinking maybe 1/2 of a batch so the bittering is cut down, but not completely out. What do you think?

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I decided to just go for it. I made 1 gal of wort, then blended it with the other 1 1/2 gal of wort that is too bitter. Later I will add more blackberries to the new wort. I did a quick taste test. Still got a slightly bitter aftertaste, but it is MUCH better than it was before.

A good reminder to anyone out there that wormwood is REALLY bitter. A tiny bit goes a long way.

 

[dmtaylor]

Dilution was a good idea.

I won't use wormwood. Too many horror stories about it. Sweet gale is far more interesting IMO.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Dilution was a good idea.

I won't use wormwood. Too many horror stories about it. Sweet gale is far more interesting IMO.

Yeah, I don't think I will use it again. But I really want to salvage this batch, so blending seems to be the way to go. Right now I have done 3/2 ratio of bittered wort to plain wort. I sampled and it is OK, I may still make another gal of wort to add to the mix to tone it down more.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

Does anyone know if bitterness fades with aging?

 

[dmtaylor]

Does anyone know if bitterness fades with aging?

I don't believe so, not as far as I have heard. Dilution is still the solution.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I guess I will try it when the ferment is finished, and if needed do another gal to mix in.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I am amazed at how much this ale is changing, even in just a few weeks. I have not bottled it yet, but I pulled a pint and chilled it to about 40F.

It is not half bad. Still a bit more bitter than I had aimed for, but certainly drinkable, and that without being carbed yet. So I am going to bottle carb half the batch now, and let the other gal bulk age in a glass jug. I will open a bottle each month until I really like it, then bottle the rest and drink it.

All in all, I would say wormwood is a bit too volatile for my tastes, but if you decide to use it a little goes a very long ways.