3 hours too long a boil?

[morganamps]

Ok I know I screwed up and have moved on to batches 2-3 with 4th to be started later this week.

My wife said I needed a new hobby and bought me a home brew kit with a couple of extract kits, one for a belgian wit and the other was an american red ale.

I started with the Belgian.

Followed the instructions to the letter......

steeped my grains at 155 for 30 in 2.5gal
Added another 3 gal water brought to a boil
Added malt boil for an hour
Add first hops - boil for an hour
Add second hops - boil for 30 min
add 3 hops - boil for 15
add corriander boil for 15
add orange peel boil for 15........

yeah...... I know I know now 1 hour TOTAL

OG was 1.088
FG is 1.012

here it was in the carboy, I showed this to my LHBS and they were a little shocked and asked me right away how long I boiled it for.

I bottled and have had it sitting for about a 2 months. At first taste it was soooo bitter that I thought about tossing it but a couple days ago I sampled it again and thought that it was a bit smoother until the after taste hit like a freight train, kinda like hiding burnt toast under marmalade.

Question I have is will that taste subside? It's not really fun to drink. I have been sharing it with guys that come by the shop and telling them how proud I am at the way it turned out. Just to see their reactions when the bitterness knocks them out and they try to smile through it not to hurt my feelings. ( I eventually let them off the hook and give them a drinkable beer)

If it isn't going to get any better I plan on saving it as christmas gifts to my inlaws.

 

[BlackGoat]

ha! lessons learned, yeah the longer boil extracted quite a bit of the bitterness from the hops. Generally the bitterness will subside with age, give it a few more months, maybe try it again in the middle of the summer and you might be surprised. Aging tends to mellow everything out. With the ABV that you have in that beer, it should be able to age pretty well.

 

[dstranger99]

Damn, that's an almost 10% ABV !!.......This could be a great beer in another 6 months .........Perhaps your finest hour ??........

 

[morganamps]

Damn, that's an almost 10% ABV !!.......This could be a great beer in another 6 months .........Perhaps your finest hour ??........

yeah its amazing what boiling out 2 gal of water from your wort can do to your OG.....

 

[AVLbrewing]

My wife said I needed a new hobby and bought me a home brew kit with a couple of extract kits, one for a belgian wit and the other was an american red ale.

Wow! Your wife wanted you to start brewing?!?! If only she knew how much time and money this fine hobby will end up costing in the long run :cross:! Now if only I could convince my wife to treat me to some new equipment and supplies I'd have it made! What was your old hobby that cause her do such a wonderful act of kindness? I digress....

Anyways, lesson learned, and who knows, maybe it will turn out ok! One of the few mantra's of this forum is "don't through it out." Most of the time things will mellow out with age. Give it some time and see what happens!

 

[GrogNerd]

trick of a flash, or is that all tin foil in the top of the carboy and up into the airlock?

 

[freisste]

trick of a flash, or is that all tin foil in the top of the carboy and up into the airlock?

Ha, didn't even see that. I'm guessing flash, but maybe this is a new method of controlling a blowoff?

 

[morganamps]

trick of a flash, or is that all tin foil in the top of the carboy and up into the airlock?

I am dry hopping with tin foil to duplcate that funky off taste I get from bottles of Delirium Tremens

(that was a joke. it was just a trick of light )

 

[morganamps]

What was your old hobby that cause her do such a wonderful act of kindness? I digress....

I used to make Guitar amplifiers for fun..... things have gotten out of hand.

www.morganamps.com

 

[GrogNerd]

I am dry hopping with tin foil to duplcate that funky off taste I get from bottles of Delirium Tremens

(trick of light )

grog


confused


now

 

[AVLbrewing]

I used to make Guitar amplifiers for fun..... things have gotten out of hand.

www.morganamps.com

Nice! I checked out your site and it certainly looks like it was a pretty serious "hobby!" Welcome to the world of homebrew btw!

 

[Thegreatestgray]

I would throw it in the back of a closet and forget about it for 6 months then try it if its still bad wait another 6 months it might get better it might not but if it does get better then you might have the best brew you ever made

 

[morganamps]

Almost 2 months later.......

What a difference. This is actually drinkable! A buddy and I shared a bottle, he commented that it tasted like a good Belgian IPA.

Patience is golden

 

[unionrdr]

I was going to say that when they Brewed the old Burton ales in the 19th century,the boil went a couple hours. I was brewing another version of my hopped & confused hybrid lagers on Fat Tuesday,drinking beer & vodka to cellebrate,of course. It was a partial mash too. I passed out after the bittering addition,about 3:50pm. Woke up at 5:20pm to finish it.
It's been in bottles since 4/2,working up the nerve to put 12 in the fridge today for a week or two.