Bitterness in stouts: do you taste hops or char/ash?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by BrownNut, Oct 2, 2012.

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  1. BrownNut

    BrownNut Initiate (0) Jul 11, 2011 Florida

    Sometimes when I read others' reviews of imperial stouts, they'll mention hops. I almost never detect hops in imperial stouts. I do detect bitterness though. But it almost always seems to come from a char/ash direction rather than hops.

    You know the taste of char in a good way from roasted or seared meats and in a less good way from burned things like burnt toast. That's what I get to one degree or another in my stouts and I like it. It seems like a different kind of bitter from hop bitterness, though.

    How would you guys characterize the bitter element you get in most imperial stouts? Do you typically taste hops in them? Still training my palate here. When I see others mention hop notes, I hunt for them. But so far have only ever gotten a whiff of hops, just for a flash and then gone, on a Zhukov recently, and not otherwise.
     
    #1 BrownNut, Oct 2, 2012
  2. Homebrew42

    Homebrew42 Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2006 New York

    I've tasted both. Try Yeti if you want to taste hop biterness in a stout.
     
    #2 Homebrew42, Oct 2, 2012
    quirkzoo, El_Zilcho, juankzas and 1 other person like this.
  3. BeerGogglesReviews

    BeerGogglesReviews Initiate (0) Sep 30, 2012

    I get a bit of both too. A beers IBU (International Bitterness Units) can come from malts as well as hops. Raw, the dark malts are like 90% cocoa chocolate, strong esspresso coffee and burnt toast. Bitter until they are mixed with lots of light malt. Hops, even peachy fruit pastel ones like Citra are disgustingly bitter without the sweet malts balancing them. When the balance is right though its a thing of beauty.
     
    #3 BeerGogglesReviews, Oct 2, 2012
    PapaGoose03 likes this.
  4. ShemRahBoo

    ShemRahBoo Initiate (0) Jan 28, 2010 New Jersey

    The freshness will matter of course, agree with the try a yeti and storm king is another one where you will taste the hops.
     
    #4 ShemRahBoo, Oct 2, 2012
  5. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    Which is why I love coffee based stouts. Being a hop head I appreciate the coffee bitter hit vs the hops. Hops and BA stout would be cool might be hard to get the Hops thru the Bourbon.
     
    #5 nc41, Oct 2, 2012
  6. ChadQuest

    ChadQuest Initiate (0) Mar 4, 2009 Illinois

    I have a friend that only drinks IPAs because he hates how bitter stouts are.
     
    #6 ChadQuest, Oct 2, 2012
  7. danieelol

    danieelol Initiate (0) Jun 15, 2010 Australia

    Both. Can get bitterness from hops, or from roast malt, from alcohol or even an adjunct like coffee.

    Once you've drunk your share of IPAs and Stouts you'll probably learn to determine where the bitterness is coming from.
     
    #7 danieelol, Oct 2, 2012
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  8. Homebrew42

    Homebrew42 Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2006 New York

    Actually by definition IBUs can only come from hops. A beer can get its bitterness both from the hops and the malts (and sometimes other ingredients as well), but IBUs are specifically a measurement of hop derived bitterness, not the total bitterness in the beer.
     
    #8 Homebrew42, Oct 2, 2012
  9. Kadonny

    Kadonny Pooh-Bah (2,616) Sep 5, 2007 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I had a Marshall Zukov over the weekend and it was the most burnt tasting stout I have ever had. It was not really bitter in the true sense, but it was more...well burnt and charred. Needless to say, I hated it. That was the first time I ever really didn't enjoy an impy stout.
     
    #9 Kadonny, Oct 2, 2012
  10. spoonhawk

    spoonhawk Initiate (0) Dec 3, 2010 Iowa

    Some imperial stouts do have a notable hop presence, however what is most likely going on in a lot of cases is people confusing bitterness and astringency. Both can be harsh, and beers can certantly be both bitter and astringent. But, based on tasting beers with people, I have noticed a common practice of confusing dry/astringent with hoppy/bitter.
     
    #10 spoonhawk, Oct 2, 2012
  11. TomClem

    TomClem Zealot (557) Mar 7, 2012 Nebraska

    Since you didn't like Zukov stay away from Tsunami Stout http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1304/3704 It tasted like I'd imagine a grill grate would taste.
     
    #11 TomClem, Oct 2, 2012
  12. Kadonny

    Kadonny Pooh-Bah (2,616) Sep 5, 2007 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Thanks will do. It just shocked me since I'm a big imp stout fan, but damn I really didn't enjoy it.
     
    #12 Kadonny, Oct 2, 2012
  13. MaxSpang

    MaxSpang Initiate (0) Jan 28, 2011 Ohio
    Trader

    Mikkeller Black is over the top on the char/ash taste, so that's kind of what I always refer to when describing that flavor in stouts. It's super astringent and "bitter", but not really because of the hops.
     
    #13 MaxSpang, Oct 3, 2012
  14. gatornation

    gatornation Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,388) Apr 18, 2007 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    try boulevard Dark Truth Stout smooth with hops less bitter IMO
     
    #14 gatornation, Oct 3, 2012
  15. VncentLIFE

    VncentLIFE Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2011 North Carolina

    im getting some smoke and char out of this Dark Truth.
     
    #15 VncentLIFE, Oct 3, 2012
  16. denver10

    denver10 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,155) Nov 17, 2010 New Mexico
    Pooh-Bah

    I love the char/burnt coffee bitterness in stouts. Love it.
     
    #16 denver10, Oct 3, 2012
  17. gatornation

    gatornation Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,388) Apr 18, 2007 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    That a boy
     
    #17 gatornation, Oct 3, 2012
  18. VncentLIFE

    VncentLIFE Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2011 North Carolina

    it hit me straight away. like burnt malt.
     
    #18 VncentLIFE, Oct 3, 2012
  19. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader


    Nice that you can go to the store and buy some.
     
    #19 nc41, Oct 4, 2012
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