I brewed a blonde ale extract with specialty grain and decided to add hops from my local homebrew shop. I added 1 oz of simcoe pellets and 1 oz of flower amarillo at 15 mins. This is in addition to an unspecified amount of glacier hops for full 60 min boil included in the dry malt extract and what looked like .75 oz of willamette pellets at 7 minutes (the time when I realized I had forgot to throw them in). To recap: Maybe 1 oz glacier - 60 mins 1 oz amarillo - 15 mins 1 oz simcoe - 15 mins ~.75 oz willamette - 7 mins Tonight I decided to calculate ibus as I'm in the waiting stage as fermentation settles down. I estimated amounts of the hops included in kit until I reached the approximate ibu listed then added my additional hop values. My ibus came out to a tick over 70. Now my original gravity was 1.047 down to about 1.013 now so this is a light beer. The kit did include light malt extract,wheat malt extract and crystal and vienna steeping grains. I'm hoping that the beer will have a significant malt taste to stand up to hops and that adding the higher alpha hops at end of boil will help me. I know that the hops will fade and I can bottle condition for a good chunk of time but the 70ibu calculation for my 4.5 abv blonde shocked me a bit. As I impatiently wait to see how my first brew comes out should I fear the bitterness? Is there anything I can do? Are my ibu calculations off? Will everything be ok???
Yes...too bad you didn't add the Simcoe and Amarillo at flame out. What did the orginal recipe call for bittering? Glaciers aren't that high of an AA, but your IBUs definitely will be sky high for a Blonde Ale. With any luck it might taste a little like Daisy Cutter or Gumballhead : ) Too late to add more boiled and cooled extract?
The original recipe called for glacier at 60 minute ( not sure how much because it was premixed with dry malt) and what looked like .75 oz of willamette at 15 minutes (though I threw in at 7). I don't know anything about adding boiled and cooled extract but the beer has been fermenting for 10 days and has already reached it's estimated final gravity.
Are you saying you could see pieces of hops mix in with the Dry Malt Extract (DME)? Some brands of Liquid Malt Extract (LME) are available pre-hopped, but I've never heard of pre-hopped DME. (Not saying it doesn't exist.) But in any case, pre-hopped extract has already boiled/isomerized alpha acids from hops, but you shouldn't see pieces of hops in it. Please tell me your LHBS isn't adding hop pellets to DME and storing unsealed and warm.
I actually did not notice any hops in the dry malt and all the instructions say is "bittering hops already mixed into dry malt"
I used pre-hopped DME once (bought it by mistake when I didn't read the label very well), but there were no chunks of hops in the mix. It apparently was just 'flavor added' but I don't recall whether the label stated which hops, etc. But I haven't seen it in my store since then, so maybe it is not a big enough seller for the store to stock it any more.
You need to raise your OG adding more malt extract (without hops)to counteract that high bitterness. This way your beer is going to be stronger in alcohol contect but you will be able to balance malt/bitterness ratio. Maybe some peer could chime in how much new wort with such a gravity to accomplish this task.
The beer has been fermenting for 12 days and is almost at estimated final gravity. Would I still be able to add additional wort? I feel like I would rather let it mellow over time than to do that. Is there anything at priming I can do to add body or malt flavor to counteract hops?
