Imp. Stout not bitter enough... options?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by FATC1TY, Apr 15, 2013.

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  1. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    So I've got this Imperial Stout I brewed up back in early October.

    It tasted okay for being so young, but what little I tasted I never caught on to. I aged it on some coffee beans and a few cocoa nibs as well.

    Tasted it again and thought it was just too damn thin, and kinda hot to be honest. It's clocked in around 11.5%. So I decided to add some lactose to it after the fact. Boiled up some water, added the lactose and boom... Beer has a great mouthfeel, the heat is pretty much going away at this point..

    I kegged it and let it sit for a while. Put it on tap a few months back and tasted it.. it's a great beer... but it's not bitter enough. It's got a smooth roasty note, but the acrid bitterness I wanted, isn't there!

    So I've got this 5 gallon keg of this overly sweet stout sitting here taking up room. I don't have the heart to dump it, because I have hope I can add something later to make it more bitter.

    Any options or thoughts?

    I thought about getting some water, and boiling up some magnum in there, and trying to blend it perhaps? Dump maybe 1 g of the keg out and brew a dark something with alot of roasty malts, and massive bitterness, and then blend it after it ferments out? I'm at a loss.. if I have to dump I will, as I need the keg, but I really hate to do it. Beer has some potential, other than being sweet.
     
  2. barfdiggs

    barfdiggs Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2011 California

    Sinamar. It'll give you the extra roast you need. I've used it a couple times now, use a full four oz bottle for your beer and you'll get your stout where you want it.

    Isomerized extract can help hop bitterness, which you may need to up as well.
     
  3. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    You could always attempt to blend it depending on your set up.
     
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