Hopped up Robust Porter - build thread
  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,104
    jlw said:

    frydogbrews said:

    i have had this happen once, that intense, sharp bitterness. it mellowed slightly with age, but ended up....dumping it. i dumped it. yeah. that's what i did with it. :^o

    in my case it was because i accidentally doubled the amount of 60 minute hop additions.


    I hope I don't have to. I was going to send some to you and ceannt but I won't lt anyone drink this if it doesn't turn out good.


    if it does turn out crappy, you can send it all to me. ;)
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,365
    Lots of dark roasted malt + very soft water = harsh bitter astringent nasty

    Lots of hops + high carbonate water! = harsh bitter nasty

    Both ..... giving this some thought .... will require a delicate balance of water chemistry ... how to quantify ...I don't have a clue
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    i just made a hoppy robust porter, posted the recipe here:
    http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/593/hop-blackula#Item_3
    supposed to be a black ipa, but then kind of watered it down, long story.
    point is, i am on a well. it is very very hard water. which i really like. tastes delicious.
    but i had to install a water softener because the glasses looked gross and we broke 3 coffee pots, etc..
    so now i soften the water just above the level where it won't form film on the glasses, but not so softened that you feel all slippery and weird after a shower.

    i make super hoppy beers regularly, but have just recently dipped my toes in the waters of dark malts.
    neither have been overly bitter at all.
    certainly not saying that it won't cause it, just not sure that that should be the first reason jumped too. i think it was the hop additions early in the boil.
    also, i think it could have been the FWH, but i don't have all that experience with that because i was always afraid something liek the situation you are describing would happen.

    happy to take a bottle and tell you what i think.
  • jlwjlw
    Posts: 16,454
    I also make super hopped up beers and have made plenty of dark beers. Never had this problem. My best beer is probably my black iipa.
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    jlw said:

    I also make super hopped up beers and have made plenty of dark beers. Never had this problem. My best beer is probably my black iipa.



    i'll take one of those too! <):)
  • jlwjlw
    Posts: 16,454
    frydogbrews said:

    jlw said:

    I also make super hopped up beers and have made plenty of dark beers. Never had this problem. My best beer is probably my black iipa.



    i'll take one of those too! <):) </p>


    As soon as I make it again. I am going to make it with a twist soon. I am thinking about putting a little bit of rye in it.
  • jlwjlw
    Posts: 16,454
    I am pretty sure we have hard water.
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    jlw said:

    I am pretty sure we have hard water.



    if your water was hard enough to effect a beer significantly though, all your glasses would be cloudy,(like gross cloudy) you would be plopping your shower head in vinegar every month because it was clogged, and you would break lots of coffee pots. lots and lots of coffee pots.
  • jlwjlw
    Posts: 16,454
    Yeah and we don't have any of that going on. I just think that it's over hopped (gasp). Or there just wasn't enough dark malts to balance the hops.
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    yeah, that time i over hopped, i was shocked.

    it......was.....possible.....

    also done with magnum hops, which is interesting.
  • BenvarineBenvarine
    Posts: 1,606
    frydogbrews said:

    jlw said:

    I am pretty sure we have hard water.



    if your water was hard enough to effect a beer significantly though, all your glasses would be cloudy,(like gross cloudy) you would be plopping your shower head in vinegar every month because it was clogged, and you would break lots of coffee pots. lots and lots of coffee pots.


    I hate to get off topic, but why are your coffee pots breaking?
  • jlwjlw
    Posts: 16,454
    My guess is the hard water deposits in the coffee maker shorten the life not actually the glass pot breaking.
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 85,692
    frydogbrews said:

    jlw said:

    I am pretty sure we have hard water.



    if your water was hard enough to effect a beer significantly though, all your glasses would be cloudy,(like gross cloudy) you would be plopping your shower head in vinegar every month because it was clogged, and you would break lots of coffee pots. lots and lots of coffee pots.

    Off Topic. What's the coffee pot angle?
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    Benvarine said:

    frydogbrews said:

    jlw said:

    I am pretty sure we have hard water.



    if your water was hard enough to effect a beer significantly though, all your glasses would be cloudy,(like gross cloudy) you would be plopping your shower head in vinegar every month because it was clogged, and you would break lots of coffee pots. lots and lots of coffee pots.


    I hate to get off topic, but why are your coffee pots breaking?


    yeah, the pots are actually fine, its the heating element tubes that heat the water up. they get clogged with calcium deposits and then don't its broke. running vinegar through doesn't fix it once it gets to a certain point.

    most pots are machine specific anymore though, so the whole thing is broken, essentially
  • ThymThym
    Posts: 117,322
    frydogbrews said:

    jlw said:

    I am pretty sure we have hard water.



    if your water was hard enough to effect a beer ... and you would break lots of coffee pots. lots and lots of coffee pots.


    hmm.... i didn't realize my wife's clumsiness was a sign of hard water. I should have that checked out.
    The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
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