Bitter after 2 weeks in bottles

[pcheplick]

Hello,

This is my first post here and I'm hoping to get some guidance on slight bitterness that has seemed to generate in the bottle after approx 2 weeks in the bottles.

Beer:
Coopers Australian Pale Ale extract kit
3lb. Munton's Light Malt
1oz. Cascade hops at 10 minutes (of 15 minute boil)

In primary for 2 weeks (OG 1.057 / FG 1.015) and bottled on 1/17/07.

By 1/27 all the bottles had nicely cleared and carbonated.

The beer was very good, full of body, nicely carbonated, and nice balance considering it was my first go at a homebrew. I've been drinking one every other day since 1/17 and all were excellent. On 2/2, I cracked one open and although it was good, it now has a slight to moderate bitterness aftertaste and seems (to me) to have lost some of the body / flavor that it originally had. It is still good, but not the same as it was originally. I've tried about 4 more and they all seem to exhibit the same traits. The bottles are still beautifully clear.

Is this something that typically happens? What would cause this to occur?

Thanks.
PC

[markaberrant]

You started drinking them the day you bottled? And you thought it was good?

Put them in the back of your fridge and forget about them for 2 weeks before trying another.

[pcheplick]

No, started drinking on 1/27 (10 days after bottling - was anxious to try!). Sorry for my typo in the initial post.

It has been now almost 3 weeks since bottling (1/17) and now I am noticing this bitternote aftertaste that was not there on 1/27, 1/28, 1/29, 1/30, 1/31. Starting on 2/2, it seems that this bitter note has crept in and to me the "body" has lessened. It is not bad, but certainly has changed since last week.

PC

[HogieWan]

beer changes a lot in the first few weeks. Let it sit a bit longer and try another as it may swing back.

Have you started another batch yet?

[pcheplick]

Thanks HogieWan - that is my plan - I'll give one a try in another few days and see what's transpired since yesterday.

Yes, I've started another brew 1 week ago. Used the same starting Coopers Pale Ale kit but used 3lb. Muntons Extra Light malt this time and did 1oz. Willamette Hops at 5 minutes of the 15 minute boil, and then 1oz Cascade hops at 10 minutes of 15 minute boil. My local homebrew shop recommended this combo/protocol.

In checking the SG yesterday, I tasted a bit out of the hydrometer flask and it was very bitter with not much body/good beer flavor. Original gravity was 1.057 and my first reading was 1.015. With my first batch, my hydrometer flask "tastings" were very nice and tasted like great beer (although flat). This new one is very bitter with not much body so I am slightly worried about this one. Is there a chance that I am over hopping here? I was hoping for more hop taste vs more hop bitterness.

PC

[corkybstewart]

You won't get much bitterness out of hops boiled 5 or 10 minutes, just some flavor/aroma. And those flavors will definitely mellow with time. For bitterness you need to do a 60 minute boil.
Why are you boiling for only 15 minutes, is this normal with these kits? Is this a pre-hopped kit?

[pcheplick]

Thanks CorkyB - this is a pre-hopped kit and the local homebrew shop said it only requires 15 minutes boil. I like hop flavor so they suggested adding these flavor (Willamette) and aroma (Cascade) hops in this new batch.

If this is all I did for hopping this time, is the bitterness possibly due to something else? To my nose, the wort / airlock does not smell contaminated and there are no rings in the bottles of my first batch or anything noticably odd visibly with the current brewing batch.

General question, when hopping, I've used the 1oz. of hops inside a muslin bag and pressed out the liquid the bag retained when boiling was over. Is that a normal/good practice?

PC

[corkybstewart]

Diagnosing bitterness over the internet is tough, and I'm not an extract brewer but there's the dreaded "twang" that comes to mind. Once you start steeping grains you can get tannin bitterness if you squeeze the grain bag, but that's not your problem, at least not yet.

[dparsons]

I'd go with letting it sit a couple more weeks before trying to diagnose flavor problems. If the batch is good, this gives the flavor time to mature. If the batch is bad, this also gives it time to make that definite.

[MrNate]

Does the water you use influence the bitterness of the product to any great degree? I'm just curious, because my beers have turned out to be significantly more bitter than expected, and I'm doing all grain.

[HogieWan]

certain ions, esp. sulfate, can affect how hop bitterness is perceived. The following comes from Palmer's How To Brew (http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15-1.html)

Sulfate (SO4-2)
Molecular Weight = 96.0
Equivalent Weight = 48.0
Brewing Range = 50-150 ppm for normally bitter beers, 150-350 ppm for very bitter beers
The sulfate ion also combines with Ca and Mg to contribute to permanent hardness. It accentuates hop bitterness, making the bitterness seem drier, more crisp. At concentrations over 400 ppm however, the resulting bitterness can become astringent and unpleasant, and at concentrations over 750 ppm, it can cause diarrhea. Sulfate is only weakly alkaline and does not contribute to the overall alkalinity of water.