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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


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Contents:
  Bitterness/Mash pH ("A.J deLange")
  Bitter beer (rgriller)
  Re: Too bitter ale (Michael Greenberg)


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Date: Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:02:36 -0500
From: "A.J deLange" <ajdel at cox.net>
Subject: Bitterness/Mash pH

Bitterness does fade with time but the time required for bitterness to 
fade will probably be sufficient time for oxidation to set in. A more 
immediate solution would be to dilute the overly bittered beer with one 
that is under bittered. You could experiment to find out how much to 
dilute with megabrew which is usually at about 14 IBU.

WRT mash pH: It has some influence on the final pH of the beer but the 
yeast will do everything they can to pull the pH down into the range 4.3 
(or even lower in the case of some ales) to 4.6 (lagers). Of course if 
the water is extremely alkaline they won't succeed but then the 
fermentation won't proceed properly and you will probably have pretty 
bad beer. But then mashing at pH of 6 or higher is going to produce 
pretty bad beer as well.

Further to all that the pH of the foods you eat/drink will have some 
effect on the pH of the stomach contents but again not that much. Your 
stomach secretes hydrochloric acid and the pH of gastric contents is 
generally around 2. Drinking a beer at pH 4.2 isn't going to change that 
much and certainly isn't going to bring it lower. The problem with 
reflux isn't the pH of the gastric contents anyway - it's the reflux. 
I'd see a doctor about that. There are several things that can be done 
such as not overly filling the stomach especially in the evening, 
sleeping with the head elevated...

A.J.



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Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2011 12:14:59 +0000
From: rgriller at chass.utoronto.ca
Subject: Bitter beer

"I recently brewed an IPA and used magnum hops for the first time.

Unfortunately I under-estimated their strength and the ale is really too

bitter. I would hate to have to pour it down the sink and wondered if the

bitterness will mellow with age. It is presently being stored in the fridge

at 35F."

Not an answer to your question, but you could try serving at traditional
English ale temps (50-54F) as at warmer temps malt perception will be
stronger and the beer should taste somewhat less bitter. Maybe not enough of
a change, but worth a shot, especially as ales (imho) are better served at
those higher temps in any case! :)

Robin

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

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Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2011 09:37:02 -0500
From: Michael Greenberg <michael.m.greenberg at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Too bitter ale

Hi Alan,

I can't speak to mash pH---it's not something I spend a lot of
time worrying about.  But have you considered blending your hoppy
IPA with something lighter?  You could brew a batch with very few
bittering additions and try to find a balance between the two.

Cheers,
Michael

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