I am a newbie and have brewed several NB extracts kits. I like everything I have done so far, but I’m trying to find something my wife likes. She has been a Coors light girl and so far, everything I have done she says is “too bitter”. She wouldn’t drink the Irish Red Ale at all, she will drink the NB Mild Ale but still thinks it too bitter. I bottled a InnKeeper yesterday and hope it will suit her. I am thinking about “adjusting” (lower) the IBU lever of the Mild Ale kit or similar kit but are not sure of the best method. Would it be best to decrease the boil times of the hops or retain the recommended boil times but decrease the amount of hops added or a combination of the two. After I gain experience I plan to design a brew for her, but I’m not there yet.
Any assistance greatly appreciated.
Cut the 60-minute addition by 1/4 and see what she thinks. If the bittering hop is something aromatic, go ahead and add the leftover portion to the end of the boil to help offset the reduced bitterness with some extra aroma.
I would cut back all the additions just a little. The early bittering addition will give you the biggest change in IBUs.
How about a wheat beer for her? She’s moved on to liking other beers (still can’t stand IPAs, APAs or anything slightly hoppy), but my wife is the same way. She’s a huge wheat beer fan and is starting to come around on other malt forward beers like certain Belgians. I’ve been trying to find a good balance between hoppy (I like) and not hoppy (she likes) and I’m starting to realize I just can’t. I’m a hop head. She’s not. I’ve really neglected myself while trying to brew beers she’ll like. So, I have a hop bomb of an IPA that’s about to get a big dry hop of Citra and Cascade this weekend. I have a wheat right in line behind it for her, but my IPA comes first!
[quote=“dondford”]I am a newbie and have brewed several NB extracts kits. I like everything I have done so far, but I’m trying to find something my wife likes. She has been a Coors light girl and so far, everything I have done she says is “too bitter”. She wouldn’t drink the Irish Red Ale at all, she will drink the NB Mild Ale but still thinks it too bitter. I bottled a InnKeeper yesterday and hope it will suit her. I am thinking about “adjusting” (lower) the IBU lever of the Mild Ale kit or similar kit but are not sure of the best method. Would it be best to decrease the boil times of the hops or retain the recommended boil times but decrease the amount of hops added or a combination of the two. After I gain experience I plan to design a brew for her, but I’m not there yet.
Any assistance greatly appreciated.
D[/quote]
I would keep the normal boil and just decrease all of the hop additions…I’ve always liked hoppy beers, but by the same token I’ve tasted some truly excellent homebrews that had only 8- 10 IBUs. Just be diligent about sanitation and allow for a few weeks of cold aging.
Without a lot of bitterness to hide behind, you may need to step up your game a little. Making highly hopped ethanol bombs is easy… doing a more subdued beer like the one you’re aiming for really shows off your brewing skills.
Which hops have you used? Could be you just haven’t found one to her liking. My son-in-law doesn’t care for hoppy American pale ales, but liked a fairly hoppy alt I brewed with noble type hops.
I’m a Coors Light fan and have been working towards a homebrew replacement, but hopefully with slightly more flavor. I’ve tried various grains/combos/adjuncts and feel my 5th attempt is pretty good, even at only 11 days since I brewed (although certainly not clear). I urge you to give it a go. I’ve only done this version once and it was all grain, but I converted it to how I would do it as extract. Either way, I’d follow the same hop schedule.
Butchy Smooth All Grain
3.25# Rahr 2-row
3.25# Rahr Pale Ale
0.33# Flaked Barley
Butchy Smooth Extract
4# Gold DME or 4.75# Gold LME
Hops:
0.33oz Willamette 50 Min
0.33oz Willamette 1 min
1056 American Ale yeast or US-05
TG 1.032
6.1 IBU
3.1 SRM
3.1% ABV
About 100 calories per 12oz.
:cheers:
