What is your thought on how to dumb down your dortmunder recipe so your friends may like it. Less bitterness of less hop flavor or a touch of both.
I hope the beer gods do not have access to lighting. Just saying.
What exactly are we talking about here?
Assuming that your using a Dortmunder water profile? Softer water perhaps. Less minerals in your water might round out some of those hop flavors.
“Dumb down a Dortmunder?” Are you talking about someone from Dortmund? Lots of beer sure makes me dumber, so just get them drunk.
i would hop it a little more like a helles
I don’t think that reducing the minerallyness of the water will have much effect. Balance is a hallmark of this style, so I’m hoping that the example in question didn’t have too much bitterness. Backing off the bittering addition might be an option if it was a little too bitter. Another big player can be when the mash and wort pH are a little too high. In either case, tannins from the mash or rough hop flavor can be contributed to the finished beer. If brewing with a water with high alkalinity, that could be a source of the problem.
A Dortmunder is a pretty mild style, with low hop levels accentuated by relatively high sulfate concentrations. Like Martin said, if you aren’t dealing with a basic brewing problem like carbonate, pH or high tannin extraction, but are getting harsh bitterness, you are probably too high in the IBU or sulfate range.