My hefeweizen was too bitter after sampling, will bitterness round out in a keg (carbonated) or should I leave it in the primary for awhile? It’s delicious but that bitterness is obviously too harsh. Any tips on cutting bitterness?
Keg it. I usually like my beers better in the keg, fully carbed. I don’t think the bitterness will mellow out, but I think other flavors will come to the fore and balance the beer more nicely.
+1 Keg it and carbonate it. In about 11-14 days things will start balancing out. The bitterness perception may change with the balancing but it won’t go away. If you don’t care for the bitterness after things start balancing out you will need to adjust your recipe… That’s the best part of the process though. Have a sample or two or three… And think about what you may want to change (or NOT!). Repeat until the keg runs dry…
Enjoy!
I wouldn’t be quite so hasty…how long has it been fermenting? If not too long, the bitterness could be from yeast thaat hasn’t dropped out yet. If it’s been fermenting a while (like 3+ weeks), then go ahead and keg.
Its been about two weeks. Funny you say that… I did poke through a very thin bit of krausen lingering around to take my sample. From my limited experience of sampling, this bitterness seems the most out of place than any other beer I’ve made. Not saying it’s the end of the world, but it’s just soo tasty if it weren’t for this harshness!
I do realized 2 weeks isn’t long, but I guess the reason I posted was because I was hoping to find which method would be best for my beer. Can you explain “yeast bitterness” to me? I guess I’ve never taken a swig of yeast, but is it actually bitter??
To me, suspended yeast can taste bitter, sour, and/or tart. The beer is 2 weeks old…WAY too soon to judge it and worry about it. Give it another 1-2 weeks and see what it’s like then.
I often find the samples I taste out of the fermenter are more bitter than the beer turns out after being carbonated.
It’s a hefeweizen, Denny. I would think you would want the yeast in suspension. Depending on the yeast strain and the fermentation temperature, the flavor should be clove-y and banana-y. If it was fermented at too high a temperature, that could certainly make for some harshness.
The answer is definately yes, no, and maybe. 
Some flavors will change - I think it’s hard to know if it will improve without tasting it. But another week in the carboy won’t hurt and might help. Then keg and let it age a few weeks. Time will tell, but even the worst beer gets better (maybe not good, but better).
Sure, you want some yeast in suspension but not to the point where it’s detrimental to the flavor.
I definitely get bitter/harsh flavors when there’s too much yeast still in suspension. Sometimes, it just tastes “yeasty.” I’ve tasted enough beer to be able to tell if the harsh flavors are from the yeast and if they are, I know the flavor will improve when the beer clears.
As to the timing, I can’t recall the last time I kegged after two weeks. I would be patient, give it another week or so and see if it improves before kegging.
don’t the yeast bind some of the more bitter hop oils and drag them out of suspension. I have always assumed this is the source of the yeast bitterness. I get the sourness as well with some yeasts. Saison yeast always tastes really tart to me.
Yeah, I considered that, as well as the fact that hefs are usually drunk young. But I think (guessing) that maybe there’s too much yeast in suspension. Dunno, just a WAG.
Update: The thin krausen lingering around has not dropped, so again I’m poking through that every time I get a sample. There is still a strong bitterness, maybe a little less harsh but honestly that could be in my head. I took a sample a few minutes ago and I still have an unpleasant bitterness lingering on my tongue.
This was my first time using dry hefe yeast and honestly I’m very happy with that. I pitched 1 package at 58 and let her climb and my flavors are extremely pleasant.
Maybe cold crash it before kegging because of morti’s comments about oils binding to yeast? Would that help? :-/
it will help. If you’ve got time to cold crash for a couple-three days before kegging. Leave a little more than you would like behind in the fermenter to avoid excessive pick up of gunk, then cold condition in the keg for a week while it carbs I bet it will smooth out a lot.