[ejf063]

So, for the first time, I grossly under-pitched and as a result, a beer that started at about 1.090 has finished at 1.028. This was-and still is -supposed to be a hoppy red ale. One that has more malt flavor, but hoppy aroma. With the high FG, I have achieved an overly malty tasting beer. I guess now, its more like a barleywine.
I have tried everything from adding more yeast, rousing, warming and even amalyse enzyme in an effort to lower that FG, but to no avail. So, I was thinking about getting about 1 1/2 to 2 gallons of distilled water onto my stove, plus 1/2- 3/4 tsp of gypsum, bring to a boil, add about 1 ounce of Simcoe for 20 minutes, then cool to roughly 170, and add about 2 oz of Amarillo and 2more oz of Simcoe. after letting the hops steep for about 30 minutes, I would dump it into my beer.
I think this will lower my FG a little, and add some bitterness to offset the sweet malt. Any drawbacks to making such a large volume of hop tea?
Thanks for any foresight and assistance.

[Joe Sr.]

If I were you, I'd make a lower gravity beer rather than a hop tea.  Then blend that in after fermentation.

If you mash it low and it ferments out, you can bring down your gravity by blending it in.

Hop it heavily if you like, or don't.

[HoosierBrew]

Blending with a lower gravity beer is a good idea. Personally, seeing you went 1.090 to 1.028, that does say barleywine-ish to me as you say. You could leave as is, or add several oz of dry hops and call it American barleywine - that's probably what I'd do. I haven't done what you're proposing with the large volume of hop tea, but it could work -  how well would be debatable.


EDIT - I see you said you grossly underpitched. That would definitely explain the high FG, aside from other factors on big beers like inadequate oxygenation, excess specialty malts, use of some malt extracts, lack of simple sugars, etc.

[reverseapachemaster]

I'd think about pitching some fresh yeast (from a starter at high krausen) into the beer and see if it can knock down that FG rather than hope a hop tea doesn't result in too much bitterness and thin the beer out too much.

[bigmunchez]

If you do go down the route of boiling some hops in water, I'd be a bit worried about astringency.  If it was me, I'd be adding some acid to the water to bring the pH down into the 5's to try and minimise any harshness.

[denny]

Hop tea has got to be one of the most disgusting things I've ever put in my mouth.

[Joe Sr.]

Hop tea has got to be one of the most disgusting things I've ever put in my mouth.

This almost begs for a comparative list.

[denny]

Hop tea has got to be one of the most disgusting things I've ever put in my mouth.

This almost begs for a comparative list.

  Fortunately, when something is that bad, my mind blanks it out....kinda....

[ejf063]

Well, I really don't want to know the worse thing anyone has ever put in their mouth. I would, however, want to know if anyone has concocted a hop tea and used it to infuse flavor/aroma and to lower a FG. I don't want an overly cloying beer, and I don't want to bitter it to the point of astringency. I was hoping to get the best of both words going here. I could blend, but I had no intension of brewing anytime soon. I wanted to serve for Christmas as my wife's family is coming in town. Barelywines are  good, but not if they taste like syrup. I thinks I have also missed my window for dry hopping as I will need to carb the beer for a couple of weeks.
It sounds like the consensuses is no hop tea.... That almost sounds like I am seeking permission. I guess I want to hear horror stories/success stories that involve anyone making a hop tea and what the outcome of their final product was.
Thanks again.

[Joe Sr.]

I did it once, years ago.  It seemed to work.

I don't recall, but I may have boiled the hops in some DME since the beer was still fermenting when I realized I had missed a hop addition.

I don't think you will harm it by adding a hop tea.  You might just not get what you expected.

I would be more concerned about diluting the beer to reduce the gravity, though I suppose that's what I do when I top up my fermenters.

[denny]

Well, I really don't want to know the worse thing anyone has ever put in their mouth. I would, however, want to know if anyone has concocted a hop tea and used it to infuse flavor/aroma and to lower a FG. I don't want an overly cloying beer, and I don't want to bitter it to the point of astringency. I was hoping to get the best of both words going here. I could blend, but I had no intension of brewing anytime soon. I wanted to serve for Christmas as my wife's family is coming in town. Barelywines are  good, but not if they taste like syrup. I thinks I have also missed my window for dry hopping as I will need to carb the beer for a couple of weeks.
It sounds like the consensuses is no hop tea.... That almost sounds like I am seeking permission. I guess I want to hear horror stories/success stories that involve anyone making a hop tea and what the outcome of their final product was.
Thanks again.

Get some iso hop extract to bitter it.  Works WAY better than hop tea.

[Iliff Ave]

Are you bottling or kegging? Sounds like bottling? If dry hop time is an issue, you can add to the keg...

[ejf063]

Are you bottling or kegging? Sounds like bottling? If dry hop time is an issue, you can add to the keg...

I was thinking about dry hopping in the keg. I have never had great success with that.

[ejf063]

[/quote]

Get some iso hop extract to bitter it.  Works WAY better than hop tea.
[/quote]

I don't think my HBS has any iso extract. But since I have no clue as to what that is, they may. How is it used and does it simply bitter the beer?

[Joe Sr.]

I don't think I've ever located any.  Hopshot needs to be added to the boil.

Denny, where are you finding isomerized extract?