I normally don’t drink beer or ale because I find it too bitter. I have no problems with malt though (I actually think it’s pretty interesting). Would I be correct in thinking that unhopped beer is less bitter?
Also does anyone have any advice for brewing my first ale? I have made fruit wine, mead, and cider before but never beer. I have some kveik yeast and spray malt from other brews that I can use so I am thinking of using that. The closest I have gotten to brewing ale or beer is making bochet braggot so any help is appreciated.
Cider and mead are (usually) unhopped and therefore not bitter. Many beers will list their bitterness as IBU. An IBU below fifteen will be not very bitter.
If you are making a beer, pick a recipe with a low IBU, or use less hops, a hop with lower alpha acid, or with less boil time. Hops does play a role in slowing bacterial growth and balancing the sweetness, so I’d hesitate to take a recipe and just not use hops.
I hate to tell you this but unhopped beers are older than hopped ones. It’s called gruit beer. I might aim for something like that.
Yes. And I’d wager a gruit recipe is not just going to be malt and yeast.