becksbolero2

Recipes 

ok so I've completed 4 beers so far, and they have all had the same problem....they all have a very strong off flavor up front and they don't mellow out. I can't really describe the taste except that it is not great and it is pretty bitter. So i have been thinking about what I may have been doing wrong consistantly over the past brews and the only thing I can really come up with is that After I cool the wort to under 80 degrees I transfer it to the fermenter and pitch the yeast right away. So even though it's cooled to a safe transfering temp, It may still be to high for my yeast strains (which have ussually required mid 60's). The wort will cool down with in a few hours to the appropriate temp, but is there a chance that the yeast can produce esters or off flavors that quickly I have heard people describe a bannana like flavor from high fermenting temps, but thats not what I am tasting I whish I could describe it. this is starting to become a frustrating problem.... any help would be great.

SkewedBrewing

Recipes 

How long do you wait after bottling to try them? Maybe they're just still green?

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becksbolero2

Recipes 

no, I don't think so. I just tried one this afternoon that was about 3 months in the bottle and it still had that same distinct taste

TwoHeadsBrewing

Recipes 

If anything, a high fermentation temperature would give you fruity flavors, especially with an ale yeast. But I don't think that's what is going on here. Even if you pitched at 80F, by the time the yeast ramps up and has started rapidly fermenting your temperature will have dropped to whatever environment it is in. If it's your house, then probably 65-70F which is fine for fermentation.

1. Extract or all grain
2. If extract, full or partial boils (it matters for hop utilization)
3. If all grain, what temperature did you mash and sparge at?
4. What do you use for a sanitizer?

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becksbolero2

Recipes 

well the taste has been apparent in both all grain and extract

my most recent was an AG
mashed at 52
sparged at 65
used 1056 wyeast
I use star san
most of my beers just taste like a very bitter PBR no hop flavor at all.
could it be the water ? thats the only other constant I can think of

Blender

Recipes 

It could be your water. I was having troubles with chlorine in my brews. What is your typical hop schedule?

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becksbolero2

Recipes 

with my last AG 1oz mt hood @ 60
1.5 oz @20
1.5 oz @ 5
2 oz DH for 1o days

what kind of taste/flavor does chlorine impart on the beer ?

Blender

Recipes 

It tastes phenolic or to my buds metallic. Thats the best way for me to describe it.
Do you use tap water for your beers? Does your water contain chlorine?

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nibiyabi

Recipes 

Try buying those big jugs of spring water from your local grocery store from your next batch and do everything else as normal and see if that makes all the difference.

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Homercidal

Recipes 

How to Brew - By John Palmer has a nice page of different off-flavors and their usual reasons.

How to Brew - By John Palmer - Common Off-Flavors