ryno1ryno

Recipes 

The official grain bill was:

2.5 gallons Mr Beer fermentor

Briess Amber LME 3.8 lbs
Crystal Malt 60L ~1.2 lbs (4 1/2 cups)
Kent Goldings 0.5 ozs
English Ale Yeast WPL 002

Steeped the caramel malt for 35 mins
Hopped the Goldings for 60 mins
Added the LME and then the 8 ounces of sugar (tbh... the sugar was prob overkill... but its drinkable and strong)

This is where I probably screwed up.. I fermeneted in my closet at 75-79 degrees... then bottle after 2 weeks and let sit at 68 degrees (finally upgraded to a temp controlled fridge) for a week.

Put in the fridge and tried tonight after our softball championship.

It tastes better than my Killians. I cant wait until Christmas... and Ill save a few for New Years.

Very happy.

ryno1ryno

Recipes 

Tonight I had a bottle that tastes strong with alcohol and another taste that seems to be astringant.

Do some bottles taste different than others?

Do high fusels go away? Can more sugar in the primer vs less cause different tastes? Can the bottom barrel beer with a lot of yeast being bottle be the culprit?

I am not gonna try another bottle fo 2 days.

I find it odd how a bottle 2 nights ago tasted fine... but tonight it tasted astringant. I think its ruined... who knows.

I cant wait for my next batch as I didnt ruin it with extra table sugar.

Ogri

Recipes 

I frequently hit close to 25% of my grain bill as simple sugar, light brown, dark brown, plain white and going to try some Lyle's golden syrup in an upcoming brew, so I don't think that's necessarily your problem. Fermentation temps of 75 to 79 would elevate chances of fusels developing during the first few days after pitching.

If you only did two weeks in primary, then bottled for just over a week the beer is still really green, so give it more time and, in future, let it sit for three weeks in primary. You'll probably recognize the difference.

With this batch, leaving it for an extended period to condition might see the fusel flavour, alcohol bite and sort of an astringency, decrease slightly but they're not going to disappear entirely.

Chalk it up to experience/learning and make controlling of initial fermentation temps one of your next, major, priorities.

ryno1ryno

Recipes 

Thanks.

ryno1ryno

Recipes 

So how would I be able to get the sweet taste? By adding a 120L caramel grain?

ryno1ryno

Recipes 

Had more of these beers over New Years with friends.

The beer tasted much, much better. I liked it as did everyone at the party.

I realized that it takes longer for a higher gravity beer to 'be ready' to drink.

RM-MN

Recipes 

Keep some of these beers hidden away for a bit, don't drink them all now. They'll get better, probably much better.

ryno1ryno

Recipes 

I am already planning that.

I have 2 liters in the 65 degree fermenting fridge still that I havent even cooled down yet.

I'll try them later in the year. Feb?

ryno1ryno

Recipes 

Okay... down to the final few... I need the bottles for the new stuff...

Official Verdict: I do not recommend my recipe.

I think I added too much caramel coupled wth the Amber base and also the sucrose sugar. Then I fermented for barely 2 weeks and even still it as fermenting in the high 78,79,80 range.

I just tasted my second batch, altered:

-used Pilsen LME instead of the Amber
-Used a smaller ratio of Caramel
-Did not use sugar
-Fermented at 68 on the nose (temp controller) for 3 weeks, then bottled for 2.
-Increased the hop ratio too

Tasted tonight in a side by side... #2 is the winner by leaps and bounds... and it still might need a week in the fridge.

The first recipe in the OP, is just a thick, heavy, tummy buster with a weird aftertaste.

It is funny how the wort can taste amazing but the yeast conversion turns it into something totally different. Sweet is not always gonna end up sweet with beer. The yeast eats the sugar. One must master what will make yeast pea tasty.