Why can't I get it right? - Page 2

**Brewtopia** · 01-09-2007, 04:46 AM

This looks like a lot of extract to me (close to 10lbs with the steeping grains) with 4 oz. of what I would consider low AAU hops. I would definitely brew this beer with another couple ounces of Amarillo, Simcoe or Warrior for bittering. Dry hopping in the secondary would help as well.

**Brewtopia** · 01-09-2007, 04:50 AM

Also, do you know what the attentuation is for that strain of yeast? I usually use Wyeast 1056 California Ale for my IPAs as it attentuates out really well. I also add a teaspoon of gypsum which I think helps to accentuate the hop profile.

homebrewer_99 · 01-09-2007, 04:50 AM

Thanks for posting the recipe, but it would help better to know the AA% of the hops. Even if they were only 3.5% it seems that would have been enough since you used 2 oz in the beginning.

It could be your 9 lbs of malt was too much for your 4 oz of hops, but like I said it depends on the AAs.

With that said, I rarely use more than 2 oz of hops for 6 lbs of malt at about 3.8%.

cyberjoey80 · 01-09-2007, 05:03 AM

Thanks again for helping guys. Anyway, I used White Labs British ALe Yeast. Attenuation is 67-74% (although I am not quite sure what that means. I read it but forgot. I will have to go back to my book and read again.)
Optimum fermination temp is 65-70deg.

HOPS:
Cascade Avg A.A. 5.6%
Kent Goldings Avg A.A. 5.7%
Williamette Avg A.A. 3.9%

Blender · 01-09-2007, 05:23 AM

How much wort did you boil? That is a lot of extract and just one vial of WL yeast might not be able to do a proper job of fermentation. I have learned that to make better beer you need a good amount of yeast pitched into a healthy wort that has plenty of O2 and then maintain the temperature in at least the middle of the recommended range.
I don't think the iodaphor is a problem but you only need to dilute it at one tablespoon per 5 gallons. You did yours at twice the amount necessary. Don't give up,learn from each batch and things will get better.

cyberjoey80 · 01-09-2007, 05:31 AM

I boiled about 2.5-3.0 gallons of water with the wort but I did use a very active yeast starter. One thing I thought was weird is that I tried the beer before just before it went from secondary to the keg and it tasted pretty good..not to sweet at all. It seems like it happened some time in the process of carbonating. Maybe I just tried to small of a sample.

homebrewer_99 · 01-09-2007, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyberjoey80

...Attenuation is 67-74% (although I am not quite sure what that means. I read it but forgot...Optimum fermination temp is 65-70deg...

HOPS: Cascade Avg A.A. 5.6% Kent Goldings Avg A.A. 5.7% Williamette Avg A.A. 3.9%

Attenuation is basically the amount of sugars in your brew that can ferment and become alcohol. At 67% that's pretty low which will leave your beer sweet. But knowing how much hops to add eliminates that chance. Next time try for 75-77% and your beer will be better.

Your AAs are OK. How much water did you boil. The more water you boiled the less bittering hops came out in the boil. Oddly enough, the less water and malt you boil the more hop bitterness is extracted from the hops.

Now would be a good time to search on making a hop tea.

By any chance did you ferment above 72F? Could be your brew is actually "fruity" and not "sweet". Your brew will become fruity at higher fermenting temps. A nice concentrated hop tea would work good here.

cyberjoey80 · 01-09-2007, 05:51 AM

There is a chance that the beer was exposed to slightly over 72deg during fermentation but not for that long. It sounds like I may have maybe boiled to much water when I was making the wort. I did'nt think that could be a problem as some people brew their full batch in a big kettle instead of adding a couple of gallons of wort to a couple gallons of cool water. I will surely take into account everything you guys have said before making my next batch and probably try a dry malt extract. Come to think of it, my first batch was not near as sweet (still slightly but I was fermenting in the 80deg range) and it was a kit in a box with DME. I think DME coupled with more exacting temps and better attention to yeast and hops info will help out a lot. I really want to eventually switch to AG brewing but not until I can nail this process down. Thanks again for helping, really appreciate it.

aseelye · 01-09-2007, 07:45 AM

In addition to needing a higher AA% hops for bittering, the partial wort boil reduces the ability of the water to absorb the oils from the hops. Feeding your recipe into Brewsmith and using default values for the hops, I get an IBU of 28.7, well below the 40-65 listed in the style guidelines. Upping to a full wort boil would up your IBUs to 52.8. Another thing you could do would be to add the malt in the last 15 mins or so, that may be similar to what homebrewer99 was talking about, but I'm not certain, I've never made a hop tea myself so couldn't guarantee that's what it is.

ayrton · 01-09-2007, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyberjoey80

Attenuation is 67-74%

That could be part of your problem. Use WLP001 California Ale Yeast next time and see if that helps. British and Irish ale yeasts tend to have lower attenuation rates, leaving you with residual sugar.