Thin tasting Wheat Beer

kevinvalet · 02-20-2009, 09:38 PM

My first batch of beet tasted great and I wished I made 480 bottles not 48.
I just popped 2 beers into the fridge the other night and last night tasted it. It looked good, and had a good head. Didn't smell as nice as the first batch but close enough. Also had plenty of bubbles. Once I tasted it though, it tasted thin, almost like a light beer. I don't like it but a girlfriend of mine liked it because it was lighter. go figure. anyway, here is what the whole process was and tell me what i might have done wrong.

I am a beginner and without thinking placed all 5 gallons of water into my pot and started boiling it. once it got hot enough I placed all 6lbs of bavarian wheat extract into the water and stirred it in. actually I did little by little until it all soaked in.
added liberty hops for an hour and boiled.
cooled it off and put it into the fermenter with Hefe Ale liquid yeast wlp300.
my OG was 1.050.
Smelled and looked great.
fermented for 2 weeks because I couldn't find time to bottle it. Bubbled like crazy the first 2 days.
Bottled it at 1.010 and just drank my first one 2.5 weeks later, will be 3 this tuesday. I don't think another 4 days will do much with this.

I think, after finalling reading the "How to Brew" by John Palmer, that I wasn't suppose to boil all the extract in 5 gallons of water. I should have done 2.5-3 in water and boiled. Than added the extra water later.

How accurate am I on this?
Thanks

double_e5 · 02-20-2009, 10:48 PM

Actually, the more you can boil the better you are. So you did fine there. In "How to Brew", Palmer is talking about partial boils for people who don't have a big enough pot to boil 5 gallons or their stove can't get that much to a boil.

If I had to guess on why your beer tastes thin, I would have to say it isn't fully carbed yet. Just because you are close to 3 weeks doesn't mean that is ablsolute. That is just a very good rule of thumb. Sometimes it may take longer, especially if your beer is not at 70*. Even if it is a couple degrees cooler it can take longer. Just give it a couple more weeks without letting your girlfriend drink it all.

**defenestrate** · 02-20-2009, 11:14 PM

the FG being low might have something to do with it, not too many sugars left. don't really know if that would have an effect or not.

lmg95 · 02-20-2009, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevinvalet

I don't think another 4 days will do much with this.

You'd be surprised!! For my last pale ale, once it hit 4 weeks (2+ days in the fridge) it tasted 10 times better than a few days before.

kevinvalet · 02-20-2009, 11:42 PM

I will let it sit for a while longer than. I have it behind the bar in its own dark little place. Try it again next week at this time.