Primary after 6 days tastes funny

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NitrouStang96

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I'm unsure of what I should be expecting right now, but let me try to explain to you what I am experiencing:

This is supposed to be a "Wheat Beer" from my LHBS, and was specifically described as having no clove or banana flavors, like a German Hefe it said. 6lb Wheat DME, 2oz Tettnanger (1.5 for 60min, .5 for 1min), and Safbrew WB-06.

I just tasted a sample that I used to take a gravity reading after 6 full days, and this is what I experienced:

1) ABV is currently 5.1% according to the hydrometer (1.058 Original SG and 1.0185 Current SG, both corrected for temp).
2) While siphoning, the air I sucked in tasted mostly like bananas, and a little bit like alcohol.
3) I didn't swallow any and of course it didn't have any carbonation, so I may be wrong in my judgement, but it just seemed to taste funny. Not much flavor, really, and a notable alcohol smell.
4) Fermented at 69 degrees most of the time, with a slow 6 hour rise to 74 followed by a slow 6 hour dip back to 69 two days ago. Today I accidentally raised it to 74 again over the course of about 6 hours and it is currently cooling back down.

Additionally, I plan on adding about 2.5lb of wildberries to the secondary.

Questions, comments, concerns?
 
NitrouStang96 said:
and was specifically described as having no clove or banana flavors, like a German Hefe it said.
That's exactly the opposite of true, hefes are strong banana and clove flavored beers, more banana at warmer temps, clove at cooler.

1.) Sounds about right.
2.) It's a hefe, it's gonna taste like banana, and get an autosiphon, you risk infection by sucking on the hose (mouth bacteria is some bad ****)
3.) If you aren't used to green beer, it will taste funny for the next few weeks, and will have an extremely strong CO2 smell, which could be mistaken for a strong alcohol smell.
4.) Should be fine, those jumps to the 70's will give a bit more banana flavor, especially if it was fermenting quickly at the time, but no real problem, try to keep you temps a little more stable though, it stresses out the yeast.

You may want to add a little more fruit than that, I made a great recipe and documented the entire process on this board, with a few mods, you could use it to help you out. Check it out in my recipe drop-down. :mug:
 
I know the smells and tastes you're experiencing right now seem harsh and over-powering.... RDWHAHB. Believe me, you'll be freakin' amazed at how much better it tastes in 2 more weeks.... Let alone how smooth it'll be in a month or two.
 
Awesome.

Last question:
RDWHAHB = Really, Don't Worry, Have a Home Brew? I'm guessing here. Obviously I have the HAHB correct.
 
Close- Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew.

I use a sanitized turkey baster to pull out my samples, and it works fine. Then, after I read the sample, I pour it into a glass and drink it. It's fun to see how the taste changes from the beginning to the end.
 
NitrouStang96 said:
Awesome.

Last question:
RDWHAHB = Really, Don't Worry, Have a Home Brew? I'm guessing here. Obviously I have the HAHB correct.

you are correct sir.

Soulive said:
I'd get rid of the wildberries myself...

i'd agree here, ESPECIALLY if this is one of your earlier brews. You need already great beer to add berries, so i'd get your process down before sticking any fruits or other flavours in it.
 
NitrouStang96 said:
Awesome.

Last question:
RDWHAHB = Really, Don't Worry, Have a Home Brew? I'm guessing here. Obviously I have the HAHB correct.

RDWHAHB = Remember, Drink While Homebrewing And Have a Blast
 
YooperBrew said:
Then, after I read the sample, I pour it into a glass and drink it. It's fun to see how the taste changes from the beginning to the end.

I couldnt agree more... It really is amazing how the taste changes over the weeks. I love drinking my samples!
 
YooperBrew said:
Really Drunk Women Help a HomeBrewer.

Oh, if only! :D

Yeah, I don't know who told you that German hefeweizens have no banana or clove character. It's those banana and clove that largely define German hefeweizens. The American versions are the ones that are cleaner (and, IMHO, blander, although I tend to like American filtered wheats).

Those temperature swings might spur the yeast into giving off even more banana esters and clovey phenols, so it sounds like you're on your way to a mighty fine hefe!


TL
 
Awesome! Thanks, and I can't wait.

My LHBS gave me the option of picking one of seven different extract recipes for free with my kit. They all had short descriptions. I picked "Wheat Beer," and part of the description was "THIS KIT HAS NO CLOVE OR BANANA..." whatever... don't know if they're right or wrong, but holy crap did the air I siphoned taste like banana. The beer did not, however. Also, the air I was siphoning was from my siphon tube which had just been through the iodophor process...

Iodophor doesn't taste like banana, does it? :drunk:
 
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