Cheap beer taste?

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bennie1986

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I brewed a brewers best American cream ale and its got that cheap beer bite to it, almost tastes just like ice house. Its only been in the bottle a week and a half so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it or not. Is there maybe something I did that caused this flavor?
 
Sounds green give it 2-3 more weeks, and for fun open one up once a week and take notes. Compare notes and see how the taste changes and matures over the weeks.
 
The rule of thumb is wait 3-4 days per 1% abv for conditioning. I usually wait 2 weeks then try a bottle. If I don't like it, wait 2 more weeks and try again. Repeat until it has the flavor I like. I made some Imperial Stout that I had to wait almost 4 months before it had matured enough that I could drink it. But, it was 12.8% abv. :tank:
 
How long did you leave the beer in the fermenter? I find that longer time in the fermenter leads to shorter overall time before my brew is mature. I like 3 weeks or longer for many beers and I have left a brown ale for 9 weeks. That one was good after only a couple days in the bottles.
 
Cream ale is a style designed to be drunk by the masses, as very similar to an American light lager. I wouldn't say it tastes like "cheap beer" necessarily, but it isn't anything very complex. It actually sounds like you made an American cream ale.
 
Yooper said:
Cream ale is a style designed to be drunk by the masses, as very similar to an American light lager. I wouldn't say it tastes like "cheap beer" necessarily, but it isn't anything very complex. It actually sounds like you made an American cream ale.

I know its not suppose to be complex but what i talking about is a harsh alcohol flavor similar to cheep beers.
 
I know its not suppose to be complex but what i talking about is a harsh alcohol flavor similar to cheep beers.

That could come from the simple sugars in it, and a fermentation temperature being too high. Cream ale does have simple sugars in it to ferment out fully, and if the fermenation temperature got above 70 or 72 degrees, it could come out a little harsh or even solventy.
 
One aspect to note about Cream Ale is that you won't really taste the hops. Sometimes when that hop taste is absent, it can seem like something is wrong. I like a cream ale after a workout or a long day outside. Very refreshing but it doesn't have the complex flavours that bold hop recipes bring forth.
 
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