Ruined first batch

So I bought a kit on line,ordered Hanks Hefeweizen.Followed the instructions ,except I added 1 lb of honey the last 10 minutes othe boil.Got it in the bucket.Fermented like crazy first 24 hours.Left it in the primary 2 weeks then bottled.Cracked one open after 3 weeks Couldn't even drink half a mug.So I tried a Couple more over the next 2 weeks same result.So what happened ? 2 things come to my mind ,but I'm a noob .The first 24 hours of fermentation was 82 ,83 degrees.then I moved it to cooler place,also when I transferred to bottling bucket I sucked up just a little bit of sediment .
It tastes like smoky burnt banana bacon.I know this brew can have banana overtones,but this stuff is terrible.Hanks goin in the drain,might keep one ,try it in 6 months.Anyone have any suggestions for my next attempt ?

Just a noob in stixville Kansas

Sounds like you fermented too high. What did you use to clean your equipment and sanitize it? I would not throw it out... It may mellow out in a couple months. I would try a simple PA kit... Hefes can be tricky in the AG world but not completely sure what happened to your kit.

Smoky burnt and bacon are all new tastes lol Banana is a come taste you get if you ferment at a higher temp or you don't aerate enough. With fermenting temps over 80, I would say you have esters.

Instead of throwing it away, you can try to let it bottle condition for a while at a cold temp. Might not work but it is probably better than throwing them away at first

Just used the sanitizer that came with the kit,can't remember what it was.I was really careful on sanitizing everything.Forgot to mention it was extract kit

h22lude said:

Banana is a come taste you get if you ferment at a higher temp or you don't aerate enough.

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Ewwwwww. TMI :cross:

Resist the urge to add a lb of honey during the last 10 minutes of the boil to a recipe that doesn't call for it (and stay away from any recipe that does).

"smokey burnt" aren't fermentation issues. you obviously scorched the DME/LME/honey on the bottom of your boil pot. You need to stir like a son-of-a-gun when you add that stuff.

I don't brew with DME/LME, but I'm sure an extract brewer will chime in and set me straight.

Thought I aerated pretty good,funny thing is it smells good.

If it smells good drink it!! I think the burning or scorching is probably the problem. As a new home brewer you will have the urge to change proven recipes... just be patient and stick with what is proven and that will give you the best sense to eventually making your own recipes.

Im thinking scortched wort .. probably wont go away ... never know what a few months might do tho ... save at least 12 or so of them .. and brew something else asap .. good luck

passedpawn said:

"smokey burnt" aren't fermentation issues. you obviously scorched the DME/LME/honey on the bottom of your boil pot. You need to stir like a son-of-a-gun when you add that stuff.

I don't brew with DME/LME, but I'm sure an extract brewer will chime in and set me straight.

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Thought I stired it pretty good,read about not letting it scorch.but you could be right.I'm just a noob ,and this first batch may be a learning experience .I've read a lot more ,didn't know to keep my fermentation temp lower

PHillBrewCo said:

Ewwwwww. TMI :cross:

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I never want THAT flavor in my beer!!!!

really tho, the banana flavor is from esters produced during a hot ferment, it will mellow a bit with age, but still be there. The burnt, smokey flavor I have to agree is burnt extract. Never add exctract when the burner is on and stir like an SOB when you add extract. When you turn the flame back on after adding extract, stir like an SOB some more.

You're batch isn't ruined, just not ideal. Let it age a bit and see what you have.

RDWHAHB, good beer is hard to ruin.

Wow ,this is a great place,can't believe all the replies.I appreciate all the input .I did have the pot off the burner ,but maybe returned it too early

I'll vote for scorched wort. that will never go away

Scott7 said:

Wow ,this is a great place,can't believe all the replies.I appreciate all the input .I did have the pot off the burner ,but maybe returned it too early

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It happens. I brewed a PM brew today with the LME added w/15 left in the boil. I stirred it in off the flame, kept stirring for awhile after I turned the flame on, regularly hitting the bottom with the stir paddle, and I could feel the extract that was trying to settle on the bottom.
If you're using LME, try warming the container in a hot water bath before adding, it helps thin it out and dissolve a bit quicker.

So I guess the consensus is to let it age and see what happens,guess I'll do that .I've got enough bottles for my next batch anyway.
I gave one of these Hanks to a guy at work ,he drank it ,but said it wasn't for him.He is a bud light drinker, what does he know.

Scott7 said:

So I guess the consensus is to let it age and see what happens,guess I'll do that .I've got enough bottles for my next batch anyway.
I gave one of these Hanks to a guy at work ,he drank it ,but said it wasn't for him.He is a bud light drinker, what does he know.

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yea ... burt wort ale would be an upgrade for him. cheers

brewit2it said:

Resist the urge to add a lb of honey during the last 10 minutes of the boil to a recipe that doesn't call for it (and stay away from any recipe that does).

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Advice to live by

dump it, brew another. stir steadily while adding syrup. if there's a scorched flavor, it'll never attenuate out

The banana flavor could be from the yeast. My local LHBS offered me two yeasts one of which he said would have banana flavors. The 'burnt' could be from burning the honey.

Dj

There is also a possibility that you are sensing a band aid like phenol as a smoky flavor. Certain people are very sensitive to the smoky phenolic quality of something like peat malt and sense it as a band aid flavor. A heavily peated Scotch has this quality to me. Maybe you are getting the opposite effect where you are describing the medicinal phenol as smoke.

imo....I would say try another batch and not go all freestylin on it...follow the directions to a "T"...get one good beer under your belt..and go from there..

Burnt flavor, I'm going with scorched ME. I always chopped the flame on my propane burner and re-lit after adding the DME/LME and stirring like a fiend. With an electric heat source, I'd try to remove it from the heat before adding the extract.

I don't know that more conditioning will get rid of the burnt flavor. Just look at it like you created a Rauchwiezen. Save 'em to the back of your fridge and drink them after a few good ones when you're not really drinking for taste anymore...

One thing to remember when you are just starting out is KEEP NOTES. Write down everything!! Even the small things can drastically change a brew. Plus it will pay off when you make that 'perfect' recipe and want to reproduce it.

Shooter said:

There is also a possibility that you are sensing a band aid like phenol as a smoky flavor. Certain people are very sensitive to the smoky phenolic quality of something like peat malt and sense it as a band aid flavor. A heavily peated Scotch has this quality to me. Maybe you are getting the opposite effect where you are describing the medicinal phenol as smoke.

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This is what I'm thinking. What was your water like? Does it have chloramines in it? Did you use bleach to sanitize?

PHillBrewCo said:

Ewwwwww. TMI :cross:

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Haha I just read what I put and I have no clue what I was trying to say.

Anyway, just like people said that burnt flavor could be and most likely is from burning the extract or honey. I have had a burnt flavor before and I remember having some burnt extract on the bottom of my kettle.

DO NOT throw it away. Let it sit for a few more weeks.

Getting some good advice here .think I'll wait till this fall to brew again,it's too hot right now.thinking about a blonde ale,but I like stouts,and porters too .Guess I have time to think about it