JeffoC6
Well-Known Member
Hey guys. I've been brewing (1-gallon AG batches) since January 2012. I started out like a house-a-fire and was brewing every weekend. It was exciting and I had dreams of making word class beer (or at least damn good beer) every weekend and wow'ing my friends and family. By about May, I realized that I was having inconsistent carbonation issues, which brought my aspirations down a bit until I was able to figure out where I was going wrong. After I moved from batch priming to bottle priming (using a syringe), I was confident that I could dream big again, and achieve my goal of making amazing beer. Then in/around August, I realized that I was having some tannin issues due to a thin mash (most likely) and my water. So with the help of Yooper, I started brewing with distilled water and some calcium chloride and adjusted my mash so it wasn't so thin. I was excited again that I had finally found the last problem keeping me from making great beer. With my new processes underway, I set out to brew an Oktoberfest, Pumpkin Ale, a Bells Two Hearted Clone, a Porter, and an India Brown Ale. I was incredibly excited (and nervous) when I cracked my first Oktoberfest. When I had my first taste, I sensed that malty goodness with perfect carbonation and no astringent/tannin off flavors. All of my processes had worked, right?...Then I cracked another a few days later...It had a sour, almost vegetabley taste. Then I opened my Pumpkin Ale, which had been conditioning for several weeks. The smell was amazing! Pumpkin Pie! The taste, not so much. It finished sweet and sour on the sides of my tongue and had that same veggie slick feel at the end. The Bells Two Hearted? No tannins and no astringent off flavors, and great carbonation...But slick mouthfeel and more veggie.
I'm really at my wits end. I've gone from being amped up to brew every weekend to having not brewed in about 4 weeks. I think to myself, what's the point? I want to make really good beer, but after brewing for 9 months, all I've made is beer that I can barely choke down. In the 20'some (1-gallon) batches I've made, I haven't had one where I've said to myself...DAMN, this is GOOD! What am I doing wrong? I'm about to give up and really could use some encouragement
I'm willing and able to answer any/all questions about my processes, as I'm quite meticulous in keeping crack of things.
Please help...I want to keep going with this hobby, but every time I try to make adjustments that I think will work (and then wait roughly 7 weeks to see if it worked), another issues pops up.
Frustrated.
I'm really at my wits end. I've gone from being amped up to brew every weekend to having not brewed in about 4 weeks. I think to myself, what's the point? I want to make really good beer, but after brewing for 9 months, all I've made is beer that I can barely choke down. In the 20'some (1-gallon) batches I've made, I haven't had one where I've said to myself...DAMN, this is GOOD! What am I doing wrong? I'm about to give up and really could use some encouragement
I'm willing and able to answer any/all questions about my processes, as I'm quite meticulous in keeping crack of things.
Please help...I want to keep going with this hobby, but every time I try to make adjustments that I think will work (and then wait roughly 7 weeks to see if it worked), another issues pops up.
Frustrated.