Jazman
Well-Known Member
Ok, here's the deal. I've got 10gal of Bee Cave Octoberfest-style Ale that I brewed in late summer. I dropped the OG by a bit and started just under 1.070. The current state is kegged and carb'd.
Here's how I screwed this up. In hindsight, I realize that I not only severely under-pitched the yeast, but the culture was not as healthy as it should have been. I also had some issues during the mash where the mash temp was a little high for 10 mins or so. So, there may be tough-to-ferment sugars in there. This beer finished pretty high and is very "sweet". I don't detect anything else that is "off". But, basically, it's not really good due to the sweetness.
So, is there anything I can do to help this beer? I no longer care whether it's to style, I'm just trying to prevent it going to waste if I can. Here's the options I see but please feel free to make other suggestions.
1. Nothing you can do... just pitch it.
2. Dilute it with another beer. I've tried diluting it with a basic beer like a cream-ale. It took 33%-50% dilution to help. But, it was actually pretty darn good and could still be considered an Octoberfest-style. The real problem is that I really don't have much available and probably won't be brewing again until March/April. So, while possible, not easy for me to accomplish. I also worry whether I'd be throwing good beer after bad.
3. "Hop-it-up" - Is there a suggestion here using dry-hop or hopback that might work? Again, not to style but I really don't care about that. I've never done much with late hopping, so if this is your suggestion, please be specific if you can.
Thanks!
Jaz
Here's how I screwed this up. In hindsight, I realize that I not only severely under-pitched the yeast, but the culture was not as healthy as it should have been. I also had some issues during the mash where the mash temp was a little high for 10 mins or so. So, there may be tough-to-ferment sugars in there. This beer finished pretty high and is very "sweet". I don't detect anything else that is "off". But, basically, it's not really good due to the sweetness.
So, is there anything I can do to help this beer? I no longer care whether it's to style, I'm just trying to prevent it going to waste if I can. Here's the options I see but please feel free to make other suggestions.
1. Nothing you can do... just pitch it.
2. Dilute it with another beer. I've tried diluting it with a basic beer like a cream-ale. It took 33%-50% dilution to help. But, it was actually pretty darn good and could still be considered an Octoberfest-style. The real problem is that I really don't have much available and probably won't be brewing again until March/April. So, while possible, not easy for me to accomplish. I also worry whether I'd be throwing good beer after bad.
3. "Hop-it-up" - Is there a suggestion here using dry-hop or hopback that might work? Again, not to style but I really don't care about that. I've never done much with late hopping, so if this is your suggestion, please be specific if you can.
Thanks!
Jaz
