Beer staying green for a long time

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wlssox524

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Hey all,
I'm about ten batches into all grain brewing and think that I have my process down pretty well. I pitch appropriately, pay attention to water chemistry (RO water plus EZ Water), have pretty consistent efficiency, cool quickly, have control over fermentation temps, and haven't had sanitation issues. I shake for a while to aerate but generally do lower gravity beers (<1.050) so I don't think that's an issue. My last several batches have turned out well ultimately but I've found that they seem to have stayed green for an excessively long time. No identifiable off flavors, but just that general subtle homebrew taste.

My suspicion is that I'm rushing the beer by kegging it after 7-14 days and putting it directly in the kegerator for a set and forget carbonation. However, I frequently see references on these forums to beers that can go grain to glass in, say two to three weeks. As an example, I brewed Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde a month ago and kegged it after 10 days in primary at 64. I'm confident that it will turn out alright ultimately but there were definite green flavors after only 2 or 3 weeks (and there still are after 4--a faint twang, almost sulfuric that only really comes out on on the first sip).

Could it be something process related that's causing this? Or is it totally normal? Will longer primaries help? I suspect that I'm prolonging the "greenness" by taking it off the beer and refrigerating so quickly. My goal is to have the beer be good to go, if not at its peak, as soon as its carbonated.
 
Yes, by definition, you are rushing it. Just let it sit in the primary until it tastes good and then keg it. It will probably only take an extra couple days at room temp vs several weeks at fridge temp.
 
wlssox524 said:
Hey all,
I'm about ten batches into all grain brewing and think that I have my process down pretty well. I pitch appropriately, pay attention to water chemistry (RO water plus EZ Water), have pretty consistent efficiency, cool quickly, have control over fermentation temps, and haven't had sanitation issues. I shake for a while to aerate but generally do lower gravity beers (<1.050) so I don't think that's an issue. My last several batches have turned out well ultimately but I've found that they seem to have stayed green for an excessively long time. No identifiable off flavors, but just that general subtle homebrew taste.

My suspicion is that I'm rushing the beer by kegging it after 7-14 days and putting it directly in the kegerator for a set and forget carbonation. However, I frequently see references on these forums to beers that can go grain to glass in, say two to three weeks. As an example, I brewed Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde a month ago and kegged it after 10 days in primary at 64. I'm confident that it will turn out alright ultimately but there were definite green flavors after only 2 or 3 weeks (and there still are after 4--a faint twang, almost sulfuric that only really comes out on on the first sip).

Could it be something process related that's causing this? Or is it totally normal? Will longer primaries help? I suspect that I'm prolonging the "greenness" by taking it off the beer and refrigerating so quickly. My goal is to have the beer be good to go, if not at its peak, as soon as its carbonated.
Click to expand...

How much yeast have you been pitching? Also, is that 64 degrees ambient temperature?
 
I've been pitching as recommended by mr. Malty or beersmith. As to temps I've been using a temp probe attached to the bucket recently but had the same problem when I was just fermenting in a basement room.
 
I don't think over carbing is an issue. The off taste is hard to describe but it doesn't taste like any of the classic off tastes and it seems to subside with time
 
Your yeast love warm temperatures and will ferment out your beer very quickly if pitched warm and kept at that temp. Unfortunately, that leads to fusel alcohol and off flavors so we encourage pitching at lower temps to ferment there. That's fine for the first 3 or 4 days as they have lots of sugars to eat but then all that is left is the intermediate products and to get the yeast to consume those takes time...or warmer temperatures. If I give mine the 4 days at 62 ambient and then let it come to 72, the yeast will clean up the acetaldehyde pretty quickly. If I kept it colder, they work much slower. When you keg, your beer can keep on maturing or it can nearly stop if the temperature is too cold. give your beer a few days of warmth in the keg before you chill it and I think you will find that the off flavors will be gone.

For the beer you already have in the kegerator, take it out and let it warm up so the yeast can do their magic and the chill it again. I'd try 4 days of warmth and if that isn't enough, bring it up in temp again for a few more days.
 
My suspicion is that I'm rushing the beer by kegging it after 7-14 days and putting it directly in the kegerator for a set and forget carbonation. However, I frequently see references on these forums to beers that can go grain to glass in, say two to three weeks.
Click to expand...

You simply need to give it more time. In my experience, my beers are usually not fully ready until about 8 weeks after brew day. They change slightly after that too.

Technically the beer is drinkable after 2-3 weeks, but it is definitely not done.

My typical schedule is:
3 weeks in primary
2-4 weeks in secondary depending on the style
2 weeks in the bottle before its fully carbonated.
Another 2 weeks in the bottle and it usually tastes smoother, definitely a difference.

Thats 9 to 11 weeks.

Everything I do is ambient temperature also. My place stays at a steady 65-70 degrees inside.
 
Yep. Towards the end of fermentation I like to raise the temp up to 68 or so, that helps the yeast finish. Almost like a diacetyl rest. Usually about day five or so.
 
Conman13 said:
You simply need to give it more time. In my experience, my beers are usually not fully ready until about 8 weeks after brew day. They change slightly after that too.

Technically the beer is drinkable after 2-3 weeks, but it is definitely not done.

My typical schedule is:
3 weeks in primary
2-4 weeks in secondary depending on the style
2 weeks in the bottle before its fully carbonated.
Another 2 weeks in the bottle and it usually tastes smoother, definitely a difference.

Thats 9 to 11 weeks.

Everything I do is ambient temperature also. My place stays at a steady 65-70 degrees inside.
Click to expand...

While it obviously doesn't hurt doing it your way. It's certainly possible for a beer to be done sooner than 9-11 weeks. E.g. Tasty McDole (The Brewing Network) has mentioned some of his beers being best at 5 weeks.
 
I am a big suscriber to the wait at least 2 weeks before doing anything school. I let the wort sit in the fermentor unmolested for a minimum of 2 weeks at the fat part of the yeasts temp range and start checking the gravity. I wait till the gravity remains stable for a minimum of three consecutive tests at least 24 hours apart. Once the grav stabilizes I can rack it to secondary or put it into bottles or a keg to carb and age a bit. I tend to allow the brew to set out at room or ambient temp for a few days under high pressure then move it to the keezer at a lower pressure to finish up. I never consider a beer ready till it has had at least a few weeks to rest after kegging or bottling. Beer is like a woman, it will develope different flavors with time and will react poorly if rushed. So let her put on her face and paint her nails before you take her for a spin.....

Wheelchair Bob
 
What yeast are you using? That could be the culprit. Also what is your batch size? I make 12 gallon batches, leave a gallon behind in the kettle and at least a half gallon in the fermenter. In my experience the "homebrew" taste comes from too much residual yeast in the final product. By making larger batches and 3 weeks in primary you can ensure you end up with nice clear beer. I get more than one person tell me every month that they've had homebrew and were afraid to try mine due to the weird taste they usually get. Its always nice to see their face and to get the best compliment of all. "It tastes like commercial beer."
 
tgmartin000 said:
Yep. Towards the end of fermentation I like to raise the temp up to 68 or so, that helps the yeast finish. Almost like a diacetyl rest. Usually about day five or so.
Click to expand...

That's almost exactly what I do.
Whatever temperature I ferment at, I raise by 5 Fahrenheit after about 5-7 days of primary. Leave it for another 4-5 days at the higher temperature, check for TG, then cool to 35f for 7-10 days to allow yeast to flocculate. Keg and allow to rest for 2 weeks before tasting. The lighter the beer, the longer I wait to tap it (sometimes up to a month). Essentially a short lagering period.

Since I invested in a dual-stage temp controller and started doing every beer this way, that young beer flavour is no more.
 

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