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FScholle

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I have only been brewing for a short time, this is my fourth batch to be specific. Was very pleased with my beer until this last batch. I was trying my hand on an english style Pale Ale:

3 lbs light DME
1.5 lbs amber dry DME
0.5 lbs biscuit and 0.5 lbs crystal 60L steeped for 30 min

1oz fuggles 60 min
0.5 oz EKG 30 min
0.5 oz EKG 15 min

Safale 04 dry

5 ga batch


Left in primary for 3.5 weeks, then added gelatin for 3 days and kegged.

It's not fully carbonated yet but the taste is very thin and sour, very bready. Beer was very clear when racking into the keg and now just has a slight bit of chill haze.

Taste overall is quite awful. I'm trying to figure out if it's recipe related (since I made it up myself....yeah I know I shouldn't have but I also never cook with a cook book) or if I somehow got infection. Not sure what that would taste like, since I have no experience with it.
I do think that my sanitation is pretty good.......I'm a microbiologist in real life.


Any input would be appreciated.

THX,


F
 
Probably because you have only 4 1/2 lbs of fermentables . And it will get better with time and bubbles. Call it a pale mild
 
i would think with sour it would be infection and with thin it would be because of such a small about of fermentables, i know whith most of my beers i use about 7 or 8 pounds per 5gallon batch but i do like a higher the normal alc% :)
 
Thanks,

I was going for something a bit lighter and it's just under 4% ABV. The numbers are right there for a Standard/Ordinary Bitter but maybe I was a bit too frugal with the malt there after all. I'll give it another week or so before feeding the sewer rats with it.

F
 
if you want a low alc% you might want to also add some crystal malts to add some body and wont be as thin i think a minimum alc% i would ever go would be around 4.5% i like to stay around 6 or 7 % alc since it also helps keep the beer from getting infected , i also use this brewing app on my iphone called ibrewtouch which is nice for getting a good estimate of what you're beer will be like ibu's alc% color etc...i also here brewsmith is good but ive never used it.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I did all the calculations on ibrewmaster on my ipad. Good program btw. I think you're right about the crystal. As far as alc content for an ordinary bitter goes, iBrewmaster lists 3.2 to 3.8% as per bjcp.

I'm happy to report that it's definitely getting better with time. Tonight's sample was drinkable although far from great.
 
Maybe you just don't like the style? Whatever you call it style wise, what you made is a relatively hoppy thin beer. Sour is not a good sign though and may be infected. The only other thing I can think of that would cause this to be off is fermentation temps. Unlike some of the other English strains, the Whitbread strain should only have mild malt flavors and slight fruitiness but relatively clean profile.
 
Yeah I don't think anymore that it is infection. It's by far less sour tasting than it used to be. It still has an aftertaste that I don't particulalrly care for but as I said it is drinkable now. Maybe I don't like the fuggles and ekg very much. Difficult to say with not much experiwnce under my belt yet. Ferm temps could be an issue. I just finished my ferm chamber, so that should take care of that in the future. I think for the next batch I might go back to the IPA recipe I concocted or something similar. That was definitely tasty.
 
If the sourness is fading it is probably ACETALDEHYDE "green apple" flavor from young beer. If it is infection with lacto, pedo, aectobactor, etc It wouldnt be fading. Whats the FG? Infections can eat more unfermentables and leave you right around 1.000 or below thats another indicator.
 
Fermentation temp was a huge issue with me, since I moved down south. I feel the higher it ferments the more of that soury "greenish" type flavor. I ordered a digital temp controller for an extra old fridge I had, and ferment in there to keep the temp in a specific range for whatever style of beer im brewing. Best investment yet to my brew kit.
 
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