What makes a better tasting beer?

Which leads to a better taste? Filtering the trub before going to the primary or letting the beer sit on the trub? I am making an IPA and want to get the best flavor.

I can guarantee you will get 2 different answers from 40 different people.

I would not worry about THAT part of the equation as there are a myriad of other factors that are more important.

IMO, it doesn't matter. If you give it enough time to ferment out completely and not rush it, all of that settles out before you rack it to secondary. Time is really the main factor.

Edit - more like 40 different answers for 20 different people.

Edit - more like 40 different answers for 20 different people.

Click to expand...

LOL - I had that but it was a yes or no question

I always figured that it had more to do with clarity and haze than taste.

Removing at least the hot break will get you clearer beer out the end.



But the trub contains nutrients that the yeast use, don't forget. So removing it or leaving it will have a (minor) impact on flavor.

Me? I don't bother with removing the break. Too much work and it involves sanitizing extra pieces of equipment for me since I don't have a bottom drain on my pot.

Do it if you want, even if it's just for S&Gs, but I wouldn't worry about it.

Your flavor comes mostly from your ingredients, boil, hop timing and such. Clarity comes mostly from time and temperature of fermentation. Going to secondary is a debatable topic.

TerryH said:

What makes a better tasting beer?

Click to expand...

Brewing with no pants on.

Seriously though, that may be the most un-answerable question ever posted here. There is no one thing that is going to make the beer better, and there are hundreds of things that you could choose from.

Well.... Things that make beer taste worse are......

Fermenting at too high a temperature. Whatever temperature the yeast suggests is best.

Not cleaning using PBW and rinsing everything well. Using a good sanitizer (Starsan) or not using sanitary practices.

Using outdated ingredients (not fresh).

Not measuring volumes correctly.

Not aging beer long enough.

Not using enough yeast or the wrong yeast.

Not understanding the instructions and not being inclined to read and understand the brewing procedures and process.

Ref: How to Brew - By John Palmer

What makes a better tasting beer?

Click to expand...

It's all about the yeast, IMO. Treat the yeast well and your brew will turn out as good as possible. This means using the proper strain for the style, making a starter or re-hydrating, aerating, using nutrient, pitching at the proper temp, fermenting at the proper temp, and giving the yeast enough time to do it's thing. If you love the yeasties, they'll love you back.

depends who you ask, I say trub does little to cause off flavors. In theory it's probably best to leave most of the trub behind but in practice I'm not too concerned.