Beer taste goes away too quickly

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CHSBrewer

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I couldn't find anything online about this but if it's been covered in another post then apologies...

I've just gotten into brewing over the past couple of months and for my first batch I made a Sierra Nevada PA clone from a kit and it came out great. I compared it to the real thing and the initial taste is dead on which I'm really happy about; it confirmed I'm going to be at this for a looonng time.

The only problem is that the taste of the beer goes away pretty quickly after you swallow it. I've asked a couple of friends who brew and they don't know what it is (they don't necessarily think it's a problem either but they did notice it without being prompted) so I figured I'd come here for some advice. Any experts have any idea what could cause this? Happy to provide additional details if needed. Thanks!
 
Thanks for the eyes on this...it was an extract kit, here are the ingredients and my process:

8 oz Caramel 10L
8 oz Carapils
6# gold LME
1 oz Perle @ 60 min, 1 oz Perle @ 30 min
2 oz Cascade @ 2 minutes
S-05 dry yeast

Steeped grains for 30 minutes at 155-165 in 5 gallons distilled water.
Added LME while stirring, first hop addition at first boiling bubbles
Second at 30 minutes
Final addition with 2 minutes left
Cooled in ice bath to <80* F in about 25 minutes, 1 gallon of cold top off water.
Transferred to primary, sprinkled yeast on top. In primary for 5 days then secondary for 3 weeks then bottled.

OG: 1.044
FG: 1.010
 
I think that is a little low for your OG for this clone. Sierra nevada lists at 5.6% ABV and yours is clocking in at 4.5% based on those gravity readings. That will certainly contribute to your beer feeling less substantial.
 
I agree with billl that your OG might be a little low... which could contribute to some thinness. Also, if your beer is overcarbonated it could lend itself to being a bit dry as well. Your FG looks a hair low, but you acheived good attenuation. So, I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm guessing that the beer is just a little light for the style.
 
Thanks for taking a look and the feedback. Is there anything I can do to improve the results in the future or is that just how the cookie crumbles sometimes?
 
Using distilled water without minerals may be part of the problem. Taste distilled water compared to spring water and you will know what I mean.
 
For future batches, it definitely helps to consult the style guidelines for the major attributes. If you are looking for a classic style taste, you want to be squarely in those ranges. eg an american pale ale should be in the 1.045-1.060 range and 30-45+ IBU. Compared to other pale ales, sierra nevada is pretty full and hoppy, so if you are trying for something like that, you shoot for the upper half of those ranges.

http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/

You don't always have to brew "to style", but it is a great starting point. eg you like a certain beer but wish it was a little more (whatever.) Or, you want to brew something that is between 2 styles. It really helps you get a feeling for what someone elses recipe might taste like and definitely helps if you are making your own recipes.
 
Using distilled water without minerals may be part of the problem. Taste distilled water compared to spring water and you will know what I mean.

Distilled water is fine for brewing, especially for extract brewing. The extract has already been mashed and doesn't need anything added to it.

I use RO or distilled water for brewing all the time.

I'm not sure what the OP means by the "beer taste" going away too quickly. A good beer doesn't really linger on the palate, so I'm not sure what is going on. Is it not firmly bitter on the swallow or something like that?
 
I'm not sure what the OP means by the "beer taste" going away too quickly. A good beer doesn't really linger on the palate, so I'm not sure what is going on. Is it not firmly bitter on the swallow or something like that?

That's pretty much what I mean, I know it's not going to coat your mouth like a full-bodied wine or syrup, but there is almost no residual bitterness or other taste at all really after I swallow. I was expecting some sort of "you just had a sip of beer" taste but I don't get much.

I think I may have added too much top off water and thus didn't get the OG high enough and thus it dried out as some of the other posters have suggested. I'll be more careful about that part in the future, thanks everyone!
 
While you can use RO water for extract, as minerals arent nessecary for ph. it does sound like what happens if you use overly soft water for brewing. If the water you used was RO or really soft tap water, you may consider adding a few grams of gypsum to the boil next time you brew and see if it improves things. Gypsum contains sulfate, which will dry out the finish in the beer and accentuate the hops. In maltier beers like a stout you may consider adding a couple of grams of calcium chloride to the beer.

Water chemistry is complicated, but to get started with extract beers you might want to try that and see if it helps. Gypsum and calcium chloride are the equivalent of salting your food in a sense.
 
While you can use RO water for extract, as minerals arent nessecary for ph. it does sound like what happens if you use overly soft water for brewing. If the water you used was RO or really soft tap water, you may consider adding a few grams of gypsum to the boil next time you brew and see if it improves things. Gypsum contains sulfate, which will dry out the finish in the beer and accentuate the hops. In maltier beers like a stout you may consider adding a couple of grams of calcium chloride to the beer.

Water chemistry is complicated, but to get started with extract beers you might want to try that and see if it helps. Gypsum and calcium chloride are the equivalent of salting your food in a sense.
This thread is 8 years old.
 
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