Just did a cream ale and Whoa!!

For my first all grain it's not that good..It's very bitter. It seems to have a harsh aftertaste. I thought I did everything perfect. My wife and son tried it and there conclusion, is very bitter. I can't think of what I did. My fermenting temp was around or under 70.

The first taste seems to be very very crisp and dry. Any help would be great since I'm brewing my second all grain tomorrow.

I'm kinda bummed out..

By any Chance it's a Brewers Best Kit?

Nope. BierMunchers Cream ale recipe. I thank him for a great recipe. I'm the dope that fukc'ed it up....If I can't do a simple cream ale, I need to go back to Bud light...

I bet it's your water. When you have hard water, it accentuates the hops bitterness quite a bit. I have problems making a good blonde ale, but make a great IPA because of the hard water I have. I use 5.2 buffer in the mash to help with ph, but I still have issues with lighter beers. I'm thinking of purchasing spring water for blondes, and using my tap water for IPAs and dark beers.

Have you done any water corrections?

You know, When I've done extract batches I used tap water for boiling but spring water to tap off the 2 1/2 gallons I've boiled. So I used 3 gallons of spring water. I wonder if that had anything to do with it. I still used tap water but not as much.

Even my extract batches were a little bitter, but not like this batch. I have to find out what my water is. I asked my next door neighbor and he thought we had soft but wasn't totally sure.

I am finishing off my JZ-recipe cream ale I brewed in June. It has 6.x % ABV and I swear I can taste it because the beer is malt-light (uses adjunct grains + sugar). I don't like what I perceive to be the alcohol flavor in it.

Maybe I just don't like Cream Ale; I've never had a commercial example so I don't really know what it should taste like.

fratermus said:

I am finishing off my JZ-recipe cream ale I brewed in June. It has 6.x % ABV and I swear I can taste it because the beer is malt-light (uses adjunct grains + sugar). I don't like what I perceive to be the alcohol flavor in it.

Maybe I just don't like Cream Ale; I've never had a commercial example so I don't really know what it should taste like.

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I think the problem is the abv. A cream ale is supposed to be light on both malt and hops flavors for an easygoing quaff. That much alcohol has to stand out against such a background. Time will probably help within reason but I'm not sure. EDIT: I just saw that you brewed it in June so nevermind. I am one to push the bounds of ABV in my brews but the farthest I go with creams is 5%

I'm with YooperBrew. My light beers used to totally suck until I started using mostly RO water and cutting it with a little bit of filtered tap water, now they rock. :rockin:

If you call your water utility they should be able to give you the total hardness and residual alkalinity. For a pale beer like a Blonde you want to be around 50ppm alkalinity. My water is about 150ppm so that means I use 2 parts RO water to 1 part filtered tap. For everything else I use equal RO and hard, or I could use all hard water if I did a stout.

My first thought was nastiness extracted from the grain due to mash pH. Hard water can cause nasty hop bitterness but I would think that a lightly hopped recipe like the cream of 3 crops wouldn't be a major offender if that were the case. I'd say you've got a decent chance of solving the problem with some 5.2 buffer if you can run out and get some from your LHBS. Cheap and easy. Messing with water has been very interesting, but it can be tough to solve in a day.

I picked up some for a batch I did yesterday. I think call my local water company tomorrow.

fratermus said:

Maybe I just don't like Cream Ale; I've never had a commercial example so I don't really know what it should taste like.

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Go get a Boddingtons Pub Ale sold in most places in a yellow can, good example of a proper cream ale.

chriswilkes33 said:

Go get a Boddingtons Pub Ale sold in most places in a yellow can, good example of a proper cream ale.

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It is listed as a commercial example of an 8A Ordinary Bitter in the 2008 BJCP style guide.

I am far from an expert, But , I also did my first AG with BM three crops.
Brew this one again w/ spring water and try to keep your fermenting temps on the low end say around the low 60's with Safale 05 yeast and I used just 2 oz of Williamette at 60 min. and it is dangerously tastee.
Good luck.

You know, I'm fairly new to home brewing. I'm still learning the different tastes and smells and what they mean. When I tried the Cream ale for the first time, I didn't liked it. I thought I did something wrong. I brought some to my HBS to try. They seems to like it( (probably gagged after I had left) and explained what I was smelling and tasting. I felt much better and I think I appreciated that beer more. Before Home brewing, I was a budlight and Guinness drinker for 25 years. I never knew what good beer was. Well, except for the Guinness...

Coastarine said:

It is listed as a commercial example of an 8A Ordinary Bitter in the 2008 BJCP style guide.

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well to hell with them then Its a creamy ordinary bitter then