First beer may still be green.

So I bottled my first homebrew in tap a draft bottles a week and half ago. One of the bottles seemed to be carbed since I was not able to push in the sides of the bottle, so I decided to tap it and try it out. After trying it, it seems like a good light beer but there is slight aftertaste that is almost "plastic-y". I can taste the hops more than the aftertaste. Being a newbie homebrewer I am guessing this plastic type taste is what a "green" beer tastes like. Assuming it is a green beer, should I leave it in the fridge or should I take it out and let it get to room temperature to help knock out the "green" part? I still have two more bottles, and I will be waiting at least another 2 weeks before I try again, especially since they are not fully carbed yet. Both them have a little more headspace. It was an extract kit from midwest, "aussie light ale". Here is a link with more details about my first brew, where I thought I had some problems. I did ferment at around 73F ambient, and I now know this is to high. I have bought a johnson controller, and brewed my second beer today. This time I will be in the low 60's like I am supposed to be.

Here is two pics of the brew. As you can see it not anywhere near clear, but there was high ferm temps and I did not cool the wort off as fast as I am supposed to.

You can also see that the head is extremley thin. I am a newb, so can someone explain to me what causes a "thick creamy head" versus a "bud light head" versus "whatever you want to call the thin head of this beer".

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/help-first-brew-268116/

YOu need to take your beer out of the cold where you've put the yeast to sleep and let them back in a place that is 70 degrees or above in order to let the yeast wake up and finish the job.

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.

Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.

And even though a beer may be carbed, it still doesn't mean that it's not still green.


Temp and gravity are the two factors that contribute to the time it takes to carb beer. But if a beer's not ready yet, or seems low carbed, and you added the right amount of sugar to it, then it's not stalled, it's just not time yet.

Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."


If a beer isn't carbed by "x number of weeks" you just have to give them more time. If you added your sugar, then the beer will carb up eventually, it's really a foolroof process. All beers will carb up eventually. A lot of new brewers think they have to "troubleshoot" a bottling issue, when there really is none, the beer knows how to carb itself. In fact if you run beersmiths carbing calculator, some lower grav beers don't even require additional sugar to reach their minimum level of carbonation. Just time.

So out of the fridge for at least another week and half. Its going to be tough waiting. I guess I will have to go try some more micro beers to expand my beer world while I am waiting. I have been looking to find a bock style beer at my box stores, but I can't find any. Is there any that may be in a big box store, but the label doesent say "bock" on it? I am especially want to try a miabock.

Here is two pics of the brew. As you can see it not anywhere near clear, but there was high ferm temps and I did not cool the wort off as fast as I am supposed to.

You can also see that the head is extremley thin. I am a newb, so can someone explain to me what causes a "thick creamy head" versus a "bud light head" versus "whatever you want to call the thin head of this beer".

I have an extract recipe posted for a Maibock, so if you're interested it came out really good! It's not a real German maibock, according to Kai, so I called it MY-bock and considered it an American take on a German maibock!

A good head will come later, once the beer is fully carbed. It also has to do with ingredients and the easiest way to a good head is to provide the correct ingredients when making the beer- usually carapils is one ingredient in the grain steeping.

I checked out your my bock receipe and I saw the words "partial mash". When I am ready to move up, this may be the first receipe I try. I would still like to try a maibock first to make sure I like the style.

Rogue dead guy ale is a Maibock "Style" ale, it is basically the grainbill of a maibock lager, but it uses a cold fermented ale yeast instead.

In "big box" stores you might be able to find Shiner Bock, it's not quite a traditional bock, but it is close. It's like a black lager meets a traditional bock. It's a tasty beer. It was my gateway beer fir me to start exploring other bocks.

crj5000 said:

I checked out your my bock receipe and I saw the words "partial mash". When I am ready to move up, this may be the first receipe I try. I would still like to try a maibock first to make sure I like the style.

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If you can make a cup of coffee, you can do a partial mash. It's simple, and makes great beer!

Not a coffee person, but i am sure I will be able to figure it out after I get a few more extracts w/ steeped grains under my belt.

Yooper said:

If you can make a cup of coffee, you can do a partial mash. It's simple, and makes great beer!

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Don't we need more/different equipment to do partial mash, as opposed to extract + steeping?

I'm not afraid of the process, just don't think I have everything I need yet.. The list of wanted items is already big enough!

agentEhrman said:

Don't we need more/different equipment to do partial mash, as opposed to extract + steeping?

I'm not afraid of the process, just don't think I have everything I need yet.. The list of wanted items is already big enough!

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No. You can use a grainbag and actually do it exactly like a steep!

The keys are to using a set amount of water (1.5 quarts of water per pound of grain, for example) and a prescribed temperature (say, 150-155 degrees) for 45 minutes to an hour. Otherwise, the process is just like steeping.

That plastic taste is from your high fermentation temperatures. That will age out but it may take a while.- room temperature will probably be best for aging. You won't be able to get rid of that flavor in your beers until you can control your fermentation temperature.

I have already bought a digital temperature controller for my mini-fridge, and I just put my second homebrew in it. I also just posted a question about it. Thanks for all the help.

I guess I will wait and try my beer in about 3 weeks and see if it is better. If not I will wait longer. So hard to be patient...

Revvy said:

In "big box" stores you might be able to find Shiner Bock, it's not quite a traditional bock, but it is close. It's like a black lager meets a traditional bock. It's a tasty beer. It was my gateway beer fir me to start exploring other bocks.

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I saw this beer all over the place in Death Proof. When my band got to austin on tour i gave it a try, it's pretty tasty.

Rogue Dead Guy is one of my favorite beers so that's definitely worth a try.

unionrdr said:

This reminded me of the other day my older son took me to the store fro some beer,etc. He showed me some new Guinness dark lager in bottled 6'rs they had in the beer cooler. Looked interesting to me,since dark ales are good...

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It's "ok." I've gone back and forth on it. I liked it when I picked up the 6 pack the other day. But I had a bottle last night, and felt "meh" about it, in fact while drinking it, I actually wanted a shiner Bock instead. They're both very similar, but I personally think shiner has a rounder flavor.

Another tasty "commercial" black "lager" type beer is Yuengling's black and tan.

Yooper said:

No. You can use a grainbag and actually do it exactly like a steep!

The keys are to using a set amount of water (1.5 quarts of water per pound of grain, for example) and a prescribed temperature (say, 150-155 degrees) for 45 minutes to an hour. Otherwise, the process is just like steeping.

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Great info! A couple questions though... How does this effect things like my target ABV, if I'm basically steeping 3 times more? I have read that at my current rate, it doesn't really add to the fermentables so much as just add body and better flavor/color.

Also, I usually do 3.5 gallon boil in my 5 gallon brew pot. I have just been filling it up, and steeping my 1 # of grains with obviously too much water. What effect is this having on my previous beers, since I'm not abiding by the 1.5 quart rule of thumb here?

Thanks in advance!

For a rundown of the process, check out the sticky by DeathBrewer at the top of this thread list. It's a great step-by-step tutorial with pics.

djfriesen said:

For a rundown of the process, check out the sticky by DeathBrewer at the top of this thread list. It's a great step-by-step tutorial with pics.

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Thanks, what a great tutorial. Answered my questions by page 5.

So I picked up a 6 pack of rouge dead guy ale, and its great. Thanks for the suggestion Revvy. At $10.50 for a 6-pack though its the highest price I have paid for store bought beer, so I probably wont buy it again. (or at least not very often) Thats why I looked in the receipe database and found a clone by Yooper. Looks like my first partial mash may be Dead Guy Ale. After reading the sticky by DeathBrewer, I think I can handle a partial.

$10.50 for 6? Psshhh I just paid ten bucks for a single 12 oz. bottle of Dogfish Head 120 minute

CidCitrus said:

$10.50 for 6? Psshhh I just paid ten bucks for a single 12 oz. bottle of Dogfish Head 120 minute

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That is a mighty fine beer!!

CidCitrus said:

$10.50 for 6? Psshhh I just paid ten bucks for a single 12 oz. bottle of Dogfish Head 120 minute

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Yowsers, where do you draw the line? I draw it at 10-ish a six or quad. The 22s tend to be higher so its a tuff buy for me. Although, we don't get the Dogfish Head here so maybe I would find the value if I'd had it before?

Yooper's clone is one of the best recipes on here. It is pretty dead on. I've done head to head comparisons between the clone and the "real stuff" and people often choose the clone instead. Part of that is probably because yoop's version is fresher tasting than a bottle that's travelled and sat on a store shelf for god knows how long. If you like DGA, it is worth brewing the clone.

agentEhrman said:

Yowsers, where do you draw the line? I draw it at 10-ish a six or quad. The 22s tend to be higher so its a tuff buy for me. Although, we don't get the Dogfish Head here so maybe I would find the value if I'd had it before?

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I've never had it before, but everything I've had from them has been awesome. And this was the first time in the 5 years or so I've been looking for it that I actually found it, so I had to splurge. Normally I try to keep to 10 a 6er but every once in a while I have to get a little spendy.

There is a really great IPA from here that I frequently seen for sale at over $22 a bomber. I always want it but never buy it due to price. Maybe I'll ask for one for christmas or something. I'm going to look up that clone recipe

Update. So I tried this beer again last week after letting it sit for three more weeks. Everyone is correct time is your friend. The "off taste" is gone and the beer pours a good head. Sorry no pic. But I have found that I do not like this beer. Since I have made this I have been trying new beers every weeked, and I now know that I don't like honey beer and I don't like really light beers. So I don't like this beer. But I just bottled my second and just brewed my third, and they are types I like. A kolsch and a Sierra Pale Ale clone. Anyways if anyone has rushed through the conditioning step or their beer does not taste right yet, then listen to everyone on this forum and just wait.