Beer too sweet

Thanks to everyones help...I made beer! It's not very good beer, but it's beer. It's very sweet like wine. I like a very strong almost bitter beer. My question is, was it the recipe or me? Brewer's Best American Light. Also, what would you suggest I try for my second attempt. I bought a kit for a Continental Pilsner will that give me better taste?

mooseface said:

Thanks to everyones help...I made beer! It's not very good beer, but it's beer. It's very sweet like wine. I like a very strong almost bitter beer. My question is, was it the recipe or me? Brewer's Best American Light. Also, what would you suggest I try for my second attempt. I bought a kit for a Continental Pilsner will that give me better taste?

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I am also a newbie, but I would suggest using more bittering hops. What were the instructions for making your wort? I would guess that American Light is going to be a very sweet beer. How many IBU is it supposed to be? I personally like William's Brewery if you are going for kits. Like I said I am still learning just like you. Take a look at this site: http://www.howtobrew.com/

What was your O.G. and F.G.? Maybe post the recipie and we could help you out.

Sounds pretty far off if it tastes sweet like wine. Also how long did you let it sit in primary, secondary and time in bottle?

IBUs = 15... I don't know what this should be to make me happy. I know I have a lot of homework to do! Thanks for the link I will research it. The pilsner recipe I have the IBUs = 30-40 is this barking up the right tree?

That should be a lot more bitter. Again being a newbie from what I understand it takes about 40 minutes of boiling for your bittering hops to release the alpha acids. How many hops additions did you do to your boiling wort and at what times? In my kits there have always been bitter hops additions after 5 minutes of boiling with another 55 minutes of boiling left. My beer turned out the opposite of yours, deathly bitter.

Also a noob but it sounds like it didnt ferment completely. It shouldn't be that sweet. Was there airlock activity when you racked to secondary or just bottled?

Yeah, I added the bittering hops just like you. Same boiling time. Can't tell you the amount, they were pre measured. I wasn't sure about how to add them so I stuffed them in the sock and threw them in the pot and disposed of the mess after the transfer...there were no directions about that.
About my O.G. it was 1.042 (recipe 1.037-1.040) F.G. 1.014 (recipe 1.007-1.010) I was 3 days in the primary and 13 days in the secondary then 14 days bottled.
Thanks for your help!

Wow I don't think you are supposed to throw hops in a sock! Put them straight in the boiling pot. When you put the wort in the primary fermenter the protein and hops will be left in the trub. I'm guessing that maybe your hops didn't get a chance to flavor the wort since they were trapped in a sock.

Also shouldn't you have left the beer in the primary for at least 7 days before putting it in the secondary?

mooseface said:

Yeah, I added the bittering hops just like you. Same boiling time. Can't tell you the amount, they were pre measured. I wasn't sure about how to add them so I stuffed them in the sock and threw them in the pot and disposed of the mess after the transfer...there were no directions about that.
About my O.G. it was 1.042 (recipe 1.037-1.040) F.G. 1.014 (recipe 1.007-1.010) I was 3 days in the primary and 13 days in the secondary then 14 days bottled.
Thanks for your help!

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Thats one of the greatest things I have ever heard. Using the sock as a hop bag! Does you beer taste like feet. Okay sorry. Next time you can just throw your hops into the wort. Or if your worried about getting them filtered out try a tea bag. Never heard of it done but it makes sense to me. They were probably pellet hops so you can just leave them in the bottom of you pot when you transfer to primary.

Im not experienced enough to tell you about your hydrometer reading but you possibly could have let it go a week. Feel free to correct me on that one everyone like I said dont know enough about hydrometers.

dam it too slow!

I'm a complete idiot. What are the "hop socks" for then? I almost threw them in the pot, but thought I'd have bunch of debris like weeds floating in my beer. Also the recipe said if the Airlock stopped activity (and you are using a secondary fermenter) then it's time to transfer, but if you are only using a primary then wait.

Oh BTW I think I can speak for everyone that we all had that same thrill when we made our first batch. I sat looking at my glass saying "Wow, beer. I made this beer. Wow."

mooseface said:

I'm a complete idiot. What are the "hop socks" for then? I almost threw them in the pot, but thought I'd have bunch of debris like weeds floating in my beer. Also the recipe said if the Airlock stopped activity (and you are using a secondary fermenter) then it's time to transfer, but if you are only using a primary then wait.

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That is what hops socks are for but they are a bit different.

That recipe is in need of some editing then. Fermentation needs to occur in your primary vessel. Secondary is for aging and clearing no fermentation should occur there.

You just reminded me of a problem I had with my first batch...I was putting the airlock on, carboy neck still wet, and it didnt feel like it was sitting tight enough. So I pushed harder. Plop! Rubber stopper floating in my carboy.

I had problems with my airlock in the primary as well, but felt it was corrected. Doesn't matter....since I boogered up the recipe! So... if I understand this correctley since the hops came in the pellet form, they go directly in the pot. So... the next batch of beer will stay 7 days in the primary, the hops (pellet form) will go directly in the pot and I will have no air leaks and this batch will go nicely down the drain! Thanks for all the help!

BuffaloSabresBrewer said:

That is what hops socks are for but they are a bit different.

That recipe is in need of some editing then. Fermentation needs to occur in your primary vessel. Secondary is for aging and clearing no fermentation should occur there.

You just reminded me of a problem I had with my first batch...I was putting the airlock on, carboy neck still wet, and it didnt feel like it was sitting tight enough. So I pushed harder. Plop! Rubber stopper floating in my carboy.

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How did you get that out?

mooseface said:

I had problems with my airlock in the primary as well, but felt it was corrected. Doesn't matter....since I boogered up the recipe! So... if I understand this correctley since the hops came in the pellet form, they go directly in the pot. So... the next batch of beer will stay 7 days in the primary, the hops (pellet form) will go directly in the pot and I will have no air leaks and this batch will go nicely down the drain! Thanks for all the help!

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I don't know if you need to throw that batch out, but that is your call. Yes the hops go straight into the wort. Most of the hops will be in the bottom of your brew pot in the thick sediment called trub: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trub_(brewing)

the_wrath_of_Khan said:

How did you get that out?

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Bent coat hanger down the top throw the stopper hole and pulled out. Second try. I was so very proud.:rockin: I had saved my first batch. Learned to wipe the top dry or just relax.

An incomplete fermentation can also come from bad yeast. If they're not up to the task, they can leave some sugars uneaten (that's what it sounds like happened to you), or just make a messy job of it.

Did the LHBS guy take a pack of yeast out of the refrigerator and hand it to you, or was it taped to the kit? Was it a recognised brand? Was there a date on it?

Your yeast is all that's making that sugar-water into beer. Treat it nice. Go for a trusted brand: Safale or Nottingham at least, but if you want the very best Wyeast or White Labs. If it's dry yeast, proof and rehydrate it first. If it's liquid yeast, make a starter. Keep it at a steady temperature, preferably (for a 'clean' profile) toward the bottom of its fermentation range. And if you feel you must take your beer off of it, at least give it a few days to clean up after itself (after the bubbles stop). Trust me.

If you're making a lager next, I'd highly recommend a liquid lager strain. If you can't do lager temperatures, try a California lager strain.

Good luck.
Kai