So it's been a week after I bottled my first batch...which spent a week in a primary and a week in the secondary. I followed the instructions fairly well, but only used 3.7 gallons instead of the required five. I opened my first bottle today and it was incredibly malty and sweet. It also wasn't nearly hoppy enough for an IPA but I blame that on the prehopped LME I used. Any reason it's so damn sweet/malty? Think things will improve in another week or so?
fist batch...too malty and sweet
- Thread starter pariah
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kaptain_karma
Well-Known Member
what was your full recipe - what did you add, and when in the boil?
Somerville
Well-Known Member
pariah said:
I would say the problem is right there. Did you use the amount of ingredients for a 5 gallon recipe and do only 3.7 gallons?
Imagine if you had added 1.3 gallons of water to it. Most likely it would have diluted it to the specific maltiness you were looking for.
If this is so, the outcome is a much higher gravity 3.7 gallons and only 1 week in the primary would not have given the yeast enough time to eat, thus, leaving more sugar.
Well, probably 1/2 gallon evaporated while boiling it and I accounted for the volume of the LME (6.6 lbs) so I *thought* it would be okay at the time. But do you think in a few weeks it will be better?
I think this may have happened with my second batch as well, even though I tried to make sure it came out to five gallons. Probably can't add water during a secondary though.... ?
I think this may have happened with my second batch as well, even though I tried to make sure it came out to five gallons. Probably can't add water during a secondary though.... ?
Somerville
Well-Known Member
pariah said:
I don't understand the guessing game...does your PF not have gallon lines on the side?
Sounds like your doing a full volume boil but correct me if I'm wrong.
I've never heard of adding water to the secondary...I don't think so...sounds raunchy...
I've only heard of bitterness and harshness mellowing with time, not sweetness...by tomorrow, the masters will add their opinions. This is as far as my knowledge goes.
cweston
Well-Known Member
When you siphon or pour your wort into the fermenter on brewday, you should add water as needed to bring the total wort volume to 5 gallons or whatever the target of the recipe is.
(Lots of homebrewers brew more like 5.5 gallon batches, so that by the time you actually bottle, you have 5 gals of finished product.)
I think you could probably add water in the secondary, if you had overly concerntrated wort in the primary.
Also, depending on what you primed your bottles with and what temperature they've been living at, the yeast may not have finished eating the priming sugar. So that would partially account for the sweetness as well.
What and how much hops did you add? Perhaps your recipe is underhopped for the style, which would also make it taste too malty/sweet.
(Lots of homebrewers brew more like 5.5 gallon batches, so that by the time you actually bottle, you have 5 gals of finished product.)
I think you could probably add water in the secondary, if you had overly concerntrated wort in the primary.
Also, depending on what you primed your bottles with and what temperature they've been living at, the yeast may not have finished eating the priming sugar. So that would partially account for the sweetness as well.
What and how much hops did you add? Perhaps your recipe is underhopped for the style, which would also make it taste too malty/sweet.
Sweetness, in my experience has almost always been attributed to a fermentation not being complete and me being too impatient to wait for it to complete or not fermenting at the right temperature and have the yeast not perform their best to complete fermentation, or even adding too many non fermentable grains or additives.
The second thing I'd look at was my hop/grain ratio because that could also attribute to overly malty/sweetness, but I'm not sure that's a factor here.
You want to always have "top off" water on hand during brew day, whether it's an extra bottle of bottled water or if you breboil or pretreat your tap water (whatever you do to prep your main brew water) so that your fermenter is at at least 5 gallons (I prefer 5.5 to allow for sediment buildup and to allow a full 5 gallons in my secondary to reduce headspace).
I've heard of people topping of a secondary, but usually with other flavorings or more boiled and dissolved DME in their water.
Finally, are you priming with corn sugar? Alot of people use DME for a better result and more natural carbonation and flavor, but it does take more patience. I'd leave it capped for two weeks minimum and three to four weeks for an even better carbonation/flavor.
Just off hand I'd say you bottled your beer a week too early and opened it another week too early. I'd be interested to hear how your batch was bubbling at the time of bottling and also, how carbonated it is now. Time is your friend though and your beer should become more and more drinkable as time goes on. I predict two to three weeks.
Hope this helps!
The second thing I'd look at was my hop/grain ratio because that could also attribute to overly malty/sweetness, but I'm not sure that's a factor here.
You want to always have "top off" water on hand during brew day, whether it's an extra bottle of bottled water or if you breboil or pretreat your tap water (whatever you do to prep your main brew water) so that your fermenter is at at least 5 gallons (I prefer 5.5 to allow for sediment buildup and to allow a full 5 gallons in my secondary to reduce headspace).
I've heard of people topping of a secondary, but usually with other flavorings or more boiled and dissolved DME in their water.
Finally, are you priming with corn sugar? Alot of people use DME for a better result and more natural carbonation and flavor, but it does take more patience. I'd leave it capped for two weeks minimum and three to four weeks for an even better carbonation/flavor.
Just off hand I'd say you bottled your beer a week too early and opened it another week too early. I'd be interested to hear how your batch was bubbling at the time of bottling and also, how carbonated it is now. Time is your friend though and your beer should become more and more drinkable as time goes on. I predict two to three weeks.
Hope this helps!
Personally, I'd be looking at those bottles a little suspiciously. Lots of unfermented sugars, still some yeast likely at work (even moreso since the relatively short time before bottling likely left more in suspension)... heard any strange noises, any loud POPS! or BANGS!?
How IS the carbonation of the brew? Did it seem to be under excess pressure when you uncapped?
How IS the carbonation of the brew? Did it seem to be under excess pressure when you uncapped?
My second batch was in the primary for 1 week and 4 days, I just put it in the secondary. I'll probably leave it in there for at least two weeks. But I had a taste, and it still tasted a bit too sweet! Think it should mellow in the second?
Nope.
the_bird said:
Nope.
Somerville
Well-Known Member
A good way to keep your mind at ease while waiting for your brew to be done is to start working on another recipe. Come up with something creative that you need to study to make. When I start creating a recipe of a particular style, I go through a lengthy process of analyzing and changing. By the time I've created the recipe for my next future batch, I've completely forgotten about the lovely treasure fermenting away in my closet.
Kaiser
Well-Known Member
Recipe?
BTW, if you used all Laaglander extract, you should expect a sweet beer. Just putting this out there since this is a common curlprit for extract brewing.
Kai
BTW, if you used all Laaglander extract, you should expect a sweet beer. Just putting this out there since this is a common curlprit for extract brewing.
Kai
andre the giant
Well-Known Member
Kaiser, I learn something every day. I didn't know that Laaglander resulted in sweeter beers, but that explains my not so Vienna-y Vienna I brewed with extract a while back. It just doesn't seem right. Too much residual sweetness and a coarse bubbly head. I did the extract brew for convienience, but now I'm back to AG, and it's nice.
As far as the batch in question, you might think about getting a plastic tub to store your beer in until you're sure that they aren't bottle bombs. When we say that they can explode... we are serious. It can create quite the mess, and cover the room with itty bitty shards of glass.
My suggestion, let the batch go for another week, open a bottle and see if it is carbonated. Do this week after week until you get a reassuring "Ffffssssst!" when you pop the cap. Taste the beer, if it still tastes sweet, you might want to consider putting all the bottles in the fridge so the beer doesn't get overcarbed.
As far as the batch in question, you might think about getting a plastic tub to store your beer in until you're sure that they aren't bottle bombs. When we say that they can explode... we are serious. It can create quite the mess, and cover the room with itty bitty shards of glass.
My suggestion, let the batch go for another week, open a bottle and see if it is carbonated. Do this week after week until you get a reassuring "Ffffssssst!" when you pop the cap. Taste the beer, if it still tastes sweet, you might want to consider putting all the bottles in the fridge so the beer doesn't get overcarbed.
Kaiser
Well-Known Member
andre the giant said:
I hear that so manny times, that bewers happen to use all Laaglander extact for their brews. I feel that the stores selling this should clearly state that it should not be the major extract in your beer, as the beer will have a high FG if this is done.
Kai
Cheesefood
Well-Known Member
pariah said:
OK, let me give you the Cheesemaster's trick with water:
Buy 6 gallons from the store. Sure, it'll add a couple of bucks to your total cost, but quit being so freaking cheap. I usually buy Ice Mountain for about $1.00 per gallon.
If you use a bucket:
Buy a 7 pound bag of ice. Get the good stuff from a store where you expect they go through a lot of ice. If you're concerned about sanitation, look up the ice company on the web. The dominant bagged ice producer in Chicago touts their sanitation process so I'm comfortable with them. Being that bas of ice are always freezing, I'm not concerned about infection.
OK, so boil with 3 gallons. If you're using a bucket, add the 7 pounds of ice, pour the wort on top (through a strainer), then add maybe another gallon of water. By the time the ice melts, your wort is cool enough to pitch yeast on.
If you go glass:
Pull out the leftover 3 gallons of water from the fridge, where they've been cooling since last night. Pour that in the carboy. Pour your cooled wort on top of it. You should be right around 5.5 gallons. Perfect.
This is exactly what I did on my second batch. 2.5 gallons boiling, 1.5 gallons in the bucket with 7 lbs of ice. I pitched the yeast on top, it was 80 degree water. It still didn't seem to ferment, it never bubbled, I racked it on day 10 and it tasted kind of like the batch I have in bottles right now. Although it did have a ton of yeast on the bottom of the bucket and Krausen residue. Argggg!
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