Beer flavored water

So let me start off by saying that I am brand new to home brewing, but I think I have a pretty good understanding of how it all works and the basic process of it all.

I purchased a BB robust porter kit about 3 weeks ago, brewed it (everything went well), and bottled it after two weeks in the primary.

So I got a little anxious and popped a bottle last night (beer was bottled on Saturday 2/7/09). Two things bothered me....It certainly doesn't look like a porter at all, and it tastes kind of weak, like beer flavored water. It isn't flat though, it does have some carbonation.

Now, my question is this: Does homebrew usually have a very clean aftertaste? Because this stuff has no after taste, it's weird.

And two, why does the beer look like Newcastle?? Is it the recipe or something i'm doing wrong.

Here's a list of ingredients that came with the kit: Yeild 5 Gallons

6.6 lbs Plain Amber Malt Extract
8 oz Crushed Crystal Malt
4 oz Crushed Chocolate Malt
4 oz Crushed Black Patent Malt
1 oz Cluster Hops (Boiling)
1/2 oz Willamette Hops (Finishing)

I steeped the grains for 30 mins at 155 degrees. I can't do full boils because my brew pot isn't big enough, but what i have been doing is boiling with 2 gallons then adding the wort to 3 gallons of water in the fermenter. Sorry if I left anything out, i'm kind of in a hurry (at work).

By the way, I know that all of this could just be a product of my impatience, and I do plan on letting the bottles age for another week before I jump to any real conclusions. Thanks.

That looks like a fairly simple robust porter recipe, although on the lower end of the style. I would hope you would a have a clean finish, and I would expect the flavors to take a little more time to develop. Five days after bottling is nothing. Give it, at least, a couple more weeks (and probably more like three or four).


TL

I actually brewed the BB Porter recently and thought it looked very light for a Porter when I racked to secondary. Tasted Ok, but sure didn't look like it ought to. In answer to your question, generally homebrew is very flavorful. Done right it will be about the best beer you'll have. And done wrong it's usually still quite drinkable.

I should be bottling my BB Porter in the next week or so, I'll let you know if I have similar issues with the taste.

On the color issue, remember that this is a porter, and most porters aren't black and opaque. Yes, there is a current trend to make everything bigger and bigger, but a porter that is true-to-style only has to be as dark as a darker brown ale. I believe it should be darker than Newcastle, though.

I've never brewed a BB kit, so I cannot speak from experience. However, I have heard mixed reviews on them, and I often hear that they are fairy light on the styles.


TL

TexLaw said:

I often hear that they are fairy light on the styles.


TL

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That could explain it right there. This is the second BB kit that i've used and I had similar results with the other one I did. That was an American Amber. Same thing as far as the after taste goes, almost none. Still trying to figure out if that is just a characteristic of homebrews themselves, or if it's just a characteristic of the BB kits. Although, I think I just answered that question.

Thanks for the responses thus far!

I'm curious about the answer to the wateriness. I know it's suppose to form body as it carbs, but really enough to make it not watery?

I made the BB Robust Porter as my second brew almost a year ago, (same exact ingredients), and it was really good. So good in fact that we drank two cases in less than a week. Mine was really dark like a Porter should be. I did a 2.5 gallon boil. I made many "noob" mistakes with this one. I squeezed the hell out of the grains bag, and I fermented it in the low to mid 70's to name a few. I did everything just as you described your process, so I can't figure out what went wrong with yours. The flavor will probably improve, but I can't see how your's is so light in color.

This sounds familiar with my first brew... Give it time.

I tired mine 5-6 days after Kegging... I thought I had made Bud Lite! OH THE HORROR!!!

Now 8 weeks in... it is Awsome.

Give it some time to age, the color seems to darken slightly and the flavors come through with time.

To be honest, like many have said... "Step away from the beer" Time will make it better and you just can't rush a good thing.

3 more weeks and you will have a completely different experience when you try your beer.

Take it from a Noobie, on his 3rd batch. By another Primary and brew again if you need to do something to keep your hands off the beer while it ages.

Cheers

Primary: empty (will be a ture English style beer this w/e)
Secondary: Mack & Jack Clone
Keg1: Alt Bier (8 weeks old and awsome)
Keg2: Heff (4 weeks old and getting better)
Keg3: empty (waiting for M&J)

Yea it's definetly wierd. Ive checked to make sure that i'm not adding too much water or something really n00b like that, and i'm positive that i'm not. You mentioned that you fermented in the low to mid 70's. What would be the ideal temp for fermenting this style of brew?

I'd get a bigger pot and do full boils. I felt mine had had the same watery taste until I changed, in fact I almost gave up brewing because of it. I know a lot of people say it's fine to add water after the boil, but I could always taste it.

I tired mine 5-6 days after Kegging... I thought I had made Bud Lite! OH THE HORROR!!!

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LOL!! Exactly!! Thanks for the good advice on waiting it out. I've just ordered a magic hat #9 clone from austin brew supply, so as soon as that arrives i will for sure have something else to keep me occupied.

Mantis said:

Yea it's definetly wierd. Ive checked to make sure that i'm not adding too much water or something really n00b like that, and i'm positive that i'm not. You mentioned that you fermented in the low to mid 70's. What would be the ideal temp for fermenting this style of brew?

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I try to ferment my ales in the low to mid sixties. On the low end, it may take a little longer to fully attenuate, but it's worth the wait.

You definitely need to give it more time in the bottle. I have a beer that I bottled about a week before Christmas. It’s a dutch style ale. I didn’t crack open a bottle until week 6. It was very good at that time, but I am leaving it in the closet and pulling out a few at a time for the fridge and it just gets better and better. So you have to give it time.

I’m not an expert (only 5 batches) but I think a couple of things you might consider on future brews would be to get a larger brew pot and get more water in there for the boil. Leave it in the primary a tad bit longer. 2 weeks is good, don’t get me wrong, but 3 might be better, and as I said above, leave it in the bottle longer before trying it. Trying it early makes you think you screwed up and then you worry. I have never brewed a porter or used that kit but I know that some beers take even longer to condition. I made a brown ale a while back that I tasted at 6 weeks and it was ok but it wasn’t ready, at 8 weeks however, it was delicious

Also, a better temp range for fermenting would be say, 62 to 68 or something. 70 isn't bad but once you start getting above 70 I feel like you start taking chances for off flavors and strange butt-kicking alcohols.

One other thing, is the 30 minute steep called for by the kit maker? If it were me, I would steep it longer like 45 minutes at least, maybe 60. I don’t know how much difference that will really make but I don’t think it can hurt.

Dennis

TexLaw said:

... they are fairy light on the styles.

TL

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A little Freudian slip?

Also, a better temp range for fermenting would be say, 62 to 68 or something. 70 isn't bad but once you start getting above 70 I feel like you start taking chances for off flavors and strange butt-kicking alcohols.

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Well that's good because it was fermenting in the low to mid 60's most of the time. Unfortunately, I live in a apartment, and the only temperature control I have is the thermostat on my wall.....I know, it's lame. But we keep it pretty cool in the winter (struggling college students, can't afford heat). Around 65 most of the time though.

Mantis said:

Well that's good because it was fermenting in the low to mid 60's most of the time. Unfortunately, I live in a apartment, and the only temperature control I have is the thermostat on my wall.....I know, it's lame. But we keep it pretty cool in the winter (struggling college students, can't afford heat). Around 65 most of the time though.

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Yeah, this time of year, even in Houston, I don't have to do much about the temp. Summer is a different story though. I do keep my fermenter in a muck bucket full of water all the time (aka a swamp cooler). The temp of the water doesn't change as rapidly as the room temp and usually is always 5 or 10 degrees lower than room temp. For instance, I have a batch out in my workshop right now. Temps this week have been 45 AM up to 75 in the afternoon but the water in my swamp cooler is staying well within the 62 to 68 range 24 hours a day and I don't have to do much. If I see it up around 68, I have some pre-frozen Gatorade bottles full of water and I drop 1 or 2 in there and that brings the temp down to low 60's. With summer temps its more work and, I have to use the frozen bottles AM and PM to keep the temp right.

Dennis

Wow man that's quite a system!! Very good idea though. The temp doesn't really fluctuate that much in our place right now, but as in your case, when the summer gets here i'm defenitly going to have to do something to keep the temp's constant during fermentation. The swamp cooler is probably what i will use!! Thanks for the info on that, greatly appreciated.