Could this be from lack of Oxygen????

Guy's Please HELPPPPPPPP!!

I'm still striving for greatness, but struggling.... I have made some really good AG beers in the past (9 to date), and everyone that has tasted them has always come back for more, and more, and more, but I would never enter them in a home brew contest because to the trained pallet

I brewed a Sierra Clone which I thought was going to be perfect, I poured the batch on top of an old yeast cake and it fermented out like a son of a gun... 1.062 Starting gravity 1.009 Ending, the yeast cake did it's job and I couldn't be happier..

I opened my first bottle last night and was happy with the taste and aroma, but it had a distinct alcohol taste... Nothing horrible, but definitely detectable... I realize this is close to a 7% beer, but have had others this strong in the past and never noticed this flavor...

Could this be an Oxygenation problem, or something else?? I have since bought an oxygenation kit and used it on my last batch which is in the fermenter now.... Any suggestons would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks,
Frank

What was your fermentation temp?

I would suspect temperature issues as well, under oxygenating doesn't lead to fusel alcohols as much as warm or fluctuating ferment temps will.

Also how aged is this beer? What yeast did you use?

Lack of oxygen can lead to fusel alcohol production if you are under-pitching, but pitching on an existing cake should eliminate that possibility.
I would suspect high fermentation temperatures as well.

-a.

The cake I pitched it on was an american ale yeast 1056 from Wyeast, and I fermented it in my basement for 10 days andthe racked to a carboy. The basement usually doesn't get above 70-75 degrees through the summer.. Should I look to ferment at a cooler temp?

This batch spent 10 days in the Primary, 2 weeks in the secondary and has been conditioning in the bottle for 2 weeks. I usually like to give it three weeks conditioning, but just couldn't wait to taste it. Do you think it still has to age?


If its not temp or age then clearly this must be an Oxygen issue and now that I have an oxygenator this won't be a problem in the future.

Thanks,
Frank

Homebrewcrazy said:

The cake I pitched it on was an american ale yeast 1056 from Wyeast, and I fermented it in my basement for 10 days andthe racked to a carboy. The basement usually doesn't get above 70-75 degrees through the summer.. Should I look to ferment at a cooler temp?

Thanks,
Frank

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I think the local HBT braintrust nailed it there. Get those temps down another 5-10 degrees from there and you should like what you get.

OK Time to shop for a used fridge for colder fermentation...

Thanks again,
Frank

Try the tub of water, t-shirt and fan method.

Any beer I have ever made with that much alcohol always has a "alcohol/Hot" taste when its green. I say let it age for a month or so and it will be ok.

Sometimes I get too darn anxious and start drinking it two weeks in, I ralize now the longer it conditions the better it will taste...

Let's face it though, this stuff is the nector of the God's and very hard to pass up

tdavisii said:

Any beer I have ever made with that much alcohol always has a "alcohol/Hot" taste when its green. I say let it age for a month or so and it will be ok.

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I concur. I have used a simular yeast (saf 5 which is basically a dry clone of 1056) at those temps and haven't noticed a problem with fusels.

Age that sucker longer. Should be 3 weeks min and really for a beer that size it should be about 6 weeks.

tdavisii said:

Any beer I have ever made with that much alcohol always has a "alcohol/Hot" taste when its green. I say let it age for a month or so and it will be ok.

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Likey due to the fact that fusels will often react with organic acids to eventually form esters. (at least according to Dr. Fix)

I guess I will have to let this sucker sit for six weeks, man thats going to be a challenge.

Good thing I have back up, two other batches bottled and ready for lift off.... I'm going to transfer my Stone IPA clone today I can't wait to see how well that one is doing...

Cheers,
Frank

Homebrewcrazy said:

OK Time to shop for a used fridge for colder fermentation...

Thanks again,
Frank

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Get a used chest freezer and a temperature controller. They work great.

Homebrewcrazy said:

Sometimes I get too darn anxious and start drinking it two weeks in, I ralize now the longer it conditions the better it will taste...

Let's face it though, this stuff is the nector of the God's and very hard to pass up

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That just means you aren't brewing often enough.

Your right! I was brewing three times a month until the "war department" steped in, now it's been scaled back to once a month...

Hey, Shat happens..

I take what i can get these days..

Cheres,
Frank

Homebrewcrazy said:

Your right! I was brewing three times a month until the "war department" steped in, now it's been scaled back to once a month...

Hey, Shat happens..

I take what i can get these days..

Cheres,
Frank

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Hang in there. We appreciate what your doing. Thanks.