help please

ok I have 2 things i need help with.

1. I just open my first bottle of Irish red today it was a bit low on carbonation but I can leave it in the bottle bit longer. My questions is, the beer tasted like pure grain alcohol could not taste and thing in it but alcohol. Is this normal or will it mellow out I couldn’t even drink it.
The temp during fermentation was about 68 at least that is what the thermo I have stuck to the side of the bucket said and I used dry yeast. the bottles have been stored in a hall closet in the dark at about 68 I just looked at the paper I wrote everything down on and well I guess I got in a bit of a hurry cause the beer has only been bottled a week. Yeah I know newbie rush. Couldn’t help it...lol


2. . I have my second batch in the primary it is Honey bee ale. I got up real early Sunday morning and finished the batch at 11:30 am pitch the yeast and here it is 11:16 pm Monday night and I have nothing no air bubbles in the airlock I don’t want to open it to look inside. My SG was 1.048 the high end where it should be. The yeast I used was White labs California ale. I didn’t use a starter have yet to try my hand at it since I’m just getting started. My question is should I have seen bubbles in the airlock by now or is it too soon. If something is wrong how can I fix it? If u say to pitch more yeast well that can’t be done I would have to order it cause there is NO LHS in my state.

1. what was the gravity on the first batch?

2. leave it more time.

1. What was the recipe? The alcohol taste is odd for that temperature, even for green beer, but give it time. Far too soon to call it bad. Was your recipe high in simple sugar?

2. Too soon, and don't rely on airlock bubbles to tell you anything either.

the recipe for the irish red was. 6lbs gold LME, 12oz. caramel 40, 2oz special b grains, 2oz. roasted barley, 1oz cascadehops, 1oz fuggle hops, muntons dry yeast and when it was time to bottle 5oz. priming sugar. my FG was 1.012

1) leave it for a couple weeks, though agreed that the grain alcohol taste is weird. with those ingredients and fermentation temp, i can't explain it. just let it sit, in my past experiences, beer can change alot within a week or so

2) being a bucket, CO2 could be leaking through the lid, feel free to open and look, bacteria aren't assassins, they can only infect ur beer they fall into it.
-if still no bubbles happen, shake it up to aerate again, thats happened to me a couple times

i had this problem with my first brew and it was due to the temerature being too high for the style beer for an irish red ale best temps range from 60°F to 64°F. also if the temerature wasn't constant and flucuated often that has an effect on off flavors as well. and remember Ester production is enhanced with fermentation temperatures above 64°F (18 C).

Edit: let the bottles set in closet for atleast 2-3 more weeks to condition and then put some in the fridge. the longer the bottles sit in fridge after the intitial 4 weeks of conditioning in bottles the less harsh it will taste.

ok thanks guys i'll let the bottles set for a few more weeks. I opened the bucket to look inside and no foam yet.

wvBeerLover said:

ok thanks guys i'll let the bottles set for a few more weeks. I opened the bucket to look inside and no foam yet.

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give the fermenting batch until wednesday, then check the gravity if it went down you're fermenting if its still the same give it a swirl and repitch some dry yeast. fermentation can take up to 72 hours to start.

yea man its all good. you will see bubbles soon I swear although as many are going to post, with it being the truth and all, bubbles don't mean anything dont gauge your fermentation off bubbles alone!