goofiefoot
Well-Known Member
I brewed 10 gallons of Arrogant Bastard in early June. The batch fermented in my 13-gallon plastic fermenter for 12 days, then I transferred it to 2 cornies. I didn't have incredibly high hopes for the batch, since the hops I used were old (kept in freezer, but over a year), my mash was at a higher temperature than expected, and my fermentation chamber was on the outs, so my fermentation temp may have been higher than expected.
I put both kegs on CO2 and began sampling from the first keg about 1.5 weeks later. Right away, it wasn't terrific, but was drinkable. I figured it needed more time. I continued to "sample" on and off, and ultimately emptied the first keg. By the end of the keg, the beer was better, but still not terrific. A little astringent, a little cidery, but you got the general idea of the Bastard.
A couple of days ago, I switched over to the second keg. Not only is the flavor completely different, it's actually pretty bad. By bad, I mean BLAND. Very little bitter, almost no hop or malt character. My wife took a sip and said it tasted like cold coffee, which probably best describes it.
I'm at a loss. I've been brewing 10-gallon batches for a while, and have never had such a difference between kegs. If the flavor in the second keg were different, I'd probably chalk it up to an infection, but I don't know of any bugs that strip beer of its flavor.
Any ideas?
Batch info:
24# 2-row
3# Special B
1oz Chinook each at 60, 45, 15, whirlpool
2 pks Nottingham
45-minute recirc mash at 149° (ended up closer to 156° by the end)
60-minute boil
Fermented at about 68-72° for 12 days
I put both kegs on CO2 and began sampling from the first keg about 1.5 weeks later. Right away, it wasn't terrific, but was drinkable. I figured it needed more time. I continued to "sample" on and off, and ultimately emptied the first keg. By the end of the keg, the beer was better, but still not terrific. A little astringent, a little cidery, but you got the general idea of the Bastard.
A couple of days ago, I switched over to the second keg. Not only is the flavor completely different, it's actually pretty bad. By bad, I mean BLAND. Very little bitter, almost no hop or malt character. My wife took a sip and said it tasted like cold coffee, which probably best describes it.
I'm at a loss. I've been brewing 10-gallon batches for a while, and have never had such a difference between kegs. If the flavor in the second keg were different, I'd probably chalk it up to an infection, but I don't know of any bugs that strip beer of its flavor.
Any ideas?
Batch info:
24# 2-row
3# Special B
1oz Chinook each at 60, 45, 15, whirlpool
2 pks Nottingham
45-minute recirc mash at 149° (ended up closer to 156° by the end)
60-minute boil
Fermented at about 68-72° for 12 days