Help...Just not sure that I like my beer and I am brewing in the morning

I have made two batches very similar to each other and I get an interesting flavor that I don't care for as much as I thought I would. I have sanitized thoroughly. The two batches taste almost identical. They both are pretty full bodied but end with a very alcohol flavor. I am wondering if I just dont like Target hops.Anyway here are the recipes...

10# crisp marris otter
1# Simpsons golden promise
1oz UK Target 60 min boil
1oz UK goldings 15 min boil
Muntins dry yeast
primed with corn sugar

2nd recipe
10# crisp marris otter
1# buscuit
10z UK Target 60 min
1oz UK Fuggles 10 min
Danstar Nottingham
Primed with Corn sugar

Do you see anything that would give unique results here?

I now have on hand some new grain and I am brewing in the morning.

I have
5# Briess 2 row
4# Crisp marris otter
2# Muntins Pale malt
1# crystal 80

I also have
2 oz target
2 oz UK Fuggles
2oz UK E Kent Goldings
Please give me some recipe ideas to tweak it.

I am planning on
5# Briess 2 row
4# Crisp marris otter
2# Muntins Pale malt
1/2# crystal 80
1.250z UK Goldings 60 min
1.25oz UK Fuggles 10 min
Danstar Nottingham(I made a starter this afternoon)
Please give me ideas

We're missing loads of information on how you brew liker fermentation temps, mash temps, etc.. What don't you like? What do you like in a beer?

An alcoholic flavor comes from fermenting at too high a temp.

During the fermentation process the inside of the fermenter gets warmer than the outside. Try placing it in a (slightly) cooler location.

Your recipes look fine at first glance. If you're getting hot alcohol flavors I'd suspect your fermentation temperatures were too high.

The brewer's job does not end when the lid is snapped down and the airlock put in place. That's just the first phase. Controlling fermentation temperature is a key component to brewing great beer (a lesson I'm learning the hard way on a couple of batches).

Consider getting a couple of Fermometer stick-on thermometers for your fermentation buckets/carboys. Some people build simple fermentation chambers out of insulation. Others simply place the bucket/carboy in a restaurant bus tub full of water to act as a heat brake or temperature stabilizer. However you do it, you want to keep your temps stable and at the low end of your yeast's range to avoid hot fusel alcohols.

Chad

EdWort said:

We're missing loads of information on how you brew liker fermentation temps, mash temps, etc.. What don't you like? What do you like in a beer?

Click to expand...

Cool... I mash in @ 152 degrees for 1 hour. boil for 60 minutes. I ferment in a conical fermenter in my lagerater @ 64 degrees for one week the crash it to 55 for one week then bottle.

I want a beer that tastes more like a samual adams pale ale with less hops. I really want to nail a nice Brittish pale. I was afraid of the Marris otter after these two batchs.This tastes a little bready and alcoholy.

How old are they from the bottle? Might just be 'green.'

Most people say Maris Otter is one of the best cultivars (variety) of 2-row to use, I would not disagree. Maybe you need to try and build some complexity from the use of specialty grains. For example, the first recipe was all base grain. And a pound of biscuit might have been too much on the second. I suspect that addition of the crystal in the next batch will add some more complexity allowing the 'bready' flavors of the MO come through but not overwhelm.

I might suggest trying to replicate someone else's recipe exactly and then compare tasting notes. There are a lot of good ones in the database: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=82

Making multiple changes batch to batch makes it very difficult to zero in on a flavor profile. You are changing grain bill, hops and yeast each time. I would recommend finding an actual clone recipe of your target beer, brew that to ensure you have the process down, THEN make one change.

Ok, Brewed this morning.

Here's the recipe

5# Briess 2 row
4# Crisp marris otter
2# Muntins Pale malt
1/2# crystal 80
2oz Chocolate malt
mashed in at 152 3.5 gallons
Two batch sparges at 172 2.25gallons each
Boiled 7 gallons ended up with 5.5 S.G. 1.055
1.250z UK Fuggles 60 min
.33oz Target 60min
.75oz UK goldings 15 min
.75oz UK goldings 2 min
Danstar Nottingham from a Marris Otter starter
in the lagerator
@ 62-65 degrees (set to 62 with a +3 swing)

For the record, I don't much like Maris Otter until it's been in the bottle for at least a month. That bready taste you describe doesn't appeal to me either, but it does go away after a couple of weeks. THEN you will see why everybody raves about M.O.

What I see missing from your first two beers is some specialty grains, especially crystal malt of some sort. An all base malt beer is probably not going to be as flavorful and full bodied as you want.
Hot alcohol flavor as mentioned is usually result of starting your fermentation at too high of temp. Try to keep it around 65F especially for the first day or two.
Craig

Yeah, I think this should be a better beer indeed. I got more color that I was looking for. The fermentation has already kicked off so we'll see how this one turns out. To be honest I am a bit impatient when it comes to sampling beer. I drink it as soon as it becomes somewhat carbonated. That may come from having many beers that have sat around for 6 months and not being that much better today than the day they were carbonated. Maybe with the otter it will make more of a difference.

Thanks for the input guys.