AG brew weekend

[Kidder]

Hello all,

After 2.5 years I decided to get back into brewing, I tell you it's been long overdue and I'm truly glad to get back into it. My last batch prior to this weekend was the Beamish clone from Beer Captured. That was my very first AG batch and I remember it turning out amazing. I batch sparge using Denny's method with a Rubbermaid cooler and SS toilet supply line.

On Friday I brewed the Guinness "clone" in a BYO issue from a few years ago. Grain bill was 6# British 2-row pale, 1.6# flaked barley, 0.5# roasted barley. 1.72 oz Kent Goldings (5.6AA total) and WLP004 yeast. I made a couple slight changes to this...used Briess 2-row pale and Nottingham instead. I bought the BrewPal app for my iPhone, probably the best $0.99 I've ever spent.

The mash was a little lower at 141F than I wanted so I went into panic mode and added another gallon of 200F water. This brought it up to only 145F. Oh well, could be worse, it'll just be a little dryer and thinner when finished. It held steady for the full hour at 145. Strike water was 3 gallons (+1 gallon) and I collected 2 gallons for the first runnings. Sparged with 4.5 gallons of 176F water, rested for 10 minutes and the temp was 161. Collected enough for 6.5 gallons and had quite a bit leftover in the mash tun. Probably should've added 3.5 gallons instead of 4.5. Oh well. Relax, don't worry, have fun. Boiled for 60 minuutes, my new immersion wort chiller brought it down to 75 in about 20 minutes, I was happy. My OG was at 1.042-44. BrewPal said it should be 1.043. Not bad at all. I filled the airlock with vodka and it's bubbling away in my 62 degree basement as we speak.

I had so much fun with that one that decided to brew another batch today, a mild ale from the "speed brews" issue from BYO May-June 2006. I think this one will turn out pretty good as well. I ended up mashing at 156 for 45 minutes. Has anyone tried this mild ale? How is it? I just used a Cooper's yeast that I bought last weekend. I misread my thermometer (I need a better one) and pitched it at 83F. My basement is cool so it'll come down. My OG was around 1.038.

So, I'm very excited to get back into this hobby/obsession. Now I need to decide what my next beer is going to be. Thinking about the Dogfish Head 60 Min IPA clone.

Thanks for reading.

-Travis

 

[Grizzlybrew]

Glad to hear you're back in the fold... and having some great "welcome back" brews to boot!

 

[Kidder]

Well, fourth day into fermentation (the stout) and almost all activity in the airlock has stopped. It's around 59-61 degrees. I drew a sample to check gravity, 1.012. So it's pretty close to being finished but still a ton of krausen on top. I moved the fermenter to a slightly warmer area in the basement to help it finish out.

I tasted the sample and it's pretty weak and thin. Still slightly sweet and definitely some bitterness. Something just doesn't taste right. Chlorine? Sourness? I have to admit that I used tap water and didn't pre-boil it. There isn't a lot of chlorine in my city's water, not that can taste anyway. I have some malto dextrin that might help with the mouthfeel. I did mash pretty low at 145, maybe that's why it's thin? I also sparged too much I think, an extra gallon of water. Could that be another factor?

It's still young so maybe it'll get better in the next week or so. I'll keep you posted.

-Travis

 

[DFoster]

It's definitely an addictive hobby. I started doing all grain in October and haven't stopped...I continually want to add more grains and overall supplies. One of these days I'll have everything I need

 

[Kidder]

Now that I've been tasting more of it, it has a metallic taste. I've been using an older aluminum pot that came with the turkey fryer set I got years ago. Been using that to heat up my strike and sparge water. The bottom (inside) of it is not so good, it's pretty etched and rough. Could I be getting some leaching from the aluminum? My boiling pot is also aluminum but it is relatively new, second time using it. Should I replace the other pot with a smaller SS pot, maybe 5 gallon or so just for my strike and sparge water?

I read that EDTA will help get rid of the metallic taste, but add to it after it's done fermenting.

Hopefully my mild ale isn't too bad either.

-Travis

 

[Kidder]

I'm trying to think what could have caused this, maybe I'm just worrying too much. After all, it is still pretty darn green. Here are some possible causes:

-Young, green beer...only 4 days into fermentation

-Only lightly cleaned my new immersion wort chiller in a 50/50 vinegar/water solution before using it

-Strike/sparge water aluminum pot scratched to hell on bottom

-Used hot water from the tap for both the strike and sparge, I've read that this could lead to metallic off-flavors. I think that one's still up for debate.

-Chlorine in city water, though I cannot really taste it. I don't think this would cause a metallic flavor though.


Like I said the beer is still very green so I'll try to be patient and see how it matures. The aluminum pot defintely needs replaced before my next brew though. I'll taste the mild ale tomorrow night I think. Any thoughts?

Thanks for reading...

 

[KAMMEE]

What did you do for sanitization of the fermenter? Some sanitizers can leave some off flavors, such as chlorine which causes a band aid like rubbery taste to the beer. Others, like iodine have their own distinct off flavor thats really recognizable if used at levels that impart too many PPM to the solution.

Also, there is a thread here that discussions the aluminium issues you may have. Not sure I can answer your aluminium questions, but the thread might be able to, lot of good insight in there.

Green beer can have some funny/sharp flavors that dissipate over time, especially when bottle conditioning. One of these is contributed by the high quantity of yeast cells in your beer, and contribute to yeast bite. That may be what you're tasting? Anyone else think this may be the case?

 

[mj71]

FWIW, my first homebrew was a Sam Smith's Oatmeal stout clone. Two weeks in primary, three in the bottle. Cracked my first one and had that metallic zing. I went through the same concerns as you and was coached to just let it age.

I'm now two months after bottling and it just keeps getting better. Forget about it for a few months and you will likely be rewarded. RDWHAHB!

 

[Kidder]

I used Easy Clean or One Step for my sanitizer. I soaked everything and wiped with a clean dish towel, did not rinse. I typically use Iodophor for my bottles (I usually keg, then bottle 5-10 bottles) and secondary (glass carboy), never on anything else.

I did draw that sample very close to the top of the beer, where all the krausen is at. It is very possible that I drew a good amount of yeast with it.

I tasted the same sample last night and it was more bitter than anything, like hop bitterness. Not as metallic as it was the other night. It is also a lot colder now as well. I'll probably be racking it to the secondary here in the next day or two. I'll taste it again.

Thanks for the reply.

What did you do for sanitization of the fermenter? Some sanitizers can leave some off flavors, such as chlorine which causes a band aid like rubbery taste to the beer. Others, like iodine have their own distinct off flavor thats really recognizable if used at levels that impart too many PPM to the solution.

Also, there is a thread here that discussions the aluminium issues you may have. Not sure I can answer your aluminium questions, but the thread might be able to, lot of good insight in there.

Green beer can have some funny/sharp flavors that dissipate over time, especially when bottle conditioning. One of these is contributed by the high quantity of yeast cells in your beer, and contribute to yeast bite. That may be what you're tasting? Anyone else think this may be the case?

 

[jaginger]

I wouldn't use the hot tap water...i think that could be part of it.

Could you post the recipe you used?

 

[Kidder]

Yeah, hot tap water even smells odd. I've never used hot tap water before. I replaced the water heater 2 years ago so it's fairly new. We have moderately hard water. Here is the recipe I used:

6 lbs 2-row pale (Briess)
1.6 lbs flaked barley (Muntons)
0.5 lbs roasted barley (Muntons)

2 oz Kent Goldings pellet (US), 4.5%, 60 min

1 packet Nottingham dry yeast

Mash at 151F for 60 minutes. Boil 60 minutes. Ferment 7 days in primary, 7 days in secondary.

 

[BenS]

It's still young! If after 3 weeks in the keg you can still taste metallic, then start diagnosing. I don't even bother tasting my young beer anymore cause it all tasted like crap to me. Those are also really light beers so a little hops goes a long ways. Not to mention the roasted grains in the guiness clone. Sounds like a tasty beer. Post the recipe and I might try one of those session beers for myself.

EDIT. I use hot tap water for all my mashes. I've never noticed a consistant off flavor that would make me think its that and I live in west texas where all water is brown.

2ND EDIT.. I wouldn't carb very much to try to mute to bitterness

 

[Kidder]

I have an update, I just tasted the mild ale and it has absolutely no metallic taste to it. It actually smells and tastes really good. Very nutty flavor, some slight bitterness. Krausen is completely gone. SG is 1.014, recipe says it should finish at 1.007. Maybe I'll move it upstairs tonight to finish quicker. I can definitely see myself drinking this one on Saturday. Let me know if you want the recipe but I think it's on BYO's site.

This alleviates some worries I had about the stout. Definitely not the water. I'll just let it age some more and I'm sure it'll get better. I agree, it's still young. RDWHAHB is exactly what I'll do.

 

[Monty420th]

I wish I could use tap water in Vegas, but well, the water is total crap!!!

I am sure it will turn out just fine, even if you have to let it sit keg/bottle for another month it will only get better. I have only made 1 beer to date that I could pound down only 10 days after boiling...mmmm, can't wait to get home and crack the cap on another one

 

[Kidder]

I have an update on the stout....turned out great. I'm drinking it as I type. Nice frothy head, creamy, dry, roasty, a little thin (mashed low), not a hint of metallic taste at all. I just kegged and force carbonated about an hour ago...I couldn't wait any longer. Tastes so good for such a simple recipe.

I don't think I'll ever taste my beer 3 days into fermentation again.

Thanks for reading!