Stout Man
Well-Known Member
I just finished bottling my first extract batch of an irish stout. OG of 1.062 and just before I bottled it the FG was at 1.021. The highest the temperature got on the main fermenter was 74 F. It was only at that temperature for the first day only in the afternoon. At night it would dip to 68 to 70 F. After that the temperature was anywhere from 62 to 68. I have tasted it a few times and it does not have any distinguishable off tastes expect for tasting generally like apples or fruity. However after siphoning the beer into the bottling bucket all I could smell was alcohol. If I looked hard enough I could smell the roasted barley but otherwise the alcohol smell covered it up. It does not taste alcoholic however. I've been through John Palmer's website and can't really find anything. I've noticed that Guinness had a slight alcohol smell along with the barley after pouring. I did read that Guinness was fermented at 25 celcius or 77 fahrenheit. I have no idea if this is true. So basically whats up with the alcohol smell and how much of the fruity taste goes away? There is no overpowering alcohol or fruity taste and the beer tasted good. I'll be sure to figure out a way to keep temperature lower during the early stages of fermentation.
I've noticed that any Guinness I've had recently has had a hard time keeping consistent. Especially the 12 oz bottles with the plastic thing inside. Anyone else?
I've noticed that any Guinness I've had recently has had a hard time keeping consistent. Especially the 12 oz bottles with the plastic thing inside. Anyone else?