Spaceball1
Active Member
I have one bottle of my first batch (NXNW Amber Ale) left and about half of my 2nd batch (Real Ale PA) left. 3rd batch will be in the bottles early next week.
First batch was very reminiscent of the brew it was trying to clone. The second - not so much. I did a taste test last night, and the clone is quite different than the original. The 2nd batch is drinkable, but kind of on the bitter side. Both have had a certain taste (which I can't even start to describe) in common. It's not especially bad, but it's not really present in the original beers I'm cloning and both batches have had it (2nd more so than 1st).
So.. with that said... I have some areas that I know I need to improve on, and I'm thinking that the taste issues might be related to these.
1) Temperature during primary.. During fermentation, I keep my pail in a water filled ice-chest in my closet. I periodically drop in freezer packs to maintain cool temps in the water. My goal is to maintain 58-62 in the water, but I'm not terribly dilligent with this, so actual water temps are more likely in the 62-68 range. I'm wondering if the off flavor I describe might be because of this.
2) Yeast. I've been using Nottingham dry. It's cheap ($1.59 vs $6.99 for liquids) and easy (no starters, just dump it in the bucket). Would the flavor difference between my brews and the originals be because I use a cheaper yeast rather than the more expensive ones?
3) Undercarbed. I use the priming sugar pack included in my recipe kit and bottle condition in my closet at 70-75 for 3 weeks. I'm usually pretty good at putting them in the fridge for 2-3 days before drinking as well. For the most part, my bottles have all been a touch undercarbed. It's not a huge deal, but a little more head would be nice.
I'm getting the urge to start doing some big beers (DFH90, Rogue Dead Guy) but before I go for those I want to get these and any other issues worked out..
Thoughts?
First batch was very reminiscent of the brew it was trying to clone. The second - not so much. I did a taste test last night, and the clone is quite different than the original. The 2nd batch is drinkable, but kind of on the bitter side. Both have had a certain taste (which I can't even start to describe) in common. It's not especially bad, but it's not really present in the original beers I'm cloning and both batches have had it (2nd more so than 1st).
So.. with that said... I have some areas that I know I need to improve on, and I'm thinking that the taste issues might be related to these.
1) Temperature during primary.. During fermentation, I keep my pail in a water filled ice-chest in my closet. I periodically drop in freezer packs to maintain cool temps in the water. My goal is to maintain 58-62 in the water, but I'm not terribly dilligent with this, so actual water temps are more likely in the 62-68 range. I'm wondering if the off flavor I describe might be because of this.
2) Yeast. I've been using Nottingham dry. It's cheap ($1.59 vs $6.99 for liquids) and easy (no starters, just dump it in the bucket). Would the flavor difference between my brews and the originals be because I use a cheaper yeast rather than the more expensive ones?
3) Undercarbed. I use the priming sugar pack included in my recipe kit and bottle condition in my closet at 70-75 for 3 weeks. I'm usually pretty good at putting them in the fridge for 2-3 days before drinking as well. For the most part, my bottles have all been a touch undercarbed. It's not a huge deal, but a little more head would be nice.
I'm getting the urge to start doing some big beers (DFH90, Rogue Dead Guy) but before I go for those I want to get these and any other issues worked out..
Thoughts?