wowbeeryum
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- Joined
- Feb 27, 2012
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i've brewed two beers, the first a basic saison (recipe from LHBS, designated using "the hop of the month"), the second an extra pale ale (cloned recipe from northern brewer).
recipes used
saison http://hopville.com/recipe/1259140/saison-recipes/basic-saison
xpa http://hopville.com/recipe/1246009/american-pale-ale-recipes/extrapa
methods/details
saison
the saison bottles have been carbonating for 2.5 weeks @ 70 degrees. i hit the targeted og and fg, bottling after 2 weeks in primary. i steeped the grains between 160-170 degrees for 20 minutes, and squeezed the muslin bag with my hands some once i was done. the bag was relatively hot so i couldn't squeeze for too long or with too much pressure. no scorching of the lme during additions, made sure to remove pot from heat and stirred like crazy. achieved boil for the prescribed time, but barely on my electric stove. the boil wasn't strong/vigorous, i couldn't have achieved a boil over even if i tried. boiled without the lid.
i used 5oz, by VOLUME, of priming sugar for bottling. i now understand this wasn't totally correct, but doesn't seem terribly far off. it probably took me 30-40 minutes to cool down the wort, i didn't have enough ice on hand. topped up to 5 gallons with straight tap water. i had preboiled tap water but way underestimated the time it would take to cool, sort of thought it would cool on its own by time it was to be used. it was way too hot when it came time to top up so i scrapped it and went straight to the tap.
local water report: http://hopsandberries.com/faq/2010 Water Quality Annual Summary KE08Feb11.pdf
i imagine my water would be similar to the hospital. i pitched the yeast in the low 60s, no starter, smack pack was inflated. ultimately fermented at 68-70 degrees. i didn't move the beer during fermentation and siphoning went smoothly, with i believe minimal aeration. i soaked my bottles in a bathtub with hot water and multiple scoops of oxyclean free for 6-8 hours, in advance, then rinsed twice and put away. on the day of bottling i put them in the dishwasher, no dish soap, but yes there was some sort of jet dry-like rinse agent, and ran on the sanitize setting. just prior to filling soaked each bottle in starsan, then poured out and didn't rinse. all my equipment was new so i rinsed prior to use but didn't clean. used starsan on all equipment prior to use.
i tasted my gravity samples along the way and a bottle at the end of weeks 1 and 2. all smelled decent and tasted ok, if a little green and flat. i drank 2 bottles tonight after putting them in the freezer then fridge for 1-2 hours total. poured into glass, leaving 1/2 inch of sediment in bottom. if poured hard will foam all the way to the top. otherwise, small head if poured carefully.
xpa
largely similar in terms of process, but was able cool down the wort in about 20 minutes with the use of a bunch of ice. pitched in the low 60s, fermented low-mid 60s. hit close to OG and am very close to fg.
the problem: the smell and initial taste are great. after a few seconds, or if you sort of swish it around your mouth, there is this sort of harsh/soapy/bitter aftertaste. it is very noticeable to me now, but nothing i picked up on previously. it really sticks to your taste buds, almost tingly, affecting future tastes of food/drink. that's the best way to describe it. i immediately thought of dish soap, hoping my glass wasn't rinsed well or something. rinsed glass between beers but same result.
additionally, my second beer, the xpa, is working its way through fermentation. presently at 1.5 weeks in primary and near or at fg. i've started taking gravity samples, hoping to dry hop it soon for a bit then cold crash. samples have good smell and initial taste, but there is somewhat of a similar bite/aftertaste, although not nearly as pronounced. i was slightly disappointed but initially chalked it up to being green/bitter/ a little harsh/ whatever, but now i'm worried that i've done something procedurally wrong which is spanning multiple brews.
i did some searching at it seems a soapy aftertaste could be a result of high fermenting temps (doesn't seem to be the case here, especially not with 3711), poor rinsing of cleaning products (doesn't seem to the be case but a rinse agent was in the dishwasher), squeezing the steeped grains (i did do this some), steeping too hot (looks like i'm at the upper edge for sure), and/or leaving in primary too long (it couldn't be that after only two weeks).
maybe it's not that though. i just punched the saison recipe into hopville and see that the IBUs are sky high. the printed recipe calls for IBUs of about 25-28, but like i said the recipe says to use 1.25oz of the hop of the month, which apparently was summit. i didn't know enough at the time to recognize that this, the huge AAs in summit, could be a problem.
thoughts? if i'm doing something wrong i want to change it for future brews.
recipes used
saison http://hopville.com/recipe/1259140/saison-recipes/basic-saison
xpa http://hopville.com/recipe/1246009/american-pale-ale-recipes/extrapa
methods/details
saison
the saison bottles have been carbonating for 2.5 weeks @ 70 degrees. i hit the targeted og and fg, bottling after 2 weeks in primary. i steeped the grains between 160-170 degrees for 20 minutes, and squeezed the muslin bag with my hands some once i was done. the bag was relatively hot so i couldn't squeeze for too long or with too much pressure. no scorching of the lme during additions, made sure to remove pot from heat and stirred like crazy. achieved boil for the prescribed time, but barely on my electric stove. the boil wasn't strong/vigorous, i couldn't have achieved a boil over even if i tried. boiled without the lid.
i used 5oz, by VOLUME, of priming sugar for bottling. i now understand this wasn't totally correct, but doesn't seem terribly far off. it probably took me 30-40 minutes to cool down the wort, i didn't have enough ice on hand. topped up to 5 gallons with straight tap water. i had preboiled tap water but way underestimated the time it would take to cool, sort of thought it would cool on its own by time it was to be used. it was way too hot when it came time to top up so i scrapped it and went straight to the tap.
local water report: http://hopsandberries.com/faq/2010 Water Quality Annual Summary KE08Feb11.pdf
i imagine my water would be similar to the hospital. i pitched the yeast in the low 60s, no starter, smack pack was inflated. ultimately fermented at 68-70 degrees. i didn't move the beer during fermentation and siphoning went smoothly, with i believe minimal aeration. i soaked my bottles in a bathtub with hot water and multiple scoops of oxyclean free for 6-8 hours, in advance, then rinsed twice and put away. on the day of bottling i put them in the dishwasher, no dish soap, but yes there was some sort of jet dry-like rinse agent, and ran on the sanitize setting. just prior to filling soaked each bottle in starsan, then poured out and didn't rinse. all my equipment was new so i rinsed prior to use but didn't clean. used starsan on all equipment prior to use.
i tasted my gravity samples along the way and a bottle at the end of weeks 1 and 2. all smelled decent and tasted ok, if a little green and flat. i drank 2 bottles tonight after putting them in the freezer then fridge for 1-2 hours total. poured into glass, leaving 1/2 inch of sediment in bottom. if poured hard will foam all the way to the top. otherwise, small head if poured carefully.
xpa
largely similar in terms of process, but was able cool down the wort in about 20 minutes with the use of a bunch of ice. pitched in the low 60s, fermented low-mid 60s. hit close to OG and am very close to fg.
the problem: the smell and initial taste are great. after a few seconds, or if you sort of swish it around your mouth, there is this sort of harsh/soapy/bitter aftertaste. it is very noticeable to me now, but nothing i picked up on previously. it really sticks to your taste buds, almost tingly, affecting future tastes of food/drink. that's the best way to describe it. i immediately thought of dish soap, hoping my glass wasn't rinsed well or something. rinsed glass between beers but same result.
additionally, my second beer, the xpa, is working its way through fermentation. presently at 1.5 weeks in primary and near or at fg. i've started taking gravity samples, hoping to dry hop it soon for a bit then cold crash. samples have good smell and initial taste, but there is somewhat of a similar bite/aftertaste, although not nearly as pronounced. i was slightly disappointed but initially chalked it up to being green/bitter/ a little harsh/ whatever, but now i'm worried that i've done something procedurally wrong which is spanning multiple brews.
i did some searching at it seems a soapy aftertaste could be a result of high fermenting temps (doesn't seem to be the case here, especially not with 3711), poor rinsing of cleaning products (doesn't seem to the be case but a rinse agent was in the dishwasher), squeezing the steeped grains (i did do this some), steeping too hot (looks like i'm at the upper edge for sure), and/or leaving in primary too long (it couldn't be that after only two weeks).
maybe it's not that though. i just punched the saison recipe into hopville and see that the IBUs are sky high. the printed recipe calls for IBUs of about 25-28, but like i said the recipe says to use 1.25oz of the hop of the month, which apparently was summit. i didn't know enough at the time to recognize that this, the huge AAs in summit, could be a problem.
thoughts? if i'm doing something wrong i want to change it for future brews.