I am missing something in my brews.....

[camp20]

I have brewed a few 5 gal batches and I am not happy with the results yet. I am not doing anything fancy for starters but I just can not get a basic brew using malt with some DME to come out "good".


I do the same process every time and I am thinking I am either missing a set or doing something wrong. I sanitize everything very well and use a spray bottle with sanitizer as needed.

1. Boil 2 1/2 gal water and let cool ( I use this to fill the fermenter to the 5 gal line.
2. put malt can in hot water to soften
3. I have a 5 gal pot so I can boil about 3 1/2 gals. I boil as much water as I can until a boil. I add the malt and DME as directed. I stir until completely dissolved and mixed in.
4. I use my wort chiller to cool my wort to 90 deg or so.
5. Add wort to fermenter and top off with the pre-boiled water to 5 gal. mark.
6. stir wort with wisk for a min or so to try to aerating it, can only do this a min or so until it bubbles too much.
7. add yeast
8. wait 2-3 weeks and bottle...

All of my brews has a yeasty taste, not a ton but enough to say the beer is not "good". Even when I started with brewing Mr. Beer all of the ales would all taste the same no matter what flavor and I would also get a yeasty taste as well.

Am I doing something wrong to not get a good beer result? should I be paying attention to some area I am not addressing currently?

Any suggestions is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Camp

 

[gstrawn]

I have brewed a few 5 gal batches and I am not happy with the results yet. I am not doing anything fancy for starters but I just can not get a basic brew using malt with some DME to come out "good". I do the same process every time and I am thinking I am either missing a set or doing something wrong. I sanitize everything very well and use a spray bottle with sanitizer as needed. 1. Boil 2 1/2 gal water and let cool ( I use this to fill the fermenter to the 5 gal line. 2. put malt can in hot water to soften 3. I have a 5 gal pot so I can boil about 3 1/2 gals. I boil as much water as I can until a boil. I add the malt and DME as directed. I stir until completely dissolved and mixed in. 4. I use my wort chiller to cool my wort to 90 deg or so. 5. Add wort to fermenter and top off with the pre-boiled water to 5 gal. mark. 6. stir wort with wisk for a min or so to try to aerating it, can only do this a min or so until it bubbles too much. 7. add yeast 8. wait 2-3 weeks and bottle... All of my brews has a yeasty taste, not a ton but enough to say the beer is not "good". Even when I started with brewing Mr. Beer all of the ales would all taste the same no matter what flavor and I would also get a yeasty taste as well. Am I doing something wrong to not get a good beer result? should I be paying attention to some area I am not addressing currently? Any suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Camp

My biggest improvement in brewing is yeast health. Make sure you're pitching enough yeast for the gravity of brew youre making, there's calculators. Pitch the yeast at a healthy temp, control fermentation temps (with a fridge or swamp cooler.) I have learned the recipe has less to do with the end products quality than does the process.

 

[Hello]

Can I see a recipe that you've used?
What temp are you pitching at?

 

[CadillacAndy]

Tell us a little about your fermentation - starting temp, temp changes, yeast strain, etc.

Also, how long are you letting the beer sit before cracking one open? Are you leaving the layer of yeast on the bottle of the bottle when you pour in to a glass?

 

[DocScott]

I agree that a recipe would help. It sounds like you are using prehopped extracts with some extra dme. To me, this can lead to a "ho-hum", kind of boring beer without much interesting to speak of.

Now that you have some experience with the process of brewing and fermenting, I'd suggest moving away from the prehopped extracts and start adding your own hops during the boil. Then start with steeping some specialty grains to add more color/flavor on the malt side.

To me, a lot of the interest of the beer comes in the malt and hop selection (and yeast selection and fermentation temps). When you use a canned kit, you get what you get. I think some branching out here can help excite your beers a lot.

Check out the recipe section for some simple, but delicious creations.

 

[DocScott]

Also, if you are using the yeast that comes with your extract, don't. Order some fresh yeast that fits your intended style. There are some great liquid yeasts that are very simple to use, and some good dry yeasts too if they are less intimidating to you. (Liquid yeasts should not scare you though)

 

[Demus]

Most newer brewers suffer from 2 basic problems. Impatience, causing you to do everything too soon...
-Bottling too soon leaves off flavors that could have been absorbed by the yeast if left in the fermentor for and extra week or 10 days.
-Drinking too soon doesn't allow for all the flavors to stabilize and peak. It's not just about carbonation.
The second biggest problem is lack of temperature control. A cool closet just doesn't cut it for most yeast strains and beer styles. Unless your house is in the low 60's to upper 50's you simply can't keep ferments in their best range for flavor, and end up with excess off flavor compounds. This is exacerbated by problem #1.

If you give your beers an extra week to 10 days in the fermentor AFTER a stable final gravity is reached, AND use some method to keep the temperature of the BEER stable and in the ideal range for the yeast being used, I can guarantee you'll see improvement in your results...

 

[camp20]

I have done a few batches with just using a coopers malt and on the can it just says to add DME and that is it. I have tried adding more DME to help with the taste but that did not seem to help. I have also tried one true brew kit (bock). I found myself trying darker brews just to mast the yeasty taste but does not seem to work.

I use the yeast that comes under the can or what comes in the brew kit. as you know they are all dry yeast. I will pitch the yeast when the wort is under 90 degrees and the fermenter is usually around 68-70 deg maybe a couple of the brews a little warmer due to it being summer. I tried to ferment a brew in the basement were the temp was a constant 66-68 deg.

After I bottle a brew I will wait at least one month min up to 2+ months. After I bottle, I leave the bottles in the same temp as the fermenter which is around 68-70 deg.

After thinking about the last couple brews, they were in the summer and I can say the temp was not always 68-70 because so days would be hot. maybe this is why, my temp is probably all over the place?

I was thinking I was not aerating my work enough, would that be possible?

I want to go to all grain but I want to get the basic brew worked out before I go the next step.

 

[Nightshade]

Are you cold crashing the beer once the 2-3 weeks of fermentation are done?
Are you testing gravity to be sure fermentation is finished or going off of airlock activity?

Cold crashing (I hate that term) means you cool the finished product so that the yeast falls out of suspension to the bottom. Usually you can place it into a refrigerator and let it sit for a couple days. You should still have enough yeast in suspension for carbing during bottling but not so much you can taste the yeast once it is bottle conditioned.

 

[glick]

I would suggest reading up on the basics of brewing. Temperature control at all stages of brewing is essential. Since you are having difficulty with the extract kit I would shelve the idea of all grain for now. Look into using a swamp cooler, it doesn't take much and it makes a huge difference. Also, you said you brewed a bock kit. I would stay away from lagers until you have the process of brewing ales down.

 

[camp20]

Before I bottle, I actually siphon to a bottling bucket and add the dextrose and then bottle. I do not have much of anything in the bottom of my bottles since I started to transfer to a bottling bucket.

I do not cold crash, I do not have a place to do this.

 

[camp20]

a swamp cooler? Is this a basic cooler or are you talking a frig with a digital temp control?

 

[Demus]

The yeast under the lid of a can of LME is certainly substandard. You can't expect good results from old, stale yeast of unknown origin. Pony up a few extra bucks for decent yeast or continue to suffer the consequences....

 

[DocScott]

See my previous two posts. Your quality will improve dramatically when YOU choose what goes in YOUR beer.

Look into some hops and fresh yeast for your next brew. Use dme like you have been, but get rid of the prehopped, canned stuff. This, combined with keeping your ferment temps down and you'll get the excitement you're looking for.

 

[Malric]

I agree with the other posts on the yeast health, but there are other factors to consider.


1. Pitching yeast straight from the packet into 90 degree wort is not ideal. Rehydrate the yeast and try to pitch around or under your fermentation temperature.
2. Try a recipe that has steeped speciality grain. I found my flavor improved by a huge margin after moving beyond LME/DME.
3. Build a swamp cooler, use a bathtub, etc for temperature control. It doesn't need to be perfect, but most yeast will function better in the low to mid 60s.
4. Remember that the temperature inside the fermentor is higher than the air around it. A fermentor in a 70 room could easily be 75-80.

If you haven't already, I suggest reading the latest copy of 'how to brew' by John Palmer. I have a well thumbed copy that I still reference quite often. I also suggest checking out the podcast 'brew strong' on the brewing network. It is extremely informative and quite entertaining. I normally catch up on the backlog of episodes while I brew.

Don't get discouraged, you can brew great beer!

 

[Yooper]

I have done a few batches with just using a coopers malt and on the can it just says to add DME and that is it. I have tried adding more DME to help with the taste but that did not seem to help. I have also tried one true brew kit (bock). I found myself trying darker brews just to mast the yeasty taste but does not seem to work.

I use the yeast that comes under the can or what comes in the brew kit. as you know they are all dry yeast. I will pitch the yeast when the wort is under 90 degrees and the fermenter is usually around 68-70 deg maybe a couple of the brews a little warmer due to it being summer. I tried to ferment a brew in the basement were the temp was a constant 66-68 deg.

After I bottle a brew I will wait at least one month min up to 2+ months. After I bottle, I leave the bottles in the same temp as the fermenter which is around 68-70 deg.

After thinking about the last couple brews, they were in the summer and I can say the temp was not always 68-70 because so days would be hot. maybe this is why, my temp is probably all over the place?

I was thinking I was not aerating my work enough, would that be possible?

I want to go to all grain but I want to get the basic brew worked out before I go the next step.

If you're dealing with Cooper's kits, they are not good quality to begin with. I'd start with a good kit from a reputable homebrew store, like northernbrewer.com or austinhomebrew.com that comes with fresh crushed grains, hops, and extract. The quality is important. With beer ingredients like this, you do get what you pay for.

Temperature is very important as well, and fermenting at 65-70 degrees will make a big difference- but a Cooper's or John Bull kit just isn't going to ever be "good" to drink if you're looking for commercial craft quality beer.

 

[k_mcarthur]

a swamp cooler? Is this a basic cooler or are you talking a frig with a digital temp control?

A swamp cooler is a larger vessel you lower your carboy/bucket into, fill with water, and float frozen plastic bottles in it to lower the temps to mid to lower 60's. Works very well and cheap, just have to tend to the bottles. Always wait to pitch yeast until you're at the right temp. I leave my wort in fermenting fridge until the next day during the summer to get wort down far enough. If your sanitation is good there will be no problems. Most yeast will make off flavors if above 75 for any amount of time the first few days.

 

[camp20]

get rid of the prehopped, canned stuff? I thought the true brew kits was a step up from the coopers malt cans with DME but it still has prehopped, canned stuff but they do have some grain and hops.... what would I be looking at if I do not go with the prehopped,canned stuff, all grain?

 

[glick]

I really suggest doing some reading on the basics as well. As others have said, pick an extract recipe from the recipe section and ditch the kits. There are some great tried and true recipes there. Just keep at it.

 

[Yooper]

get rid of the prehopped, canned stuff? I thought the true brew kits was a step up from the coopers malt cans with DME but it still has prehopped, canned stuff but they do have some grain and hops.... what would I be looking at if I do not go with the prehopped,canned stuff, all grain?

I don't know what kind of style you'd like best, but here's an example of a quality kit: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/scottish-80-extract-kit.html

Click on the "additional information" tab to see what is actually included, and you can see the actual instructions as well!

 

[Malric]

If you're dealing with Cooper's kits, they are not good quality to begin with. I'd start with a good kit from a reputable homebrew store, like northernbrewer.com or austinhomebrew.com that comes with fresh crushed grains, hops, and extract. The quality is important. With beer ingredients like this, you do get what you pay for.

Temperature is very important as well, and fermenting at 65-70 degrees will make a big difference- but a Cooper's or John Bull kit just isn't going to ever be "good" to drink if you're looking for commercial craft quality beer.

I missed the coopers note. I fully agree with Yooper. I have ordered several kits from Austin and been very happy with their products. The last one that I brewed from them was a falconers flight IPA. Very tasty.

 

[glick]

get rid of the prehopped, canned stuff? I thought the true brew kits was a step up from the coopers malt cans with DME but it still has prehopped, canned stuff but they do have some grain and hops.... what would I be looking at if I do not go with the prehopped,canned stuff, all grain?

There are extract kits that do not use canned crap. For now I would remove all grain from your vocabulary. Focus on extract, but not the cheap garbage kits. Check out northernbrewer.com for their kits, or austin homebrew for theirs. Neither will contain canned garbage.

 

[camp20]

I have read a lot before I started brewing over a year ago but a lot of that did not make sense but I am sure if I revisit the books again I will pick up the fine points I am missing.

I like the idea of a swamp cooler, I bought a sheet of foam thinking of doing a cooler box but I have put it off because it will take up some much space but the swamp cooler will work just fine.

After I read up on the basic to refresh the process, I will get an extract kit with good yeast. and pay attention to the temperature. I was thinking of a good red ale. http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/recipe-kits/irish-red-ale-extract-kit.html

I like all kinds of beer, I just want to make a beer I like enough to make many 5 gal batches over and over and will like to share some good brew with friends and say yeah I brewed that.

 

[Yooper]

I have read a lot before I started brewing over a year ago but a lot of that did not make sense but I am sure if I revisit the books again I will pick up the fine points I am missing.

I like the idea of a swamp cooler, I bought a sheet of foam thinking of doing a cooler box but I have put it off because it will take up some much space but the swamp cooler will work just fine.

After I read up on the basic to refresh the process, I will get an extract kit with good yeast. and pay attention to the temperature. I was thinking of a good red ale. http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/recipe-kits/irish-red-ale-extract-kit.html

I like all kinds of beer, I just want to make a beer I like enough to make many 5 gal batches over and over and will like to share some good brew with friends and say yeah I brewed that.

That is a good ingredient kit! Did you notice that they have full ingredients and instructions on a separate sheet?

Here's the directions they had on that sheet:

ON BREWING DAY
2. Collect and heat 2.5 gallons of water.
3. For mail-order customers grains for extract kits come
crushed by default, but if you requested uncrushed
grains, crush them now. Pour crushed grain into
supplied mesh bag and tie the open end in a knot. Steep
for 20 minutes or until water reaches 170°F. Remove
bag and discard.
4. Bring to a boil and add the 6 lbs Gold malt syrup.
Remove the kettle from the burner and stir in the
Gold malt syrup.
5. Return wort to boil. The mixture is now called “wort”,
the brewer’s term for unfermented beer.
- Add 1 oz Willamette hops and boil for 60 minutes.
- Add 1 oz US Goldings hops 30 minutes before the
end of the boil.
6. Cool the wort. When the 60-minute boil is finished,
cool the wort to approximately 100° F as rapidly as
possible. Use a wort chiller, or put the kettle in an ice
bath in your sink.
7. Sanitize fermenting equipment and yeast pack. While
the wort cools, sanitize the fermenting equipment –
fermenter, lid or stopper, fermentation lock, funnel, etc –
along with the yeast pack and a pair of scissors.
8. Fill primary fermenter with 2 gallons of cold water,
then pour in the cooled wort. Leave any thick sludge in
the bottom of the kettle.
9. Add more cold water as needed to bring the
volume to 5 gallons.
10. Aerate the wort. Seal the fermenter and rock back
and forth to splash for a few minutes, or use an aeration
system and diffusion stone.
11. Optional: if you have our Mad Brewer Upgrade or
Gravity Testing kits, measure specific gravity of the wort
with a hydrometer and record.11. Measure specific gravity
of the wort with a hydrometer and record.
12. Add yeast once the temperature of the wort is 78°F or
lower (not warm to the touch). Use the sanitized scissors
to cut off a corner of the yeast pack, and carefully pour
the yeast into the primary fermenter.
13. Seal the fermenter. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of
water to the sanitized fermentation lock. Insert the lock
into rubber stopper or lid, and seal the fermenter.
14. Move the fermenter to a warm, dark, quiet spot until
fermentation begins.
IRISH RED ALE
BEYOND BREWING DAY, WEEKS 1–2
15. Active fermentation begins. Within approximately
48 hours of Brewing Day, active fermentation will
begin – there will be a cap of foam on the surface of
the beer, and you may see bubbles come through the
fermentation lock.
16. Active fermentation ends. Approximately 1–2 weeks
after brewing day, active fermentation will end: the cap
of foam falls back into the new beer, bubbling in the
fermentation lock slows down or stops.
17. Transfer beer to secondary fermenter. Sanitize
siphoning equipment and an airlock and carboy bung or
stopper. Siphon the beer from the primary fermenter into
the secondary.
BEYOND BREWING DAY—
SECONDARY FERMENTATION
18. Secondary fermentation. Allow the beer to condition in the secondary fermenter for 2–4 weeks
before proceeding with the next step. Timing now is
somewhat flexible.
BOTTLING DAY—ABOUT 1 MONTH
AFTER BREWING DAY
19. Sanitize siphoning and bottling equipment.
20. Mix a priming solution (a measured amount of sugar
dissolved in water to carbonate the bottled beer). Use
the following amounts, depending on which type of
sugar you will use:
- Corn sugar (dextrose) 2
/
3
cup in 16 oz water.
- Table sugar (sucrose) 5/
8
cup in 16 oz water.
Then bring the solution to a boil and pour into the
bottling bucket.
21. Siphon beer into bottling bucket and mix with priming
solution. Stir gently to mix—don’t splash.
22. Fill and cap bottles.
1–2 WEEKS AFTER BOTTLING DAY
23. Condition bottles at room temperature for 1–2 weeks.
After this point, the bottles can be stored cool or cold.
24. Serving. Pour into a clean glass, being careful to leave the layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Cheers

__________________________________________________________

Perfect! Good fresh ingredients, excellent directions, and a good beer.

Last thing I'd think about is your water. If your water is great to drink and cook with that would be fine usually- but some people have chlorine and/or chloromines or a water softener. So consider your water as well, as good water makes good beer. Some people buy spring water at the store in jugs, because they have poor tasting tap water.

 

[glick]

Now your on the right track!! I would suggest campden tablets to treat your water for chlorine and/or chloromines if your not going to use bottled water. Other then that good luck with the kit!

 

[camp20]

the instructions seems easy enough. I have a few question on them.

It does not say what temp the fermenter should be at? It say to pitch yeast at 76 deg but nothing about the fermenter temp

17. Transfer beer to secondary fermenter. I have heard people say this is not needed and others say they do it, what is your thoughts? Direction say to do it so do it?

Dry yeast ok or should I go with liquid?

Thank you

 

[Hello]

The swamp cooler is indeed cheap and easy. You really don't have to do much if you aren't trying to bring the temp down from 90 degrees. I suggest adding the necessary water (for extract brewing) to your wort as cold as possible. This makes a ton of difference. Use the swamp cooler and pitch dry yeast after rehydrating.

You have what appears to be terrible temp control and maybe substandard ingredients. You can get a great extract kit for under $40 most times and I think you'll see a decent difference.

 

[glick]

the instructions seems easy enough. I have a few question on them.

It does not say what temp the fermenter should be at? It say to pitch yeast at 76 deg but nothing about the fermenter temp

17. Transfer beer to secondary fermenter. I have heard people say this is not needed and others say they do it, what is your thoughts? Direction say to do it so do it?

Dry yeast ok or should I go with liquid?

Thank you

You want to ferment in the mid 60's. I would pitch below 70 if you can, but if you can't be sure to get the temp down quick. It's not hard to do with a swamp cooler and ice bottles. I would skip the secondary fermentor for this beer. You are not going to dry hop or add additional fermentables so it isn't needed. I would just try and focus on getting the basic process down for this one. I would also go with the dry yeast, it's easier to work with and right now you are changing a lot of other variables in your process. Keep it as simple as you can.

 

[camp20]

wow mid 60... I was not even close to that temp for sure.

I am so pumped I got some great info here. I have been worried about my brewing days for a few weeks now. I am excited to place an order maybe Monday for a Saturday brew.

Thank you all, for all for you help.

 

[glick]

One more tip... if you don't have one get a fermometer for your fermentor. It's a stick on thermometer that tells you the temp of the wort in the fermentor rather than having to guess.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/fermometer.html

 

[camp20]

since I will be using a swamp cooler, will that thermometer read a lot cooler than the wort?

I was thinking of using a tote for the swamp cooler, how much water do I put in it? 3/4 up the fermenter bucket? I have some frozen mike jugs filled with water well ice now, I was thinking of using to cool the water, I think that should work.

 

[glick]

No, the thermometer reads the temp of the fermentor. It works. The tote will also work well, and so will frozen milk jugs. I would also freeze some smaller bottles to fine tune the temp. A full milk jug will drop your temp pretty far pretty fast which is great if you can't get it cool enough from the start but may be too much during fermentation. maybe fill one only half full and one all of the way. It depends on the ambient air temp.

 

[camp20]

Glad you said that about the milk jugs may be too cold. I will freeze different sizes so I can regulate the temp better.

How much water do I put into the swamp cooler?

 

[glick]

fill it so that it's level with the wort. Once you get the wort at the temp you want it's really easy to keep it there. Just keep your eye on the thermometer and when it warms up from where you want it to be... add ice!

 

[Malric]

Remember, time is your friend. Give it 2-4 weeks in the fermentor before you bottle. Give it at least another 2-4 weeks in the bottle.