I can't Brew All Grain...

[OLDBREW]

Location: South of Boston, By way of West Virginia!!

What are you using west virginia well water?? or are you just south of Boston using municiple water?

try brewing a darker beer the next batch and use campden tablets in your brewing water

I'd think you would have off flavors in the extract versions if your water was that bad...

 

[Beavdowg]

Do you use your immersion chiller when you do your extract batches?

The reason I asked about using your immersion chiller for your extract batches also is because you stated you put your chiller in for the last 5 minutes of the boil. That may not be enough time. Most people will recommend putting your chiller in the wort for the last 15 minutes of the boil for proper sanitization.

Just a thought.

 

[Denny]

wont 170 be dangeriously close to tannin extracting? I am not saying your wrong but more asking for my own aid as i am new to all grain as well

pH is a far more important factor than temp. What about a decoction mash where you boil the grain? Obviously above 170, but the pH is low enough that it isn't a problem.

 

[GweedoeBrew]

OK... who is ready for a twist (and probably an "I told you so" from Denny).... So I spoke above about my last batch (Belgium Wit) smelling of the "Cidery, Rancid" smell like a few other all grain batches I did...

Well I brewed it back in Sept. I let it sit in the carboy at or around 65 degrees... I had my Dad (also a homebrewer) over last week and he took a sniff of the carboy and thought it smelled good... So we Kegged it on the 27th... and starting drinking it on the 30th!!! Tasted good (not my best beer... but not bad!) No Cider flavor or smell... I don't know... I am going to try All Grain again in the spring... might use bottled water or get a filtration system for my water...

But anyway... I guess sitting in the carboy for 3 months did the trick!!

 

[ekjohns]

does all grain need to sit longer in the carboy than extract? anyone know

 

[jaxn]

does all grain need to sit longer in the carboy than extract? anyone know

Not necessarily. Centennial Blonde, a popular 1st all grain recipe only needs about 2 weeks between primary and secondary.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

The word "infection" should not even be tossed around in this discussion. If you had an infection your beer would smell like death and would taste HORRIBLE. A "cidery" or "off" flavor is not what you'd get from an infection.

That's just not true. Beer can have light infections that only make it taste anywhere from 'not great' to 'HORRIBLE'. Sometimes off flavors are just mild infections.

However I agree that we shouldn't just assume infection. But on the other hand, all-grain brewing introduces a lot of lactic acid bacteria (in the grain/dust) so it is something to keep in mind imo. I carry my mash tun out to the garage when I dump the grain in just to keep the dust out of the house.

Gweedoebrew, did you calibrate your thermometer as mentioned before? What is the mouthfeel like in these cidery brews? Is it thin and watery or does it have good body?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I can't cook Souffle'.

 

[jjones17]

Well... Here is the news... I brewed 18 days ago. Today I popped off the stopper to take a "wiff" of the brew... and it is not positive.... Has been fermenting like mad... tons of krausen (sp) coming out of the blow off like mad....But.... Still have that "cidery" smell. I just don't think that it is sanitation issues... I guess that somewhere I am doing something wrong... in the mashing process...I just don't know what... and have no clue what could be wrong...

The Extract that I brewed after the all grain that same day... is fine... smells right... So I don't know...

So... anyway... I don't know... I should look around the Boston area here and find a homebrew club... and make some friends... and figure out how to brew all grain.. until then... I am going to go back to extract... It is depressing that I have done 5 All Grains and they are all throw aways...

I think that you just need a new carboy... sorry If I am late on this one, but I have a carboy that go cidery from a brew no one of my batches where I pitched the yeast in too warm, and it the smell never went away.

I also think that cidery implies beer that is too young. IMO you should never dump a beer unless it is obvious infection. Cidery is usually a taste that will mellow out/dissapear in time.

I bet your cidery taste/smell remains after you switch to extract.