sample tases like cider

[cjb999]

i'm brewing a german wheat my og was 1060 and after one week in primary it was 1011. i sampled it prior to racking into glass carboy for second fermentation. the color is a beautiful amber, it smells strong but wheatie, but tastes like a hard cidar. note...i added a pound of dark belgian sugar to the end of boil to jack up the alcohol. i just dont know how it should tastes after primary fermentation?

 

[andhou27]

Sounds like you are just tasting the effects of an ABV too high to style, but hey, you can brew how you want.

 

[cjb999]

I wonder if I can add water to bring alcohol back down a little?

 

[andhou27]

I wonder if I can add water to bring alcohol back down a little?

Well the alcohol is only 6.5% so it's not TOO high, but wheat beers are usually 4-5%. Wait until the beer is ready to make any decisions but DON'T water it.

 

[cjgenever]

I add sugar (if any) after ferment had slowed, and only 4oz every 12hrs. Simple sugars are the most likely culprit here. Too much, especially all at once, will produce a cidery off flavor.

 

[cjgenever]

Only water down your brew if you are into bud light

 

[shtoive87]

I wonder if I can add water to bring alcohol back down a little?

The cider flavor is not just due to alcohol content... it is due to the large amount of simple sugar used. Adding water will not make the cider flavor go away, it will only decrease all of the flavors that are already there. Next time, keep simple sugar below 10% of the overall grain bill or add DME if you want to increase the alcohol content.

 

[cjb999]

certainly don t want Bud lite. thanks for your advise.