My last two batches were recipes that I tried to make myself. I used the recipe database to give me ideas.However I think I might be over doing it a bit becuase I'm averaging 4-5 LBs of specialty grain.My first recipe was a brown ale that we racked after 7 days this weekend and it was bitter and had a strong alcohol flavor. I only used 1.25 oz of k golding for bittering so I don't know why its so bitter. I'm sure the secondary will mellow it out but am I using to much grain? I forgot these are supposed to be partial brews so I'm using5-6 LBs of dry extract.
Specialty grain amounts in partial brews
- Thread starter RWeather3
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BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
Are you mashing the grains?
If it is bitter it is the hops. IBU's on a Brown Ale are low.
If it is bitter it is the hops. IBU's on a Brown Ale are low.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
Yeah, it might be bitter because you are relying on body and fermentable sugars from your grain that you just are getting by simply steeping them.
Besides the grains, what did you have in there for fermentables? Extract?
Besides the grains, what did you have in there for fermentables? Extract?
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
Hopefully someone more familiar with extract can help but that seems like a lot of specialty grains to me. I haven't done one in awhile but don't remember using that amount of grains until I did Partial Mashes.
Assuming a 5G batch size, that's a crazy amount of specialty grains, especially for a brown ale. My all grain Brown uses less than two pounds of specialty grain on top of about 8 lbs of base malts.
For reference Jamil's Southern Brown has 5lbs of Malt and about 2lbs of steeping grains the American Brown Janet's Brown has about 10lbs of malt and 3lbs of steeping grains.
The bitterness could be your water, process, or something else. When did you throw them in, and how long did the hops boil?
For reference Jamil's Southern Brown has 5lbs of Malt and about 2lbs of steeping grains the American Brown Janet's Brown has about 10lbs of malt and 3lbs of steeping grains.
The bitterness could be your water, process, or something else. When did you throw them in, and how long did the hops boil?
The hops boiled for60 min(golding 1.5 oz) and the grain for twenty. I added another.5 oz for 5 min. I used tap water that has worked fine in the past.I used the same process I always do so could it be the grain and will it get better in secondary?
I've averaged between 1-3 lbs. for steeping, but I don't know if it could lead to the bitterness you mentioned. I'm thinking, since you said you racked only 7 days into it, fermentation might not have finished off (unless you went into a secondary). Either way, 7 days is too early to judge flavors at this rate. Give it a few more weeks and that bitterness should mellow out.
Ya we racked to a secondary. The heavy fermentation had ended I think at least there were no bubbles in the air lock for 2 days or so. Thanks for the advice I appreciate it. I'm learning fast but I'm sure this probably won't be my last screw up.
kinkothecarp
Well-Known Member
is it bitter, or is it astringent?
