'syruppy' brews

[progmac]

I've brewed two batches so far, and the second one isn't in tasting form yet. the first was the 60 minute doghead clone on the ipa recipe page. it turned out fine, but it seems syrupy. this is also something i've noticed with many of my friends' homebrews.

the antithesis in the same beer style, to me, is Commodore Perry by Great Lakes Brewing. This is a high-alcohol IPA but it seems crisp and dry.

What can I do to achieve a less syruppy brew? Is the syruppy quality, in any way, a product of using liquid malt extract? I can't help but think of that thick, thick, syrup that I put in the brew.

 

[helibrewer]

Hard to say without seeing the recipe and your OG and FG. Could be the grain bill but more than likely fermentation is not complete, leaving sugars behind. In some styles "malty" is good but "syrupy" does not sound desireable.

Give us more info on your ingredients and processes, especially fermentation temps, time in fermentor, and gravity readings.

 

[TheCatman]

My first brew was a LME porter, and I definitely detected a sryupy flavor. I think it might be a product of using all of the LME up front in the boil. Maybe try using half of it at the start of the boil and the other half 15 minutes from the end.

 

[LKABrewer]

You can also add > 10% sugar in your beer to dry it out.

 

[progmac]

Hard to say without seeing the recipe and your OG and FG. Could be the grain bill but more than likely fermentation is not complete, leaving sugars behind. In some styles "malty" is good but "syrupy" does not sound desireable.

Give us more info on your ingredients and processes, especially fermentation temps, time in fermentor, and gravity readings.

I'll start tracking this stuff. I didn't both/know how to read the OG and FG when I did the batch I mention above. I put in in the primary for 3 weeks along with a smack pack of wyeast 1056. It had a ton of LME, like 9 and a half pounds.

For my current brew i reused that yeast and did a starter, I wonder if that will make a difference. I did measure the OG and SG after two weeks and they showed 80% attenuation, beyond what i expected from the yeast. I wonder if that will help.

 

[progmac]

My first brew was a LME porter, and I definitely detected a sryupy flavor. I think it might be a product of using all of the LME up front in the boil. Maybe try using half of it at the start of the boil and the other half 15 minutes from the end.

Have you tried this with success? What was your yeast situation for the syrupy porter?

 

[progmac]

You can also add > 10% sugar in your beer to dry it out.

Corn or cane sugar or either? Does this add weird flavors? and >10% of what?

 

[helibrewer]

One smack pack is not adequate for 9.5 pounds of extract, that's about a 1.068 gravity beer (assuming 5 gallons). Making a starter from your exisitng yeast should help with the underpitching.

Is your current brew the same recipe as the previous batch that you harvested the yeast from?

Be sure to monitor your FG and make sure fermentation is complete before packaging the beer. A 1.068 wort should finish around 1.016-1017

Also, what kind of LME are you using?

 

[progmac]

One smack pack is not adequate for 9.5 pounds of extract, that's about a 1.068 gravity beer (assuming 5 gallons). Making a starter from your exisitng yeast should help with the underpitching.

Is your current brew the same recipe as the previous batch that you harvested the yeast from?

Be sure to monitor your FG and make sure fermentation is complete before packaging the beer. A 1.068 wort should finish around 1.016-1017

Also, what kind of LME are you using?

So, broadly, it seems that the key to the syrup issue lies in the yeast. I wondered about a smack pack not being enough. Would a quart & a half or so starter suffice? I say this amount because I reused an old cranberry juice bottle for my last starter, drilling out the cap for an airlock. I think it holds like 2 quarts.

No, my current brew is a cream ale with just 4.5 pounds extract plus 2.5 pound partial mash of 6-row, corn, and cara-pils.

If I just leave the beer in the primary for 3 weeks, do you think it is still necessary to make sure fermentation is complete, or can I just assume?

I'm using the LME that my local homebrew supply store has on tap. They have a pale and a pilsen.

 

[SauceBoss]

Yea I would think that the all the sugars are not being turned into alcohol leaving which in turn could leave a syrupy/malty taste. Do as they have mentioned above and make a starter as well as calculating your OG/FG and this should help.

I just made a scotch ale where I actually added syrup to it and waited for everything to go through and got no syrup flavors but more of the kettle caramelization that I was looking for. Its a side fact and might not be too relevant but Im just trying to justify the fact that it could just be the fermentation not completing.

 

[barneygumble]

So, broadly, it seems that the key to the syrup issue lies in the yeast. I wondered about a smack pack not being enough. Would a quart & a half or so starter suffice? I say this amount because I reused an old cranberry juice bottle for my last starter, drilling out the cap for an airlock. I think it holds like 2 quarts.

No, my current brew is a cream ale with just 4.5 pounds extract plus 2.5 pound partial mash of 6-row, corn, and cara-pils.

If I just leave the beer in the primary for 3 weeks, do you think it is still necessary to make sure fermentation is complete, or can I just assume?

I'm using the LME that my local homebrew supply store has on tap. They have a pale and a pilsen.

Yes, you seem to have answered your own question. You underpitched your yeast. The only way to be sure if fermentation is complete is hydrometer readings in primary. Three straight days of consistent readings indicate completed fermentation. There are calculators out there and linked to on this board to calculate the correct minimum and maximum pitch rates based on anticipated OG. That beer soundedl like it would have been ok with two smak packs or a 2L starter (@2 qts) And you should not airlock a starter. cover with either sanitized tin foil or sanitized plastic wrap with an elastic holding it in place around the neck. The starter needs to be stirred or swirled a lot to keep oxygen in for maximum yeast harvest. You dont care about the taste of the starter, you just are growing yeast.

 

[TheCatman]

Have you tried this with success? What was your yeast situation for the syrupy porter?

I have not tried this, as I've already stepped up to BIAB. I used WLP023 Burton Ale yeast.

 

[progmac]

Quick starter question - if I'm using 1/2 pound lme in the starter, do I reduce the usage in the wort by that amount?

 

[barneygumble]

Quick starter question - if I'm using 1/2 pound lme in the starter, do I reduce the usage in the wort by that amount?

Woah. 1/2#? How big a starter are you making? Remember, your starters should have a sg of about 1.040 for optimal yeast production. And you can pitch the whole starter into the wort 24 hrs in during the yeast's active phase, but thats for small starters. Big starters, give it a little more time, then refrigerate and decant the liquid from the yeast that settles out. Its ok to leave a little to swirl all the yeast into suspension to pitch. Brew day, take the starter out of the fridge, decant, cover and let come to room temp.

So no, you do not adjust the recipe. The yeasties should have eaten all the sugars in the starter.