1st beer tastes WAY too strong, need help

CornyKegs 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
ogdogg

ogdogg

Active Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
Messages
33
Reaction score
0
Location
Baltimore
We brewed up our 1st beer last month from Sam Calagione's book extreme brewing. It's called A-Z Brown ale. It's been in the bottle for about 1.5 weeks & it's not at all what we expected. It has no body, & not much taste. The alcohol after taste kicks you in the face. It reminds us of a barley wine kind of. Right now it's not a drinkable beer.
there were a few things that either didn't sit right with me, or didn't follow the recipe. I was wondering if they played part in the nasty alcohol taste.

-it called for 6.6 lb. amber LME. The LHBS only had 1 amber, so we picked up 1 dark can instead

-the OG was supposed to be 1.072, ours came out to 1.060. When it was done fermenting, the FG read the same as theirs @ 1.010.

-the instructions said to top the wort off to 4.5 gal.

There were all kinds of sugars that we added to this stuff too (Belgium candi, brown sugar, molasses, syrup). And I can't get past the alcohol taste to even taste them. I can post the recipe or anything else if you need more info. I'm hoping that it'll subside with time. Any suggestions?
 
ogdogg said:
We brewed up our 1st beer last month from Sam Calagione's book extreme brewing. It's called A-Z Brown ale. It's been in the bottle for about 1.5 weeks & it's not at all what we expected. It has no body, & not much taste. The alcohol after taste kicks you in the face. It reminds us of a barley wine kind of. Right now it's not a drinkable beer.
there were a few things that either didn't sit right with me, or didn't follow the recipe. I was wondering if they played part in the nasty alcohol taste.

-it called for 6.6 lb. amber LME. The LHBS only had 1 amber, so we picked up 1 dark can instead

-the OG was supposed to be 1.072, ours came out to 1.060. When it was done fermenting, the FG read the same as theirs @ 1.010.

-the instructions said to top the wort off to 4.5 gal.

There were all kinds of sugars that we added to this stuff too (Belgium candi, brown sugar, molasses, syrup). And I can't get past the alcohol taste to even taste them. I can post the recipe or anything else if you need more info. I'm hoping that it'll subside with time. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

after only 1.5 weeks is it even carbonated? Let it bottle condition at 70F for 3weeks, then put it in the fridge for 3 days and I guarantee it will taste much better. I know its a pain to wait but you will be rewarded for your patience.

Also, what kind of/amounts of hops did you use?

Posting the recipe would be able to allow us to help you the most.

cheers.
 
ogdogg said:
It's been in the bottle for about 1.5 weeks & it's not at all what we expected.
Click to expand...

Here's your problem, not that there's anything wrong...it's too soon to know or really taste what the final product will be like.

The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.

Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.


Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience." ;)
 
I also made this recipe. Your gonna need to leave it for at least 4-5 weeks in the bottle. It was a little hot tasting first for me as well
 
The only help you need is to wait. For future reference also beers change and taste different and differnet stages. Your top off water could have gave you a false reading from it not mixing with the wort,if it tastes strong it is and you should assume you hit your OG. High gravity beers can take months. I would give it at least 8 weeks from start , i usually get peak taste @ around 8 weeks with regular gravity ales.
 
ogdogg said:
There were all kinds of sugars that we added to this stuff too (Belgium candi, brown sugar, molasses, syrup). And I can't get past the alcohol taste to even taste them. I can post the recipe or anything else if you need more info. I'm hoping that it'll subside with time. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

That's the reason for the "hot" taste. Sugars like that are almost 100% fermentable, and will ferment out completely leaving a hot alcohol burn behind. The good news is that it will mellow a lot with time. Check it again in a month or 6 weeks, but plan on enjoying this beer in 3-6 months if it's still "hot" a month from now.

When you use simple sugars like that, you especially have to watch fermentation temperatures. It's good to keep it in the 60s if you can, and this time of year is easier to work with than in a hot summer, so you should be fine.
 
I'm aware of the "AT LEAST 3 weeks in the bottle" rule. I just thought that having one now would give me a glimps of what it would taste like in the future. And "hot" is a very good word to describe it, I'll have to remember that one. It fermented, & are stored in the bottle, in a room that stays in the mid 60's.

recipe goes like this:

OG:1.072
FG:1.010
ABV:9%

.5 lb. crystal 60L................till 170f
6.6 lb. LME........................65 min.
1 oz. Norther brewer...........60
1 lb. Belgium candi sugar......30
.5 oz. Cluster.....................30
1tsp. irish moss...................20
8 oz. brown sugar................15
8 oz. molasses.....................15
1 oz. whole leave Goldings.....10

slap pack American Ale Wyeast 1056
10 oz. Maple syrup..............2-3 days into fermentation
 
After 5 weeks in the bottle....OH MY GOD!!! what a difference! all the flavors appeared in the front now, with a much smaller alcohol finish. a few more weeks in the bottle & this stuff don't stand a chance. Thanks guys for your reassuring wisdom & advise
 
ogdogg said:
After 5 weeks in the bottle....OH MY GOD!!! what a difference! all the flavors appeared in the front now, with a much smaller alcohol finish. a few more weeks in the bottle & this stuff don't stand a chance. Thanks guys for your reassuring wisdom & advise
Click to expand...

Yeah....I think we might have mentioned a thing or two about that. ;)

Glad it worked out for you (it usually does) :mug:
 
Im brewing a imperial oatmeal stout with og 1085. I am concerned about strong alcohol smell and taste I got after first week of fermentation. Hope it will fade away, people say yeast farts but cleans the environment after its job is done.

How long in primary for a US-05 fermented high gravity stout? I am not talking about bottle conditioning, but primary fermentation itself... thanks guys!
 
rafaelpinto said:
Im brewing a imperial oatmeal stout with og 1085. I am concerned about strong alcohol smell and taste I got after first week of fermentation. Hope it will fade away, people say yeast farts but cleans the environment after its job is done.

How long in primary for a US-05 fermented high gravity stout? I am not talking about bottle conditioning, but primary fermentation itself... thanks guys!
Click to expand...

My first beer was an 8% Imperial stout. At bottling the few ounces that did not fit in a bottle tasted thin and very hot. 3 weeks later the taste was still a bit thin and not at all hot. At 6 weeks you need a knife and fork to drink it and it is fantastic. All will be well.
 

Similar threads

B
1st graf brew and need advice
Replies
2
Views
555
Brewsterguy
B
Brit the !@#$
New Apple Orchardist Member Looking to Develop Graf Recipe Using Cider Syrup
Replies
16
Views
1K
madscientist451
madscientist451
Jdrbucks
1st batch, strong alcohol taste
Replies
6
Views
1K
Coffee49
C
lutherieguy
Mystery problem about 8 days into ferment - TWICE
Replies
4
Views
436
lutherieguy
lutherieguy
P
What happened to IPA?
2
Replies
49
Views
4K
Clint Yeastwood
Clint Yeastwood

Latest posts

Back
Top