Help my beer sucks!

I have an extreme after taste on my first brew, I can't tell what it tastes like other than to say it has an extract type flavor. The odd thing is every one of my buddies beers has the same flavor. Is this just a homebrew thing or is there something we are doing wrong? Could this be DMS from not cooling fast enough?

Is there anyone local to me who would be willing to give a taste? The initial flavor is pretty good but it finishes very harsh.

let me know what kind of details you need, as far as I could tell I did everything according to the book.

 

Could you try and describe the after taste a bit more and also what recipe you used?

 

These two references should help you narrow down the problem.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html
http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/flavor.shtml

 

Unfortunately I can't say for certain what taste it has. I really don't know what a green apple tastes like so it might be that. I know I have tasted the same thing in my buddies home brew, he calls it the homebrew taste but I have to assume it doesn't belong there. At least I have to hope because it is not enjoyable.

Here is the recipie. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=11477&highlight=angry+scott

I used 4oz priming sugar to carb and it has been in the bottles for 2 weeks. His bottles have the same flavor after months so I don't think it will go away. Ferment temps were between 68-74 throughout.

sorry I can't describe the taste better I'm still too new at this to know for sure. it is kind of a syrup taste.

 

Would you describe it as a molassesy flavour? My first three kit batches had this malty or molasses flavour to them. On my four batch, using the same kit, I let the beer condition in the bottles for an extra wk. or two (more than the instructions called for), with great results. Maybe your brew is still too "young"?

 

Extract twang?

Honestly, it was the main reason I went over to AG. However, I've had a few extract beers that don't have it as bad. All of mine did--and it kind of made every batch taste the same--whether it was a stout or a pale ale.

 

What size are your boils? Just wondering if it might be the taste of some carmelization because you have a lot of extract in that last brew.

 

My boil was 2.5-3 gallons.

I've heard of this extract twang before.

I have to ask, those of you using extract are you producing beers that taste as good or better than commercial examples? I keep hearing how much better homebrew tasted but I've yet to sample one that is great.

My LHBS has a brew club meeting Saturday so I'm taking some along to get opinions and hopefully I can sample some others.


I'm getting a 15 gallon pot and plan to do full boils from now on in case that has an effect. Is it just the extract? I've been thinking of going AG, if that is what it takes I'm fine with that. There isn't much point in saving money by doing homebrew if I can't drink it.

 

As an aside, I would not expect a 1.080 OG beer to be even near it's final flavors until 2-3 months after brew day.

Also, was the LME in a can? I always got that "extract twang" from LME in a can--getting it in bulk in a plastic jug (or using DME) always seemd to yield much better results.

 

Im with Dude on this one. Most of my extracts had a certain "twang" and yea, that word pretty much sums it up.

 

i think i may be experiencing your same problem. my first batch was a Pale Ale, my latest is a Porter Ale. Both have a certain, indescribable flavor that isnt good. ive enjoyed both batches, but they share a similar "problem". its a crisp, maybe sour flavor. ive checked out those off-flavor lists and have a difficult time pinning down what the flavor is exactly. i suppose green apple is the closest, but the suggestions are to let it condition some more...which is my plan.

it definitely doesnt ruin my beers, and ive thought maybe im more critical since its "my" beer.

 

yeah it was John Bull light, it was what the recipie called for. From what I'm reading this is probably what the main problem is.

It might be green still, what concerned me is the off flavor that is the same as my buds and his are well aged. I think he used can extract also. If this is the cause then great, well not great but at least I'll know for future.

 

My buddy let me try his batch from the Mr. Beer Kit and it had an after taste just like you described. I couldnt enjoy the beer for the off unusual aftertaste. Then I did an AG blue moon and it had the same taste. I still have some and after three months the flavor never went away. Then it happened with a cream of wheat recipe. I have changed all kinds of things trying to correct the problem. I have come to the conclusion it could be in the primary on yeast too long so on these types of beers I get into secondary after 3-4 days. So far no reaccurances.

 

Weird, mine was in the primary for 7 days, it was still bubbling at that point.

 

Did you say how long between picthing yeast and drinking the beer?

 

Taking the ale off of the yeast too soon can be a problem. There are esters that the yeast will break down after all of the fermentables are gone. 3 or 4 days is way too soon for any style. Yeast autolyse is a big bugbear, but really rare. Focculated yeast isn't dead. Your yeast won't start dying for weeks, maybe months.

Try fermenting at the low end of the temperature range.

 

Sounds to me like fusel alcohols? A nice little bite at the end? Likely a fermenting temp problem.

 

For me at this point it is, 5 weeks so far. I'll try another this weekend and see if it is getting better.

 

Yes, yes. More info needed.

 

Hmm, I'm really not able to identify it, I've been doing some more research and the consensous seems to be old extract from a can. It is not a flavor I've ever experience other than in Homebrew so i really have a hard time placing it.

 

Can? Switch to DME.

 

Yep, the recipie called for John bull light and being new I was trying to follow exactly what they recommended. It is possible the canned extract is the whole problem, if so great.

What does oxidized beer taste like?

 

Wet cardboard, so they say.

I think it's likely that the beer is just too green. That's a big beer, they take a while. More time conditioning means more time for the hops to mellow and the other flavors to meld together. Give it time.

 

I've been extract brewing for over 5 years and all of my styles taste better than the comercial examples of the same style.

I do three things that I think make a difference:

I use DME.
I always add at least 2lbs of specialty grain.
I do full batch boils.


Maybe try this and let your beer finish up and you'll be doing good.

 

I'm no expert at all, but I've never done all grain and I've never had a "twang". Perhaps this is because I've never used canned LME? I'm not sure. What I'm saying is, without having much in the way of skill (like me ), one can still make a very good extract brew without any odd tastes.

The only other this I would comment on is this: windsor, in my experience, is a yeast that produces a bit of esters and fruity taste (good for English ales, not good for some other styles). If your fermenting wort got up to 74F, with yeast activity it was probably 76F or higher. That's gonna bring about some really fruity and "bitey" flavors, I think. This is only my small experience talking, so I could be wrong. But the recipe I made that tasted worst was an amber ale with some honey, fermented in the mid-seventies or a bit higher with Windsor yeast.
I say do what the others have advised:
use DME
ferment at the lower end of your yeast's appropriate temperature range
and try another type of yeast (Nottingham and Safale 56 are good and neutral).

And don't give up! You made booze in your own house! That's awesome!

monk

 

Thanks I thought I had nottingham, my buddy grabbed it by accident. It was only at 74 in the very beggining, I had it in a water bath and I was icing it to get the temps down, I'd say most of the fermentation was in 68-70 water.

I'll let it age, I think the LME is the problem, I'm not experienced at this but I've read a lot and I followed everything exact so I don't think I did anything wrong with the process. We'll see. I'll be sure to use DME next time.

 

I've used primarily LME (mixed with smaller amounts of DME), and I really don't see what you're talking about in my beers. You might try doing some partial-mashes or making sure that you steep some nice specialty grains first. I have never done a LME-only brew, because there's something that just doesn't seem right about it. I did try one of my Scotch-Irish Red Ales last night (it's less than a week in bottle, but it was the leftover half-filled bottle from the end of the bottling, so who cares!?) It was sufficiently carbonated, but my fiancee claimed to get a sort of new-plastic taste, like chewing on brand new water-wings. I didn't get that...but I knew what she was talking about. It had some fruity ester notes, like day-old fruit salad...even though no fruit went into it. I know it's very young, and since it was the bottom of the bucket, it got all the leftover chunkees, so I'm not worried either way. I also did just try my Mango-Peach Wit (P/M), and 10 days from bottling, it's not very carbonated yet, but it's freakin delicious.

Wish I could help more, but it seems like I'm doing the same things as you, and getting fine beer. And believe me, I know fine beer---I work part time in a fine wine/beer shop, and I've been through plenty of the finest beers in the world. While my homebrew h'aint up to those standards yet (heck, I've only been brewing since the beginning of July!), I have been thoroughly impressed with the results so far.

 

I did steep grains.. From what I'm reading old LME can do what I'm tasting. I'm not sure that my LHBS has a very fast turn over, they have a ton of canned LME on hand and I honestly don't see them doing enough volume. From what I hear fresh LME doesn't have the oxidation.

 

Any Ubrew's in your area (brew on premises)? They will usually sell you LME in bulk, just fill a icecream bucket etc. It will be fresh since they have high volume of beer to make.

Never had the "twang" but then I always used above.

 

nope we have a home brew store that sells bulk but again I'm not sure of the turn over for the LME, i just used some in a strawberry, hopefully this turns out better.

 

Some one touched on it earlier but no one really elaborated on it, and that is the fermentation temps. You have to remember that 70 degrees for a majority of yeasts out there is on the high side. Ideal on alot of them is about 65 degrees. If you ferment at a temp that is too high you are almost for sure to get some off flavors and i think that is why alot of people that home brew have that problem. Now, keep in mind that i have made 5 beers to date. I am a fairly new home brewer, but i have the luxury of having a house that no matter what time of year it is the basement is always about 65 to 68 degrees, since this is where my beer is fermented that is why i have not tasted the 'twang" of the home brew.

see if you can hold a ferment temp around 68 and see what happens.


Reverend

 

I'm not positive what the temps were at all times but i do know that most of the time the bath water was around 70 or below. If it got above 70 I added ice.

This fall and winter my basement will be nice and cool, does it matter if it is musty down there? We have an old dirt cellar and it is not very pretty.