Ok, So I switched to spring water over using faucet water and I am using starsan instead of iodaphor. This better all work out. Just finished 2 batches of beer. 1 pale ale and 1 amber, wish me luck! Also am trying out dry yeast.
1 last try
- Thread starter TheKrumm
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tdogg
Well-Known Member
i dont understand, did something go wrong with the first batch?
nefarious_1_
Well-Known Member
Ambiguity runs thick in this thread.
TheKrumm
Well-Known Member
something went wrong with my lat 4 batches... so I changed a bunch of stuff to see what happens. I don't wanna quit brewing, but its starting to cost to much to have this much go wrong. I am very very clean, I go by the book while brewing, and some how my beers have been terrible.
nefarious_1_
Well-Known Member
The thickness continues...
What has been terrible about them?
What has been terrible about them?
you've posted entire stories about what you've done and it still comes out nasty, correct? i seem to remember those. do you use lme?
Pretty sure I remember a very detailed thread.
Well I didn't happen to see it.
wolfstar
Well-Known Member
It was quite a thread...I thought about it quite a lot, having been a professional chef in my past, I came to the conclusion that it is your taste buds, The Krumm. Not saying there is anything physiologically wrong with you But I have known folks that have a certain chemistry that does not always endow them to enjoy gastronomic delights. For instance, when some folks eat asparagus their pee smells like burnt rubber. Granted that is on the other end of the plumbing stream, but it is a common thing that is specifically chemistry related. In rarer circumstances, some folks can get an unusual taste from eating certain types of food. Medications, nutrient deficiencies, chemical imbalance, overall diet, are common causes...sometimes the issues can be more serious. One of the things that crossed my mind was the possibility that the higher content of B12 in homebrew may be contributing something that you may be ultra sensitive to....just a thought. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming
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RDWHAHB:cross:
Brew_4iT
Well-Known Member
Look more closely at conditioning/bottling temps and cold crashing. I find that if these last steps in completing a beer are laxed it will affect an otherwise great beer. Be patient, sterile, and don't lax on the later steps to brerwing.
n240sxguy
Well-Known Member
I did probably 6 or 7 extract batches in the 18 months after I got my kit. I did the whole primary for a week, secondary for a week, then bottled like my kit said. The first one was an Irish red, and my wife and I both thought it was great. I, probably foolishly, started making a different kind of beer each time after that one. They all seemed pretty good. Just not great. The last two I did weren't very good at all. I always cleaned thoroughly, and I'm sure they weren't infected. They just tasted off for some reason. I had racked my brain trying to figure out what went wrong. Why hadn't I gotten the stellar results everyone else on here said they usually got. I finally read through enough posts on here recently, while I was switching to all grain, that I think I figured out my problem. I always read that ale was fermented at room temperatures. Apparently that is up to interpretation. I don't keep my rooms 65 degrees! I think most of my batches had been fermented at 72-74 degrees according to the stick on thermometer on my fermenting bucket. I did two all grain batches on my first all grain brew day. They are both in my closet partially over a vent. I brewed them on 8-29. They started at around 69, drifted up as it fermented to 71, and has settled back down to 68. I am very hopeful that these two batches will be great. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Any help, ideas, or confirmations that that may have been my problem would be greatly appreciated.
n240sxguy
Well-Known Member
Also, I "sanitized" my bottles in the dishwasher. I did use the cleaner that came with my kit to sanitize them again afterward. It's the one step stuff from ld carlson. I have since discovered that I need a dedicated sanitizer, so I'm gonna get some star san. Would the dishwasher create those odd flavors? Would using the cleaner instead of sanitizer make it taste off?
petey_c
Senior Member
Sometimes the dishwasher leaves behind a residue (or a rinse agent). I'm not sure if One Step would get rid of that completely. I would also leave it in the primary for three weeks and skip the secondary. How long were they in the bottles and how long in the fridge before you drank them?
Medications are often a cause of short-term "taste funk," as I like to call it. Even a daily vitamin can cause this for some people. However, if you taste a store-bought beer you've been drinking for years, and it still tastes exactly the same, perhaps the problem DOES happen to be with your beer and not "taste funk."
Several types of mouthwash (prescribed or OTC) also cause short-term changes in flavor perception.
Have other people also told you that your beer is funky?
n240sxguy
Well-Known Member
I realized that about the rinse agent after reading that on here. I am going to the 3-4 week primary, and no secondary, process. I don't have room in the fridge to store beer, so it wasn't cold crashed or anything. It was cooled long enough to drink is about it. Maybe a day or two at the most sometimes. So total time was one week in primary, one week in secondary, two weeks in bottles before first sample. Last one was probably a few weeks later. Total bottle conditioning time was maybe 6-7 weeks.
I currently have a Kolsch in the keg that I brewed 5-6 weeks ago. I am not terribly pleased with it. I added a Saaz hop tea at kegging and it has a slight green veggie taste to it. It has been in the keg for about 2 weeks at 34 degrees. I has improved slightly but I intend to let it take its time, drawing a small glass every 3-4 days until it hits its mark. So far this has been the least pleasing beer.
I have learned something over the years. Perseverance pays off.
I have learned something over the years. Perseverance pays off.
What is your brewing water? Not only do I think the fermentation was too warm in some of your not-too-great beers (as fermentation temperature should definitely be under 70 degrees for most yeast strains) but I wonder about the water profile that you're using for the AG beers.
n240sxguy said:
First thing that popped out at me is the short primary and use of secondary. With these batches you have now, let them sit for 3 weeks and see what happens
Make sure you use good,clean water,& keep ferment temps down,as was stated. I keep the beer in primary till it reaches a stable FG,then 3-5 days more to clean up & settle out well. Then keep it clear as possible while racking to the bottling bucket. 3 to 5 weeks in bottles in covered boxes at room temp (70 preferably). I've also found out as of yesterday that leaving my ales in the fridge for 2 weeks gives a very dense,creamy head & good,steady carbonation. They're clear & have better flavors. & what little trub settles out is more compacted on the bottom of the bottle. I can pour out nearly all of it before having to stop. I can easily see through it in the glass.
Hope this helps fix things...
Hope this helps fix things...
n240sxguy
Well-Known Member
I used bottled spring water for all of my extract batches because I was on city water that sucked. I have since moved, and am on much better water. I called to get a water report, and talked to the lady at the water dept. for a few minutes. I found a list somewhere of the range of minerals and such that is acceptable in brewing water. I asked her about them, and apparently they don't check for most of them. They just test for hazardous stuff mostly. She did say that she had had several people ask about the water for brewing, and none of them ever told her it wasn't good. So, I'm flying on faith in others on these two batches. I was thinking about getting a pool test kit where I could test for alkalinity, pH, and anything else applicable to brewing.
I am planning on leaving my current batches in the primary for 4 weeks. Is that too long? Would 3 weeks be just as good?
None of my beers have ever been very clear. Not like a wheat beer kind of cloudy, but not clear either. I used Irish moss on these two, and I will try to commandeer some fridge space to let them cold crash a little before I pop em open.
I am planning on leaving my current batches in the primary for 4 weeks. Is that too long? Would 3 weeks be just as good?
None of my beers have ever been very clear. Not like a wheat beer kind of cloudy, but not clear either. I used Irish moss on these two, and I will try to commandeer some fridge space to let them cold crash a little before I pop em open.
Clarity is also determined by how well the yeast you used flocculates. How much time you give it after a stable FG is reached. How long do you condition it in the bottles? 3-5 weeks works well for me. I found recently that 2 weeks in the fridge gives a thicker,creamy firm head & better,steadier carbonation.
Three weeks in primary is sufficient.
I'd spend the $16 and get a water report from Ward Labs. You get all the info you need, and it's worth the cost!
n240sxguy
Well-Known Member
Ok. I may have to get a water report done. I hadn't checked into that yet.
JoeyChopps
Well-Known Member
Cimerian said:
Don't let it get to ur bro I use regular tap water. Ferment in the closet at whatever temp it is in my house. And probably many other things that some say is bad and guess what.... I still make pretty good beer and thank sweet baby Gesus I have yet to have an infection ( even though I know it will happen one day ) rdwhahb
petey_c
Senior Member
I've made about 145 gallons using Long Island tap water. Except for the Mr. Beer fiascos (old ingredients, yeast, etc.), my brews have been good. I'll be sticking with partial boil kits for awhile as I tweak my processes. Take Yooper's advice and send a sample out. For $16 you can't go wrong.
TheKrumm
Well-Known Member
I let the pale ale sit in primary for 3 weeks and checked the gravity again last night. maintained a 1.011 for 4 days so i went ahead and bottled. FINGERS CROSSED! sampled a little last night and it tastes very green, but still promising.
milldoggy
Well-Known Member
Green is one my favorite homebrew flavors 
n240sxguy
Well-Known Member
When I get the water report done, what am I looking for as far as the numbers go?
