2nd Brew

[IvanTheTerrible]

After a disastrous first attempt, my 2nd batch is 12 minutes from being done with the boil. My yeast is activated, my fermenter is cleaned and sanitized, and we are ready to go.

I think my mistake last time is that the fermenter was located in a closet with an ambient temp of 73-75 degrees. I didnt have a thermometer of the fermenter itself (I do now) but I can only guess that temps inside that fermenter had to be at least 10 degrees warmer.

I'm placing the fermenter in a cooler spot this time and will monitor the temps closely.

I'll probably keep the brew in primary for 3 weeks before bottling. I'm going to skip seconary this time, also.

Then I'll bottle and we'll see what happens. If it comes out good we go for round 3. If it doesnt, I might be selling my homebrew stuff.

I'll let you know how everything works out.
-I

 

[IvanTheTerrible]

Oh yeah... it's an American Amber Ale from Northern Brewer. Anyone ever make it?

 

[dewey316]

Just remeber keep everything sanatized from the time you shut the boil off, until it is bottled. Once the boil is done, non-yeasty bad stuff can grow.

RDWHAHB. Even if this one doesn't turn out, don't give up, with some work on your process, and making sure you keep everything santized, you can do this!

(Out of curiosity, what happened with your last brew?)

 

[IvanTheTerrible]

It was horrible.

Tasted like a sweet yet pungent cider... like rotted apple juice. I believe the bad tastes were caused by an excessively hot fermentation, but who knows. We'll see what happens in about 6 weeks or so.

-I

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

It was horrible.

Tasted like a sweet yet pungent cider... like rotted apple juice. I believe the bad tastes were caused by an excessively hot fermentation, but who knows. We'll see what happens in about 6 weeks or so.

-I

How old was that first brew when you drank it?

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Ivan, How quickly are you able to cool the wort down to pitching temp? You want to do that as quickly as possible like with an ice bath. Do NOT dump commercial ice into the wort.
You can read up on swamp cooling setups here, everything from a wet towel, fan, to using a rubbermaid tub, ice, wet towel will do great things to help you bring the temp down. Controlling the temp of your primary fermentation is the biggest improvement I ever made, that or doing all grain but I think temp control is the biggest thing.

 

[eddie]

Try putting it in a water bath with a wet t-shirt on it as well. Temperature control is exceptionally important, especially in the early stages of fermentation. Try to keep it between 65-70 if you can.

What is your recipe?

 

[jrakich87]

My first fermentation was way too hot and way too fast, but the brew (Amber Ale) still tastes great after 3 weeks of bottle conditioning... the only off flavor I can detect is a slightly heavy alcohol taste (tad bit 'o fusels), but nothing too bad. Are you sure your first batch was bad b/c of temps and not something else?

 

[IvanTheTerrible]

How old was that first brew when you drank it?

10 months old, and it actually tasted better (but still horrendous) than when it was 8 weeks old.

My first fermentation was way too hot and way too fast, but the brew (Amber Ale) still tastes great after 3 weeks of bottle conditioning... the only off flavor I can detect is a slightly heavy alcohol taste (tad bit 'o fusels), but nothing too bad. Are you sure your first batch was bad b/c of temps and not something else?

I'm not sure that was the reason, but it's the only thing I can think of.

Try putting it in a water bath with a wet t-shirt on it as well. Temperature control is exceptionally important, especially in the early stages of fermentation. Try to keep it between 65-70 if you can.

What is your recipe?

Thanks. Here's the recipe:

Specialty Grains
1 lbs. Briess Caramel 20

Fermentables
6.3 lbs. Amber Malt Syrup

Boil Additions
2 oz. Cascade (60 min)
1 oz. Cascade (1 min)

If you choose liquid yeast
Wyeast #1056 American Ale Yeast. Optimum temperature: 60-72° F.

Thanks guys,
-I

 

[Peregris]

I can't say for certain, of course, but I think the problem may be more with sanitation or slow cooling than temps. Higher temps cause more esters, which taste fruity - banana, mostly. To me, a pungent sweet cidery taste sounds more like one step away from vinegar, which sounds like an aceto-bacteria infection.

Sanitation is the ultimate key to good beers. Although nothing harmful can grow in beer, a lot of bad-tasting things can. Also, like has been said before on this thread, try to cool that wort down as quick as possible. Not only does it reduce the risk of infection but it creates a good cold break which leads ultimately to cleaner, clearer end-products.

Good luck and whatever you do, don't give up - this hobby (obsession?) is way too fun.