All my beers are too thick & rich

[Cheepbeer]

Should I just add more water??? I have been using standard recipes but dang! This is thick sweet and rich beer.... if I want to lighten it up a bit I guess I just need more water?

 

[LeafCutter]

whats your method of brewing? I think a little more info on the process would give you some answers you're looking for

 

[RobertRGeorge]

You could let it ferment longer in a secondary to cut down on sweetness if this is a high gravity beer. What was the OG? Did you add anything like maltodextrin or flaked barley to add body?

 

[Unibrow]

Assuming youre doing extract recipes...are you using mostly LME or DME? I've found that LME can sometimes cause the thick and syrupy sweetness if its not added correctly to the boil

 

[lgilmore]

Are you making sure you're using enough water as the beer requires?

 

[beergolf]

Give us one of your recipes and we can determine the cause of the thickness and richness. It could be that you are just not used to drinking brews that are like that.

 

[boscobeans]

Is this (from your earlier post) the recipe you used ?


Hey all... I have
2.2 lbs of Premier Malt (unhopped)
1 lb of dried breiss amber malt
1 lb of dextrose
1oz UK kent golding hops


If it is and you made 2.5 gallons it's going to make a malty sweet, low IBU beer.

bosco

 

[FATC1TY]

Is this (from your earlier post) the recipe you used ?


Hey all... I have
2.2 lbs of Premier Malt (unhopped)
1 lb of dried breiss amber malt
1 lb of dextrose
1oz UK kent golding hops


If it is and you made 2.5 gallons it's going to make a malty sweet, low IBU beer.

bosco

That recipe sounds like a complete mess.

 

[Draken]

That recipe sounds like a complete mess.

It looks like its somewhere between an APA and an IPA. What yeast? What time is the hop addition? How big is the batch?

 

[nutty_gnome]

This thread title totally sounds like a first world problem!

http://therealfirstworldproblems.tumblr.com/

 

[barleyboy]

It looks like its somewhere between an APA and an IPA. What yeast? What time is the hop addition? How big is the batch?

Pretty small amount of hops for either of those styles.

 

[Draken]

Pretty small amount of hops for either of those styles.

Actually if you pitch 1oz of kent goldings 5% in at 60' it puts you around 33 IBUs. Low for an IPA, but in range for an APA. However for a 2.5 gallon batch the ABV is up over 6% which is too high for an APA. (assuming US-05 and about 75% attentuation)

 

[barleyboy]

IBUs may match the style guidelines but where does the hops flavor and aroma come from if you boil the only hops in the recipe for 60 min?

 

[FATC1TY]

It looks like its somewhere between an APA and an IPA. What yeast? What time is the hop addition? How big is the batch?

I'd disagree. It's a bunch of random extract, a bag of corn sugar, and 1oz of EKG. Sounds like a random recipe created to make yellow fizzy bush beer.

Hence, the fact the guy is having issues with some taste, because the recipe is tossed together.

 

[Cheepbeer]

I am going off LME for good I think. Yeah the hops were boiled 1/2 oz at 30 minutes and half at the end. Its hoppy enough. Just seems syrupy & sweet after 10 days ferment. (readings say it's fermented) Thats all... It does not taste bad it tastes rather good... I suppose i'm just not used to such a full beer. I may need to go lighter by adding more water.

Jeez I did not think I'd get so many replies. I think its a good recipe if you like a thick rich higher alc beer. It used 2 1/2 gallons water ... If i did it again I would probably use 3 1/2. Im sure that conditioning will help this along.

 

[Yooper]

I am going off LME for good I think. Yeah the hops were boiled 1/2 oz at 30 minutes and half at the end. Its hoppy enough. Just seems syrupy & sweet after 10 days ferment. (readings say it's fermented) Thats all... It does not taste bad it tastes rather good... I suppose i'm just not used to such a full beer. I may need to go lighter by adding more water.

Jeez I did not think I'd get so many replies. I think its a good recipe if you like a thick rich higher alc beer. It used 2 1/2 gallons water ... If i did it again I would probably use 3 1/2. Im sure that conditioning will help this along.

If it's "syrupy and sweet", it's underhopped (underbittered). The hops added at 60 minutes are added to balance the sweet malt. It's not a good recipe, to be honest, and that is why the beer is not that good.

 

[Draken]

If it's "syrupy and sweet", it's underhopped (underbittered). The hops added at 60 minutes are added to balance the sweet malt. It's not a good recipe, to be honest, and that is why the beer is not that good.

Yea, adding this hops according to the OP puts you around 12-13 IBUs. That is off the charts malty.
http://www.brewsupplies.com/_borders/hopsgraph.jpg

See chart.
First, dextrose should never really be more than 20% of the fermentables.
Second, you need a lot more hops if you are using them at 30 and flameout. Check the chart in the link.
Third, if you don't want such syrupy beers, try session brews or lower ABV recipes. Yours is 6.5% ish with good attenuation.
Last the LME isn't to blame here, it's how you are using it thats causing the issue.

Now a few questions, are your ending with 2.5 gallons or starting with it?
When are you adding the LME? Start of the boil? End? @10 minutes?
With only a 30 minute hop addition, how long are you boiling?
What type of comercial brews do you like? What styles really appeal to you?

 

[Cheepbeer]

Now a few questions, are your ending with 2.5 gallons or starting with it?

Ending with Draken... started with 2 3/4

When are you adding the LME? Start of the boil? End? @10 minutes?

End of boil for the LME (yes 10) 30 minutes for DME. 60 minute boil total.
With only a 30 minute hop addition, how long are you boiling?

I boiled 1/2 oz at the beginning and 1/2 oz at the last 15 minutes

What type of comercial brews do you like?

I like fosters ale, I like ESB WIT and Copper hook and I also like newcastle ale.Thanks

As I said it tastes good and yes it's not hopped enough. Nice malt flavor but a little sweet still.

 

[McGarnigle]

You really need to use a decent recipe, or buy a kit. What you're using is no good.

 

[jonmohno]

See what happens if you age it. With the corn sugar I bet it drys up more.It seems to me it does that at first though dryer/weirder when i use sugar then it balances out better with age. Although I notice often it seems I can also get a dryer more refined beer upon ageing also. So..... it just depends,all else fails let it age.

 

[Cheepbeer]

6.5% ABV At 85% efficiency on beer alchemy... I used Danstar Windsor yeast.

 

[Cheepbeer]

See what happens if you age it. With the corn sugar I bet it drys up more.It seems to me it does that at first though dryer/weirder when i use sugar then it balances out better with age. Although I notice often it seems I can also get a dryer more refined beer upon ageing also. So..... it just depends,all else fails let it age.

Yes. This was after all an experiment in simplicity geared to make a hi abv beer that tasted good.

 

[Yooper]

6.5% ABV At 85% efficiency on beer alchemy... I used Danstar Windsor yeast.

"Efficiency" should be 100 on extract beers. There isn't any "efficiency" to worry about in extract batches.

The recipe is dreadful, but if you have a drinkable beer as a result anyway that's great news. For the next beer, you could try a real recipe and make a beer by design and it would be very good.

 

[Cheepbeer]

I'd disagree. It's a bunch of random extract, a bag of corn sugar, and 1oz of EKG. Sounds like a random recipe created to make yellow fizzy bush beer.

Hence, the fact the guy is having issues with some taste, because the recipe is tossed together.

Would prefer a yellow fizzy... this one is dark, strong, and malty sweet. Yeah it was a random recipe.

 

[Cheepbeer]

"Efficiency" should be 100 on extract beers. There isn't any "efficiency" to worry about in extract batches.

The recipe is dreadful, but if you have a drinkable beer as a result anyway that's great news. For the next beer, you could try a real recipe and make a beer by design and it would be very good.

I would welcome a simple recipe suggestion for a 5 gallon batch that tastes like newcastle ale! I'll do it next! Now that I have about 3 cases of marginal stuff aging that I can booze with I will be extra patient now that I've had some practice.

 

[jonmohno]

This thread is all over the place. what was your finish? this doesnt sound terrible and is still beer.Ambers can be malty.But I agree more hops is the call,still I see it more like a scotch ale or someting almost. Think he meant 85% attenuation?

 

[jammin]

Hi Cheepbeer,

One piece of advice I would like to lend to you: Use a hydrometer for starting gravity and finishing gravity. Take notes on this and it will give you great insight into how dry or sweet you like your beer.

For future brews, you can add corn sugar/dextrose to help the beer finish a little more crisp and dry. Malt extract doesn't have the best attenuation (how much of it ferments) so by itself, it can finish sweeter.

As Yooper mentioned, search for some recipes of beer styles you like. You are sure to find one that has been brewed several times so you can read feedback on it.

If you are enjoying the recipe you mentioned, you have a lot of amazing homebrew to look forward to!

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

Windsor yeast is a low attenuator. You should have used Nottingham or US-05 for better attenuation in a higher ABV beer such as this.

The recipe isn't as bad as some folks make it out to be. But it is a little light in the bittering hops. .75 ounce @60, and a quarter at 15 would have brought you a more balanced beer as well. Using an extra ounce for extra late additions would have helped even more.

 

[Cheepbeer]

This thread is all over the place. what was your finish? this doesnt sound terrible and is still beer.Ambers can be malty.But I agree more hops is the call,still I see it more like a scotch ale or someting almost. Think he meant 85% attenuation?

Its not terrible and it has not aged yet, I do think more hops are needed. I used 1/2 oz in the beginning and finished with 1/2 oz hops. (boiled it all in 1 3/4 gallons) cooled it real fast in sink of ice and 1 gallon cool water. into primary, aerated vigorously and tossed 1 bag of windsor that came with premier malt.

My beginning reading was 1.50 and ended at 1.010

 

[Yooper]

I would welcome a simple recipe suggestion for a 5 gallon batch that tastes like newcastle ale! I'll do it next! Now that I have about 3 cases of marginal stuff aging that I can booze with I will be extra patient now that I've had some practice.

This tastes quite a bit like Newcastle:

3.3 LBS Amber LME
2 LBS Amber DME
8 oz Crystal 60L (crushed)

1 oz Williamette (60 minutes)
1/2 oz Williamette (5 minutes)

Yeast: dry nottingham

Pour two gallons water into brewpot and bring to approx 155 degrees. Steep grains (in a grain bag) 20 minutes, dunking grains like a tea bag. Remove grains and allow to drain without squeezing when finished. Discard the grains.

Heat the brewpot to boiling. Remove from heat and add malt extract. Stir until dissolved. Bring back to a boil and add bittering hops. Boil 55 minutes, then add finishing hops. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool rapidly to 70 degrees by using a wort chiller or an ice bath. When cool, put contents into a large fermenter. Fill with cool water until the 5 gallon mark is reached. Using a hydrometer, take an og reading. Sprinkle the yeast in, stir, and secure the lid and airlock. Keep at 68 degrees, or under, if possible.

Bottle after at least two weeks, and a f.g. of 1.012 or less.