Bad Aftertaste-What am I doing wrong?

[HanksHomers34]

This will be my 4th batch so I am a beginner, with basic equipment. What I have been doing is dry hopping in the fermenting bucket after one week of fermenting. I don't have a glass carboy so that is why I do it in the fermenting bucket. To dry hop I put an ounce of cascade hop pellets in a sanitized shot glass and sanitized muslin bag. I have done this twice now (once with willamette), and have had the same results both times. A great tasting beer, with a horrible aftertaste. I describe it as the beginning is good, the finish is good, then about 2 seconds after the swallow, bam...it hits...nasty aftertaste. I love IPA's so i'm used to a hoppy beer that has a bit of a harsher finish but this is just not good at all. Any suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong?

 

[Face Eater]

If you can provide information on what the aftertaste may be, recipes and your process we may be able to help diagnose the cause. It can be a bunch of things.

 

[Shooter]

Not nearly enough information here. You seem to be assuming it comes from dry hopping, but what type of taste are you talking about?!?!?

 

[HanksHomers34]

The recipies were different but results were same. This last one was Sierra Madre Pale ale (hops are chinnook .75, german perle-1, and 2 ounces of cascade (one at flame out and one dry hopped). 1 week in primary fermenter, 1 week in primary fermenter dry hopped. Has been in the bottle now 3 weeks. Its hard to describe the aftertaste in any other words but nasty. I guess astringent but i'm not exactly sure of what that tastes like. I am very careful with sanitation, everything is sanitized with star san.

 

[HanksHomers34]

The recipe does not call for a dry hop, I just did that for added hoppiness. Did I just answer my question?

 

[FATC1TY]

No, dry hopping will add minimal flavor, but more aroma. That said, aroma does translate to some flavor.

Is it a dry grassy taste? Is it a biting, acidic taste?

Nasty is subjective, and won't really say. If the beer tastes good all the way, till except the end, then I'd guess it's not infected, or anything like that. 2 weeks on the yeast isn't very long, so no ill flavors there, unless you fermented at a really high temp.

You might not like the hop profiles you used, or you might not like the raw hop flavor from dry hopping perhaps.

 

[Yooper]

It sounds like it could be a water issue. What is the brewing water like?

 

[malkore]

Astringent is both a flavor and mouthfeel...somewhat 'puckering'...if you drink red wines, that tannin 'pucker' in some reds is astringent.

Astringency comes from the wrong pH and high temps in the mash pulling tannins from your grain bed.
Is this an all grain recipe? PM? extract with steeped grains? If you steep the wrong way you can pull tannins.

Overly dry hopped beers can have a grassy note to them.

The other problem I see is 1 week primary 1 week dry hop and then you bottled...that's not exactly ideal amount of time to sit on the yeast cake. Try 2 weeks primary, then dry hop a week, then bottle/keg. That may not improve the 'nasty' but it will clean the beer up a bit more.

 

[Whippy]

What kind of temperature are you fermenting at, HanksHomers? If there is one thing that I believe produces more of the most prevalent off-flavors, it would be fermenting too warm....

 

[HanksHomers34]

Water softened Well water. Should I get it tested to see if that is an issue? it is definately a delayed bitterness, like well after the finish. Grassy? Don't know, never eaten the stuff. Just super bitter but my alpha was pretty low on the hops I used. Fermented in my basement which is consistently 65 degrees.

 

[Yooper]

Water softened Well water. Should I get it tested to see if that is an issue? it is definately a delayed bitterness, like well after the finish. Grassy? Don't know, never eaten the stuff. Just super bitter but my alpha was pretty low on the hops I used. Fermented in my basement which is consistently 65 degrees.

You never want to use water that has been through a water softener. Try buying some bottled water for one batch, and see if that fixes the issue. It should.

 

[HanksHomers34]

Although well water, it is probably the best tasting water i've ever had. I taste nothing from the tap.

 

[HanksHomers34]

You never want to use water that has been through a water softener. Try buying some bottled water for one batch, and see if that fixes the issue. It should.

Thanks Yooper I will give that a try!

 

[drhookmec]

Fermented in my basement which is consistently 65 degrees.

Also remember fermentation generates heat if your basement is 65 then the internal temp. of the fermenter could be getting up to 75-80-deg during fermentation.

Maybe something to check.

 

[Face Eater]

You can always try to brew your next batch with bottled water or RO water to rule out water. I'm guessing it could be water and changing the water for one batch is probably the easiest test.

 

[FATC1TY]

Also remember fermentation generates heat if your basement is 65 then the internal temp. of the fermenter could be getting up to 75-80-deg during fermentation.

Maybe something to check.

Thats what I was getting at. I've found a remarkable difference in brewing and controlling my temps in a keezer.

I've also given up on worrying about my water, and use store bought spring water.

 

[Cellarbrau]

It's probably oxidation.

Is it a rubbery, or burnt plastic taste that lingers right in the finish? I find trub in the fermenter and dry hopping in primary makes it especially worse.

 

[phuff7129]

My guess is the beer is green. The OP stated 2 weeks fermentation and 3 weeks in the bottle. That is some green beer. Give it 2-4 more weeks to condition and then try it.

 

[iambeer]

Is this an all grain recipe? PM? extract with steeped grains?

Just answer me this! Stop worrying about hops. If you are doing all grain, there's a whole lot of stuff that can go bad.

 

[tswea1]

I dont want to hijack the thread but was reading it and Yooper said that you dont want to use water that has gone through a water softener. Why?

 

[tgmartin000]

Either get your water tested, or try a batch with spring water, or distilled. Iowa's well water isn't known for it's high quality. And what's your grain bill? Mash temps? Yeast?

Other than that, two weeks before bottling and 3 in the bottle isn't much time.

 

[Biere_Titan]

I'd guess the beer hasn't aged enough, too. Hanks, does the brew still have this taste after 2 months in the bottle? My first few batches has a similar aftertaste, but with enough time they turned out great. Also, try a blind taste test with your water with and without the softener. Chances are you'll be amazed at the difference in favor of the unsoftened water.

 

[TheOneBuz]

I dont want to hijack the thread but was reading it and Yooper said that you dont want to use water that has gone through a water softener. Why?

Softened water typically contains very high levels of sodium without many of the good minerals you want in a water profile.

 

[malhal]

Same here, horrible woody/tannin/astringent/vegetable after taste. Split my NEIPA batch at fermentation into 1 gallon vessels and the issue only occurred in the dry-hopped version. 10 days fermenting then 4 days dry hopped with 20g citra no bag. Bottle conditioned, bottles filled to brim to prevent oxidation, beer is bright yellow, everything is great except this aftertaste. Wondering if maybe the hops oxidised because of floating on the top?