Hey everyone,
I just cracked a beer from my third batch last night and it was pretty bad. Figured that I would post here to see if anyone has any insight. I have done some looking around and think I have a few ideas as to why this beer went bad.
First the recipe (a slightly modified IPA recipe-different hops due to my LHBS not having some):
9lbs. Coopers DME
1lb. 60L Chrystal Malt
1/2 lb. Carapils
Hops:
2 oz. Centennial 8.7%
2 oz. Perle 7.6%
1 oz. Cascade 6.3%
White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP 001
Steeped specialty grains for 30 minutes at 150 F in 1.5 gallons H2O
Hops scheldule:
60 min 1 oz. centennial
40 min 1 oz. perle
20 1 oz. centennial and 1 oz. perle
last minute 1 oz. cascade
*edit*
After steeping my specialty grains in a nylon bag I added water to get to about 3 gallons in my boiling pot. This was brought to a boil then taken off the burner. To this I added the DME and brought back up to a boil before adding hops. After the 60 minute boil I colled the wort to about 74 F with a ice bath and transfered the wort to my 6.5 gallon glass carboy. Then I added water to have a total of 5.5 gallons in the carboy before pitching the yeast. The yeast was room temperature before pitching. Areation was done by adding water to the wort and then shaking the carboy.
Racked to primary and took a gravity of 1.084
Two weeks in primary at 68 F and moved to secondary for two more weeks. Temperature was pretty constant at 68 F give or take 2 degrees. Fermentation went well but started a little slow.
Final gravity was 1.028. i realized that this was very high but it was stable after readings two days apart.
*edit*
Moved to bottling bucket with 1 cup priming sugar mixed with 1 1/2 cup water. Stirred with racking cane occasionaly while bottling being careful not to aerate the beer. Left in bottles for 2 weeks at 62 to 70 F.
Problem 1 the beer is flat-no carbonation.
Problem 2 the beer feels thick a little like maple syrup
Good point: the bitterness is good
I now know that I needed a starter for a beer with such a high OG. I think it has no carbonation due to losing the yeast in secondary?
I will open another beer in two weeks and hope for some carbonation but figured I would post here to see what you guys think I did wrong.
Thanks alot in advance this site, and of course the people on it, are a great asset.
I just cracked a beer from my third batch last night and it was pretty bad. Figured that I would post here to see if anyone has any insight. I have done some looking around and think I have a few ideas as to why this beer went bad.
First the recipe (a slightly modified IPA recipe-different hops due to my LHBS not having some):
9lbs. Coopers DME
1lb. 60L Chrystal Malt
1/2 lb. Carapils
Hops:
2 oz. Centennial 8.7%
2 oz. Perle 7.6%
1 oz. Cascade 6.3%
White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP 001
Steeped specialty grains for 30 minutes at 150 F in 1.5 gallons H2O
Hops scheldule:
60 min 1 oz. centennial
40 min 1 oz. perle
20 1 oz. centennial and 1 oz. perle
last minute 1 oz. cascade
*edit*
After steeping my specialty grains in a nylon bag I added water to get to about 3 gallons in my boiling pot. This was brought to a boil then taken off the burner. To this I added the DME and brought back up to a boil before adding hops. After the 60 minute boil I colled the wort to about 74 F with a ice bath and transfered the wort to my 6.5 gallon glass carboy. Then I added water to have a total of 5.5 gallons in the carboy before pitching the yeast. The yeast was room temperature before pitching. Areation was done by adding water to the wort and then shaking the carboy.
Racked to primary and took a gravity of 1.084
Two weeks in primary at 68 F and moved to secondary for two more weeks. Temperature was pretty constant at 68 F give or take 2 degrees. Fermentation went well but started a little slow.
Final gravity was 1.028. i realized that this was very high but it was stable after readings two days apart.
*edit*
Moved to bottling bucket with 1 cup priming sugar mixed with 1 1/2 cup water. Stirred with racking cane occasionaly while bottling being careful not to aerate the beer. Left in bottles for 2 weeks at 62 to 70 F.
Problem 1 the beer is flat-no carbonation.
Problem 2 the beer feels thick a little like maple syrup
Good point: the bitterness is good
I now know that I needed a starter for a beer with such a high OG. I think it has no carbonation due to losing the yeast in secondary?
I will open another beer in two weeks and hope for some carbonation but figured I would post here to see what you guys think I did wrong.
Thanks alot in advance this site, and of course the people on it, are a great asset.