Beer is very malty

[IPAareamaze]

So a buddy and I have been brewing for about 6 months now and it seems that all of our beers turn our pretty malty/or sometimes sweet tasting this goes for the IPAs too. Especially the IPAs dont have that crispness to them. We were thinking that perhaps fermentation wasn't yet done or our temp is off... we usually let it sit for 4 weeks at about 72-74... any suggestions?

 

[kcmobrewer]

What kind of yeast, and how long did it sit? Were they kits?

 

[cheezydemon3]

Any "Crystal" malts used?

Without recipes, nothing can really be determined.

 

[IPAareamaze]

These are kits we get from midwest supplies. the latest one was the ferocious IPA with malt extract we used the Safale Ale S-04 yeast. It sat for 4 weeks and then we bottled it for another 2-3 but hastill has a pretty malty flavor to it

 

[Yooper]

There are a couple of things that cause a beer to have a malty flavor, when it wasn't intended as such.

One is that using extract sometimes means a concentrated boil, and the result of that is a "cooked extract"y malt taste. The fix for that, if using extract, is to boil more wort when doing a partial boil, and adding the bulk of the extract at the end of the boil. That reduces maillard reactions, similar to caramelization.

Another is simply recipe related, as the balance of the beer is crucial. It could be underhopped, and that will result in a sweet beer.

Fermenting at 72/74 could be an issue as well, as that is on the warm side for most American ale yeast, so cooler would result in "cleaner" flavors.

Water chemistry can play a big role in the perception of bitterness and/or maltiness as well, so it would be good to know the water make up for these batches.

Lastly, making a bitter beer when doing a partial boil (if that is what you are doing, boiling 1/2 of the wort and then topping up with water) is hard to do due to the way hops are. Only so much of them will isomerize, and create bitterness. If you're doing a partial boil on the stove, that could be a big part of why the beer seems underbittered.

 

[masonacoats]

Another possibility is a high FG due to yeast under-pitching or lack of appropriate aeration. My first few beers all finished around 1.020 and were too sweet because I didn't bother to make a starter or aerate appropriately.