Big ABV / Strong bite

[jmward21]

I made a 10% stout 2 months ago. It is a Southern Tier Creme Brulee Clone. I made it from extract. I know I made a yeast mistake (I have since then learned the importance of making starters). I only pitched one smack pack of London ale.

I hit my OG and FG numbers and the brew day went smooth. The color is perfect and I am fairly happy with my techniques on making this batch (minus the underpitch).

However, this beer is harsh. It smells like alcohol and tastes the same. Is this harsh taste due to underpitching the yeast? It has a bite to it, similar to drinking a dragons milk or similar beer.

I want to mellow is out, but I have no idea where to start. It is kegged, carbed, and conditioned. I was thinking of adding more vanilla extract to try to sweeten it. This was a fairly expensive beer to make, but it's occupying a tap that could be better used.

Any thoughts or advice?

 

[JimRausch]

If it's an alcohol bite, rather than some other type of off-flavor, then time is your ally, my friend. And by time, I'm thinking 6 months- 1year.
Last year I did a 8.9% dopplebock that took 6 months to mellow out . I bottle, and would try one per month. It's still getting better, now 15 months after brewing. Wierdly enough, a 8.9% Belgian Triple I did about the same time never had that alcohol bite to it.
So, if you can spare that keg, I'd take it off the gas and store it somewhere for another 6 months or so, then give her a try.

 

[scottballz]

A beer that big needs to condition for a fair amount of time. did you use a secondary? if so how long? Another culprit could have been your fermentation temp. what temp did you ferment at? Hopefully it just needs to sit for a little while to mellow out. If it has only been 2 months since your brew day, i'm guessing it just needs to sit and mellow for another month or 2.

 

[jmward21]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the quick feedback.

Brew Day was 1/18/15. OG was 1.104. On 2/6/15, gravity was 1.032. I transferred to a secondary and added vanilla. On 2/13/15, gravity was 1.030. I kegged it, added more vanilla. I let it sit at 10 psi for a few weeks before trying. I had some over the weekend and still had the same taste.

My ferm temp could have been too high too. I was building my chamber when this beer was brewed. The bucket was kept in the basement at 68F air temp. A few days into fermenation, my chamber was finished and the bucket was placed inside. I have a large chamber (big enough for 6 buckets). I have the temp set at 62F. The temp is taken from a 1 gallon water jug, I know the wort could have been higher.

I started brewing in December so I am continuously learning/improving. Any rate, since then I have made 2 big improvements (I have a stir plate for starters and a ferm chamber).

Lastly, the flavor is good, just too harsh. Is the storage temp important. I have an older house and I cistern in my basement that has been converted to a storage room. It's not insulated so it has been around 42F all winter, but it will be increasing in temp as spring arrives. If it is important, I could leave it in the fridge, just not on tap.

Thanks!!

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the quick feedback.

Brew Day was 1/18/15. OG was 1.104. On 2/6/15, gravity was 1.032. I transferred to a secondary and added vanilla. On 2/13/15, gravity was 1.030. I kegged it, added more vanilla. I let it sit at 10 psi for a few weeks before trying. I had some over the weekend and still had the same taste.

My ferm temp could have been too high too. I was building my chamber when this beer was brewed. The bucket was kept in the basement at 68F air temp. A few days into fermenation, my chamber was finished and the bucket was placed inside. I have a large chamber (big enough for 6 buckets). I have the temp set at 62F. The temp is taken from a 1 gallon water jug, I know the wort could have been higher.

I started brewing in December so I am continuously learning/improving. Any rate, since then I have made 2 big improvements (I have a stir plate for starters and a ferm chamber).

Lastly, the flavor is good, just too harsh. Is the storage temp important. I have an older house and I cistern in my basement that has been converted to a storage room. It's not insulated so it has been around 42F all winter, but it will be increasing in temp as spring arrives. If it is important, I could leave it in the fridge, just not on tap.

Thanks!!

Conditioning your beer needs to be done warm so don't leave in the fermentation chamber or in your kegerator. Set it somewhere that the temperature will be in the 70's if you can and leave it there for another 3 months. Then chill and sample it (or sample it warm if you like) to see where it has gone. The stout that I made with a much lower OG kept improving for 2 years before I drank the last bottle.

 

[dcp27]

the strength isn't helping, but moreso your ferment conditions are the culprit. you way underpitched and if you fermented it at 68F ambient, you were definitely in the 70s, which is way too high for an english strain. you definitely have some fusels in there. they can fade out, but it takes ages and it needs to be warm. fortunately you've already corrected your errors for the future - starters and temp control

 

[jmward21]

thanks again for the feedback. I will take it out and let it sit for a few months to see how the flavor changes. warm samples are fine, since you can get the flavor from a small taste.

 

[jmward21]

I put the keg into storage. Cleaned the line and faucet and now I have a cider on tap. I am glad that I made the swap. This stuff is good.

Now I just have to wait 3 months and hope the stout recovers...tick tock, tick tock...

 

[GHBWNY]

I transferred to a secondary and added vanilla. ...I kegged it, added more vanilla. I let it sit at 10 psi for a few weeks before trying. I had some over the weekend and still had the same taste.[/QUOTE]

Wonder if the type of vanilla flavor and amount you used plays into the alcoholy quality. From wiki:

"Vanilla extract is a solution containing the flavor compound vanillin as the primary ingredient. In the United States, in order for a vanilla extract to be called pure, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that the solution contains a minimum of 35% alcohol and 100g of vanilla beans per litre (13.35 ounces per gallon).[1] Double and triple strength (up to 20-fold) vanilla extracts are available.

Natural vanilla flavoring is derived from real vanilla beans with little to no alcohol. The maximum amount of alcohol that is usually present is only 2–3%. Imitation vanilla extract contains vanillin, made either from guaiacol or from lignin, a byproduct of the wood pulp industry."

 

[Jayhem]

Next time you brew a stout plan to bottle it so you can age it without tying up a keg for months on end! A big beer should always be in your rotation but brew them to be aged. I brewed an imperial stout once that I didn't like much. I gave most of it away. Then I aged 1 case of it. 2 years later I realized it was still in my cellar. ...by then it was amazing! I was sad I had given it all away!