bitter finish
- Thread starter ab4uk74
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
Not much to go on. Personally, I have no interest in a beer that doesn't have a bitter finish. Could it just be too much long boil hops? Unless it's something you can tell for sure is not a normal beer taste, drink another, and maybe another after that. If you did hop it well, it may just take a little adjustment on your part.
you should share more about that brew if you want some answers. when did you brew? what yeast? what temp? how long has it been bottles? etc.?
Here are some of the issues I had while brewing. It was bottled on January 7. The yeast I used was Danstar Windsor Ale.
1. Water boils at 212 F but I could only get my water with specialty grains up to 207 F. It was steaming but not boiling when I added the first round of hops. When that was added it actually started to boil.
2. I forgot to take an SG reading...(I blame it on the beer I was drinking at the time of brewing)
3. I used a space heater to control the temp in the room I would place my primary in. However, I didn't know that the thermostat on said space heater was broken so even though I set the temp at 72 F before I went to bed when woke up the next morning I found the room temp to be 86 F and my airlock looked like it was boiling. I adjusted the temp to get it back to 70 F and the next morning there were no bubbles. I opened the lid and saw there were still lots of bubbles on the surface so I closed it back up.
4. After one week there was no bubbling on the surface so I racked to a secondary and took a gravity reading of 1.024. 5 days later I took another gravity reading and it was still 1.024 so I decided to go ahead and bottle.
It was bottled on January 7. The yeast I used was Danstar Windsor Ale.
Could it just be that it is still so green?
Thanks
1. Water boils at 212 F but I could only get my water with specialty grains up to 207 F. It was steaming but not boiling when I added the first round of hops. When that was added it actually started to boil.
2. I forgot to take an SG reading...(I blame it on the beer I was drinking at the time of brewing)
3. I used a space heater to control the temp in the room I would place my primary in. However, I didn't know that the thermostat on said space heater was broken so even though I set the temp at 72 F before I went to bed when woke up the next morning I found the room temp to be 86 F and my airlock looked like it was boiling. I adjusted the temp to get it back to 70 F and the next morning there were no bubbles. I opened the lid and saw there were still lots of bubbles on the surface so I closed it back up.
4. After one week there was no bubbling on the surface so I racked to a secondary and took a gravity reading of 1.024. 5 days later I took another gravity reading and it was still 1.024 so I decided to go ahead and bottle.
It was bottled on January 7. The yeast I used was Danstar Windsor Ale.
Could it just be that it is still so green?
Thanks
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
Sorry to disappoint you. Although I live in Kansas now, I grew up in Kentucky and will forever bleed blue. GO CATS!!! Nice game though.
cervezarara
Well-Known Member
There are a couple of issues you should probably address in future brews.
1. You shouldn't really bring specialty (or any) grains to a boil. Above about 170F, tannins can be leached from the grain husks which can cause an astringent flavor in the beer. Steep specialty grains between 150 and 160 for about half an hour, then remove them. You may be having astringency issues with the current beer, and they may not improve with age.
2. And I think you know this, lower fermentation temperatures will yield a cleaner tasting beer. Even 72 is a little high for non Belgians. Try to ferment around 65 if you have a place that is that cool. There are many ideas on the forum as to how to ferment at cooler temperatures. Probably the easiest is to put your fermentation vessel in a larger tub filled with cool water, and add ice as needed to keep the temperature in the mid sixties.
I hope your flavor improves with additional aging. If it doesn't, keep reading the forum and try another batch soon!
1. You shouldn't really bring specialty (or any) grains to a boil. Above about 170F, tannins can be leached from the grain husks which can cause an astringent flavor in the beer. Steep specialty grains between 150 and 160 for about half an hour, then remove them. You may be having astringency issues with the current beer, and they may not improve with age.
2. And I think you know this, lower fermentation temperatures will yield a cleaner tasting beer. Even 72 is a little high for non Belgians. Try to ferment around 65 if you have a place that is that cool. There are many ideas on the forum as to how to ferment at cooler temperatures. Probably the easiest is to put your fermentation vessel in a larger tub filled with cool water, and add ice as needed to keep the temperature in the mid sixties.
I hope your flavor improves with additional aging. If it doesn't, keep reading the forum and try another batch soon!
2. I often forget to take the OG when I brew and I never drink until the brew day is over. I still get beer made but I may not be completely sure about the percentage of alcohol it contains.
3. You've probably created some fusel alcohol from fermenting too high and some other compounds that don't taste too good either. Cooler ferment makes cleaner beer. I like to chill my wort to about 60 before I pitch the yeast and ferment in a room that stays between 62 and 65 for a week, then let it warm up to 72 so the yeast clean up the esters and complete the ferment.
4. While 1.024 seems like too high of a FG to bottle, the fact that it stayed the same would lead one to think so. Don't store this one too long in the bottles though because it might have just stalled out and may decide to start up again in the bottles. If you start opening bottles that are over carbonated, chill the rest and drink them soon.
3. You've probably created some fusel alcohol from fermenting too high and some other compounds that don't taste too good either. Cooler ferment makes cleaner beer. I like to chill my wort to about 60 before I pitch the yeast and ferment in a room that stays between 62 and 65 for a week, then let it warm up to 72 so the yeast clean up the esters and complete the ferment.
4. While 1.024 seems like too high of a FG to bottle, the fact that it stayed the same would lead one to think so. Don't store this one too long in the bottles though because it might have just stalled out and may decide to start up again in the bottles. If you start opening bottles that are over carbonated, chill the rest and drink them soon.
I think that bringing the grains up near boiling would also contribute more unfermentables that would raise the actual FG. Besides that sucking on a tea bag flavor.
well, it seems you have a couple issues here. if it actually never boiled, that could cause a problem, and it could end up with a bitter taste due to the hops not boiling the way you intended. there's also the issue of temps, which i'm willing to bet is the culprit. fermentation is exothermic, it creates heat. an ambient temp of 72 is way too warm for most ale yeast (belgian, etc. excluded). at 72, your ferment could have been close to 80. at 86, well, i don't even wanna think about that. most of us take measures to keep ferment temps down, not up.
check out this method of controlling temps. it really helps, and like i said, i'm willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that the high temps are to blame for your off flavors.
I was OK on my steeping temp. I put the grains in when I turned the burner on and took them out at 170 so they didn't boil. I am thinking my biggest problem is the fermentation temp. I am going to brew it again to test the difference. It is very drinkable, just not what I expected a Moose Drool clone to be. I love Moose Drool and ad high expectations for this clone. What I brewed doesn't taste like Moose Drool at all but I will drink it.
i agree, it definitely sounds like flavors from high temps, and you said your ferment was easily between 75 and possible 90+ degrees, way warm for almost any ale yeast, and definitely temps that will produce some bad flavors and hot alcohols. read the blog i linked in my previous post, i think you may find it helpful. i also wrote this blog on the benefits of fermenting ales at rather cool temperatures. i think it's very important when trying to make a clean tasting ale.
Thanks a lot. I have figured out that the room I ferment in stays around 65-67 without any help so the Oatmeal Stout I bottled should be much better. After I brew my Irish Red I just got from NB I will try the Caribou Slobber again.
Dang. Where's a Jayhawk when you need one. We're pretty excited about Mizzou joining you guys in the SEC Eastern division next year. You guys are going to be tough in basketball, obviously, but we should be one of the conferences better teams. In football, I think the Tigers are going to compete well within the East, but that other side is a pretty tough neighborhood.
It's going to be rugged, but what the #$% - no guts no glory.
P.S. Even if you do like the Jayhawks, I was only kidding - I don't take the 'border war' as seriously as all that. See you in the tournament.
Colonel_Forbin
Active Member
Being a Jayhawk, & living in Lawrence it was a hard game to watch. But it was a good game, now you are getting good you go and leave the conference. Although I do like how the record stands 171-94 
I like no one but my Cats. Loved it when UK beat Kansas earlier this year. I got to gloat... A LOT!!! I am one of those fans though. A UK fan lives it and breathes it. It is hereditary. I hate Loserville, Duke and Tenn. Comes with the territory. You guys are tough and should be deep in the tournament. Next year should be fun. Yeah the SEC West in football is brutal. Gonna be fun watching the new teams adjust to SEC level. Good luck.
I don't think the rivalry is over, despite what your coach said after the game. This thing's been going over a hundred years - I'm confident the 2 schools will work something out. Why don't you guys just come on over to the SEC?Being a Jayhawk, & living in Lawrence it was a hard game to watch. But it was a good game, now you are getting good you go and leave the conference. Although I do like how the record stands 171-94
Let's face it, KU has been a lot better in B-Ball, for the most part, but we have a narrow edge in football. Maybe we should decide this with a Columbia-Lawrence homebrew throwdown. Now there's a border war worth drinking, er, fighting!
Colonel_Forbin
Active Member
I don't think the rivalry is over either. It is the oldest west of the Mississippi, and has bitter roots dating to the civil war.
I do think a throw down could be fun. But I'd need to get a few more batches under my belt first. Will be bottling my first on the 19th I hope. Will be 4 weeks then.
I also think that this thread has been officially hijacked.
I do think a throw down could be fun. But I'd need to get a few more batches under my belt first. Will be bottling my first on the 19th I hope. Will be 4 weeks then.
I also think that this thread has been officially hijacked.
