Brewing mishap. Thoughts?

[kestrelbrewing]

Lagering (stored cold) is the same as extended cold crashing. Maybe it becomes "Lagering" after 2 weeks, and it probably has to be a Lager.

Actually, an ale can be lagered (altbier and kölsch for example, and Westvletteren 8 and 12 spend a month or two below 50ºF according to Hieronymus). Similarly, a lager can be made without lagering (California Common AKA Steam beer before Anchor decided to trademark that name).

Decent summary here: What Is the Difference between Ale and Lager?

 

[IslandLizard]

Actually, an ale can be lagered (altbier and kölsch for example, and Westvletteren 8 and 12 spend a month or two below 50ºF according to Hieronymus). Similarly, a lager can be made without lagering (California Common AKA Steam beer before Anchor decided to trademark that name).

Decent summary here: What Is the Difference between Ale and Lager?

Excellent points, I forgot about those Lagered Ales. And non-lagered Lager type beers.

 

[kestrelbrewing]

Excellent points, I forgot about those Lagered Ales. And non-lagered Lager type beers.

Yeah, the confusion comes from the term "lagering". The consequence of adapting foreign terminology that was developed before we knew what yeast was let alone that there were different strains that did different things … keeps the nOObs on their toes though.

 

[Brulian]

So I ended up doing two weeks primary fermentation and last night I bottled my brew, looks like some good beer.
Im going to leave the bottles for 2 weeks to complete carbonation at room temp.

Just one question: When I opened the fermentor my ale brew smelt sweet almost like a lite ice tea, what is the reason for it smelling so sweet, asking just out of curiosity.
Hopefully 2F will remove most of the sweet smell as I prefer bitter flavours especially in beer.

 

[IslandLizard]

Just one question: When I opened the fermentor my ale brew smelt sweet almost like a lite ice tea, what is the reason for it smelling so sweet, asking just out of curiosity.
Hopefully 2F will remove most of the sweet smell as I prefer bitter flavours especially in beer.

All (non-sour) beer does smell kinda sweet. What was your FG, and did the beer taste sweet when you bottled it?

 

[Brulian]

All (non-sour) beer does smell kinda sweet. What was your FG, and did the beer taste sweet when you bottled it?

The FG was about 1.012/11.
The taste was not as sweet as the smell more like a lighter beer which is a good sign.

 

[IslandLizard]

The FG was about 1.012/11.
The taste was not as sweet as the smell more like a lighter beer which is a good sign.

That FG sounds a little high for a 1.033 OG beer (that's the gravity you ended up with, right?). That explains the sweetness.
But FG highly depends on ingredients and yeast used. After 2 weeks at fairly high ferm temps for an ale it should be done.

 

[Brulian]

That FG sounds a little high for a 1.033 OG beer (that's the gravity you ended up with, right?). That explains the sweetness.
But FG highly depends on ingredients and yeast used. After 2 weeks at fairly high ferm temps for an ale it should be done.

Yeah my FG ended up a little higher then expected (Ideal 1.006) but the gravity reading was consistent (1.012/11) for 5 days.
Its going to be low ABV but I think this stems from the scenario from my original message with the boiling mishap so im not too surprise with the low ABV.
Do you reckon with these readings the ale will turn out to taste sweet or is that just the aroma of the brew?



But regardless this was a cool experience and in my next brew ill do things better and try not make the same mistakes.
Thinking of making an IPA next. The ferm temp (18 to 22C) is similar to ales ferm temp correct, thats what ive read.

 

[IslandLizard]

Do you reckon with these readings the ale will turn out to taste sweet or is that just the aroma of the brew?

But regardless this was a cool experience and in my next brew ill do things better and try not make the same mistakes.
Thinking of making an IPA next. The ferm temp (18 to 22C) is similar to ales ferm temp correct, thats what ive read.

Don't worry, you made your own beer !!!
It should be quite enjoyable when nicely carbonated and drank cold.

You'll get better at it with time, keep reading on how to brew and learning the ropes as you do it.

 

[Brulian]

Its almost been 1 week since I bottled my brew to allow for carbonation. Ill leave it for 2 weeks in total however my question is:
Bottle carbonation for 2 weeks and then place in fridge? If so for how long?
Or is it 2 weeks total including fridge time for example: bottle carbonation process at room temp for 12 days and then place in fridge for 2 days?

 

[IslandLizard]

Its almost been 1 week since I bottled my brew to allow for carbonation. Ill leave it for 2 weeks in total however my question is:
Bottle carbonation for 2 weeks and then place in fridge? If so for how long?
Or is it 2 weeks total including fridge time for example: bottle carbonation process at room temp for 12 days and then place in fridge for 2 days?

It takes 2-3 weeks to carbonate in bottles, at room temp 68-74F, also depending on how much viable yeast is in the bottles.

Then putting the carbonated bottles in the fridge for 6-12 hours is enough to get your first taste, but with longer times (2-5 days) the carbonation gets finer, more integrated, giving a thicker, denser head/foam too. The beer also clears more with longer fridge/cold storage times. Pick up and handle bottles gently, don't shake em around or lift and tilt. You don't want the sediment on the bottom to mix back in.

For the best pour, pour gently and slowly, in a steady stream, along the inside of a slightly tilted glass. At the very end of the pour you may pour into the middle of the beer, creating a little more head. Don't do a hard pour directly onto the bottom of the glass, unless you want an impressively large head and little carbonation left in your beer. As you pour, no glugging, no tilting back. As soon as you see a trail of sediment appear in the neck, tilt the bottle back quickly, to prevent the sludge getting into your glass.

Enjoy that gorgeous homebrew beer!

 

[Brulian]

It takes 2-3 weeks to carbonate in bottles, at room temp 68-74F, also depending on how much viable yeast is in the bottles.

Then putting the carbonated bottles in the fridge for 6-12 hours is enough to get your first taste, but with longer times (2-5 days) the carbonation gets finer, more integrated, giving a thicker, denser head/foam too. The beer also clears more with longer fridge/cold storage times. Pick up and handle bottles gently, don't shake em around or lift and tilt. You don't want the sediment on the bottom to mix back in.

For the best pour, pour gently and slowly, in a steady stream, along the inside of a slightly tilted glass. At the very end of the pour you may pour into the middle of the beer, creating a little more head. Don't do a hard pour directly onto the bottom of the glass, unless you want an impressively large head and little carbonation left in your beer. As you pour, no glugging, no tilting back. As soon as you see a trail of sediment appear in the neck, tilt the bottle back quickly, to prevent the sludge getting into your glass.

Enjoy that gorgeous homebrew beer!

Thank you,
I really appreciate the response Island Lizard.

I will post some pictures of my beer when its all done.

 

[Brulian]

After 1 week of bottle conditioning I placed 1 bottle of beer in the fridge over night (about 20hrs) at 8C just as a sample.
When i popped open the bottle it had a good amount of carbonation, it hissed when taking off the cap, good head and clearly well carbonated. It is also clear, some sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
If it is clearly carbonated why leave it for another week of conditioning? Does this extra week benefit the flavour or otherwise whats the purpose?
I only ask because I really don't know becasue isnt the purpose of conditioning to carbonate the beer but if its already well carbonated then why leave it for longer?

Any info will be well appreciated.
Im super happy with the result of the sample, I made beer! Tastes pretty good as well. Its a bit light for my taste but its an easy drink.

 

[rsquared]

After 1 week of bottle conditioning I placed 1 bottle of beer in the fridge over night (about 20hrs) at 8C just as a sample.
When i popped open the bottle it had a good amount of carbonation, it hissed when taking off the cap, good head and clearly well carbonated. It is also clear, some sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
If it is clearly carbonated why leave it for another week of conditioning? Does this extra week benefit the flavour or otherwise whats the purpose?
I only ask because I really don't know becasue isnt the purpose of conditioning to carbonate the beer but if its already well carbonated then why leave it for longer?

Any info will be well appreciated.
Im super happy with the result of the sample, I made beer! Tastes pretty good as well. Its a bit light for my taste but its an easy drink.

Yes, carbonation is part of it, and even that is likely not done (i.e. There's carbonation, but is there as much as there should be?)

The other part is that the flavors do continue to develop a bit. The yeast are still working and the flavor will continue to develop for at least a few more weeks. There's a common saying around here that the last bottle is the best one, and you may regret not saving more that long. Although I know that it's also hard to be patient and not want to keep sampling what you've made.

Brewing is an exercise in patience sometimes, and especially early on it's tough to leave it alone for weeks. The trick is to get your next beer going, and your next, etc. until you have beer at various stages. It's a whole lot easier to resist sampling that latest beer 1 week after bottling when you've still got a case of beer bottled 4+ weeks ago!

 

[IslandLizard]

When i popped open the bottle it had a good amount of carbonation

It's not just the amount, it's the quality of carbonation we're after. Big bubbles in the head that dissipates within a few minutes, that's what you usually get after a week. Mouthfeel isn't quite optimal yet, either.

Does this extra week benefit the flavour or otherwise whats the purpose?

You be the judge.

It's also conditioning, improving flavor, slowly maturing from young (green) beer.

 

[IslandLizard]

Its a bit light for my taste

That's what you'd expect from a 1.036 gravity simple "kit" beer. And yours is even 10% lighter, you only got 1.033.
Sugars tend to thin the beer, contributing no (or very little) flavor and no body. Malt does the opposite. Better beers use more or all malt.

That "Brew Enhancer" you used, which version was that, 1, 2, or 3?
Enhancer 1 - Mostly Dextrose + Maltodextrin
Enhancer 2 - Mostly Dextrose + DME + Maltodextrin
Enhancer 3 - Mostly DME + Dextrose + Maltodextrin

"Brew Enhancers" 1 and 2 really don't enhance much of anything. They're just cheap ingredients (all or mostly sugar) that add alcohol, and no or not much flavor. And perhaps a little bit of body.

Not knocking these kits, they have their place and make beer, but not the best.

Now you've got your first successful brew under your belt, start looking for making some improvements. Pick better kits, or if you can source loose ingredients, pick a good looking easy to brew extract recipe, and start working toward brewing something like that.
John Palmer's How to Brew book also includes extract recipes.