Cream Ale Concerns...

[Jrhd437]

I brewed a Brewer's Best American Cream Ale kit. I let it sit in primary bucket for 7 days, then transferred to a better bottle for another week.

I proceeded to bottle as usual. I waited 10 days (could be part of the issue?), and I'm trying a cold one tonight.

It's carbonated... but is tastes like alcohol and not much else. I did not take readings, but brewed as directed. Any idea why this would happen or if more time would help at all?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
- Jrhd437

 

[Yooper]

I brewed a Brewer's Best American Cream Ale kit. I let it sit in primary bucket for 7 days, then transferred to a better bottle for another week.

I proceeded to bottle as usual. I waited 10 days (could be part of the issue?), and I'm trying a cold one tonight.

It's carbonated... but is tastes like alcohol and not much else. I did not take readings, but brewed as directed. Any idea why this would happen or if more time would help at all?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
- Jrhd437

Sometimes an "alcohol" flavor in a lower alcohol beer comes from having fermentation temperature too high, especially in the beginning of fermentation. That creates "fusel" alcohols, which is a higher alcohol and can create headaches.

Sometimes adding the yeast before the beer gets below 70 degrees causes it, but most often it happens when fermentation temperature gets above 70 degrees. The higher the temperature, the worse the fusels.

Fusels won't go away, but some conditioning might help the rest of the beers flavors come out more so it might have more flavor.

 

[moscoeb]

I know when I did my brewers best cream ale kit, it took almost six months for a bitterness to go away. I can only assume this was a "green beer" I was tasting. I have since tasted that taste in a few others.
Give it time and see if it improves. Keep tasting one every week or so. Although yooper knows more about the off favors and what causes them.

 

[msa8967]

If you plan on doing this kit again I would let it stay in the primary for 2-3 weeks and not use a secondary at all. My first few batches I had added the yeast at too high of a temperature before learning about imersing part of my primary bucket in a larger bucket with water to help keep the temperatures down.

What yeast did you use for this recipe?

 

[Jrhd437]

It was the Nottingham that came with it - and and I gave an ice-water bath... but I do think it was still too hot when I added the yeast.

Darn it. I guess lesson learned.

Thanks for the help guys. Wish there was some way to save it. No use crying of spilled beer.

 

[progmac]

cream ale done right is ready about 4 weeks from brew day if you bottle. something happened to yours along the way, so the only way to end up with good beer is just to store it for a while and let it mellow. i'd stash it away for six months and start another batch, being careful to control fermentation temperatures.

i think nottingham is not a good yeast choice unless you are fermenting in the low 60s. try us-05 or 1056 for your next neutral ale.

 

[gt_andy]

This is my favorite Kit to brew. Have brewed it a few times and currently brewing one right now (i messed this batch up this time - buddy of mine added the wrong hops at the wrong time of the boil - Letting it go to see how it turns out). Other then this last one that is fermeniting now I have had really good results. Great beer! All my friends love it. Its a kinda higher ABV beer (6 or 7 ABV i think).

Here is how I do it. I follow instructions to a T. I believe its a 55 min boil. Waiting for the 5 gal to come down to about 80 degrees before adding the yeast. Took a reading and verified that its was alll good.

Anyways, I fermented in pimary for 2 weeks @ 68 degrees, transfered to secondary and continued fermentation for another 2 weeks @ 68 degrees, and then bottled and it took mine about 4 weeks @ room temp (70-74) to fully carbonate. It had some carb to it after 2 weeks. But after 4 weeks it was perfect.


Hopes this helps.

 

[moscoeb]

It was the Nottingham that came with it - and and I gave an ice-water bath... but I do think it was still too hot when I added the yeast.

Darn it. I guess lesson learned.

Thanks for the help guys. Wish there was some way to save it. No use crying of spilled beer.

Just give it time. Mine was good after about 6 months. No sense in dumping it after all the work has been done!!

 

[Homercidal]

I'd hold on to it for a while and see what happens. If it's fusels it might not get much better, but it could be a combination of different flavors and some of them might fade a bit over time.

Do you know if you have chlorine or chloramine in your water? At a certain level this can impart an odd flavor to beer that you wouldn't normally taste in plain water. I ask because chloramine is getting pretty popular with municipal water departments, even in smaller towns.

 

[johnny5000]

cream ale done right is ready about 4 weeks from brew day if you bottle.

Does it take that long?
I just brewed a cream ale using the Brewer's Best kit and I was expecting it to be done after about a week in a primary and a week in a secondary (I'm planning on adding some flavorings to the secondary.)

Should I count on more like 3 or 4 weeks in primary and another week in secondary for the flavoring?

This is my first time making this style, so if I'm way too optimistic with my ferment times, let me know.

 

[Homercidal]

Does it take that long?
I just brewed a cream ale using the Brewer's Best kit and I was expecting it to be done after about a week in a primary and a week in a secondary (I'm planning on adding some flavorings to the secondary.)

Should I count on more like 3 or 4 weeks in primary and another week in secondary for the flavoring?

This is my first time making this style, so if I'm way too optimistic with my ferment times, let me know.

It can be done in that much time, but it depends on your handling and fermentation details. Pitching a good amount of yeast and fermenting at the proper temp will help it finish without off flavors that might need cleaning up.

If you keg you can knock some time off and cold crash it while it's clearing.

I can't say I've ever found my light ales were better in 2 weeks than they were at 4 though.

 

[progmac]

Does it take that long?
I just brewed a cream ale using the Brewer's Best kit and I was expecting it to be done after about a week in a primary and a week in a secondary (I'm planning on adding some flavorings to the secondary.)

Should I count on more like 3 or 4 weeks in primary and another week in secondary for the flavoring?

This is my first time making this style, so if I'm way too optimistic with my ferment times, let me know.

I meant 4 weeks grain to glass- 2 weeks primary (or 1 week in each primary and secondary) and two weeks in the bottle, carbing up. If you're on point with yeast and temps it will be ready.

What is your plan for flavoring? Cream ale is pretty delicious on its own.

 

[johnny5000]

I meant 4 weeks grain to glass- 2 weeks primary (or 1 week in each primary and secondary) and two weeks in the bottle, carbing up. If you're on point with yeast and temps it will be ready.

What is your plan for flavoring? Cream ale is pretty delicious on its own.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the time needed to carbonate in the bottles.

I had a ginger cream ale that I liked a lot, so I was going to attempt to recreate something similar. The recipe that I used had sweet orange peel and fresh ginger in it. I added some to the boil, so I was going to see how it tasted after the primary to see if I wanted to go ahead with the additional flavoring in the secondary.

 

[progmac]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the time needed to carbonate in the bottles.

I had a ginger cream ale that I liked a lot, so I was going to attempt to recreate something similar. The recipe that I used had sweet orange peel and fresh ginger in it. I added some to the boil, so I was going to see how it tasted after the primary to see if I wanted to go ahead with the additional flavoring in the secondary.

Orange peel is dangerous stuff, be careful not to overdo it

 

[Jrhd437]

Thanks for all the help. Ill try it again in a few weeks and just keep checking on it periodically - maybe it can improve.

The temp of the wort was something like 80 when I added the yeast. The recipe kits does say 70 before adding. Apparently not paying attention to just one step really can affect the beer.

 

[Refly]

Thanks for all the help. Ill try it again in a few weeks and just keep checking on it periodically - maybe it can improve.

The temp of the wort was something like 80 when I added the yeast. The recipe kits does say 70 before adding. Apparently not paying attention to just one step really can affect the beer.

This is my go to kit when I need something fast and want to please the masses. It's always turned around quickly - usually I leave it 2 weeks in the primary and then bottle or keg. I've never had any off flavors and I think the kit is quite good - but I do ferment at 66 degrees.

I think it's the high temp. For me I found that controlling temperatures made the single largest difference in better beer. I did have a similar experience to yours on my first BB kit (an IPA) - very harsh and I now realize that although I had it in a 70 degree room, the temperature in the fermenting bucket was probably considerably higher. Unfortunately it never tells you this in the directions(which is why these forums are great) It mellowed a bit over time and was certainly drinkable, but not great.