Disappointed with my brew

[Mellow52]

I am a new brewer with a massive three brews under my belt that is two in bottles and one in the secondary.

The first brew was Brewers Best continental pilsner and it came out ok.

The second was from my LHBS a Belgian Blonde Ale. The brew went well other than steeping temperature temporarily went too high. I hit all gravity numbers and ended up with 7.7% abv. It was in the primary for 4 weeks and in bottles 10 days. I know it still needs time to bottle condition but had to sample one today. This is where the disappointment comes in.

I am still learning how to describe beer taste so stick with me. When I pour it has a great head but not much continues carbonation. The aroma is good but the taste not so much. There is no question about the alcohol content, it is almost like drinking vodka neat with a hint of hops. It also feels effervescent on the tonge yet you do not see bubbles (or very few) in the beer. I would not class it as enjoyable.

Any advice? Should I take a bottle to my LHBS and ask them to analyze the results?

Thanks for any help.

 

[bleme]

Put it away and forget it for a month, then refrigerate at least 3 days. That's the only way you will be able to tell what is really going on with the brew.

 

[BrewKnurd]

Yup. let that thing sit, and be amazed at the progress it can make while it just sits there in the bottle. No worries, man.

Also, do not underestimate the benefit of cold conditioning (time in the fridge).

 

[Mellow52]

Ok more time I will give with hope of a more satisfying outcome. so how much cold conditioning is recommended, just the 3 days?

 

[BrewKnurd]

Ok more time I will give with hope of a more satisfying outcome. so how much cold conditioning is recommended, just the 3 days?

It all depends on the specific beer. Some continue to get better with a week or two of cold conditioning, some with more than that. At least that has been my experience.

 

[Fid]

7.7% ABV is a pretty big beer too....

Generally speaking, the bigger the beer the longer the maturation process. I'm with everyone else, put it in the fridge and try to forget about it for a couple more weeks.

 

[Brewham]

A Belgian Blonde with that high an alcohol is a great big beer and it needs time to condition. I would say you are right on schedule with the taste you describe - it is exactly as I would expect . That is good news - you did it right.

Now you need to let the yeast and chemistry do their things. Every one of these I have made, the last bottle has been the best. Let it sit in the bottle for a month and then spend a few days in the fridge.

 

[CaptnCully]

Patience; Patience; Patience; Patience; probably the hardest thing to learn. I can remember drinking ALL of my first brew before it even had a chance to carb!

 

[ChadChaney]

Agree with all the other posts, sounds like you are tasting carbonic acid, co2 that is not fully dissolved yet, let that baby sit at about 70 degrees for aa few more weeks and then chill a sample and taste it. What yeast did you use, did you notice any Belgian style esters, or fruity, clove-ish aroma? Chances are you have fallen into a noob trap, wanting to try your brew a little early and it is still green, give it time! Once you get a pipeline going, a continuous line of ready to drink beers, you will less apt to sample early. having said that, I like to sample one beer at about a week in the bottle and then one at 2 weeks and then one(or quite a few!) at three weeks to follow the maturation process. Some beers do really well with some age, Belgians generally fall into that category, while others, IPA's, not so much. Just relax and give that magic yeast some time to work!

 

[Stauffbier]

I would actually let it condition at room temp for a few more weeks before extended cold conditioning if it were me.. Let the yeast keep cleaning up after themselves. When you carbonate you're still fermenting on a smaller scale, so the yeast still needs to clean house just like it does in the fermentor. Then a two week cold condition will drop everything out and give you a tasty brew!

 

[unionrdr]

A big ale like that is def going to take at least 5 weeks 70F to condition. And 2 weeks fridge time to get decent head & carbonation. Room temp & fridge conditioning aren't quick processes. 10 days is still very green in this case. Big beers never equal quick. They take a lot of time to be at their best. My Burton ale,a strong ale took 5 weeks in primary & a couple months to get good,with 2 weeks fridge time on top of that.
If you want quicker turn around,brew mid gravity ales to fill the pipeline. Then brew that big one & it'll be easier to give it the time it needs.

 

[Mellow52]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and advice, much appreciated. I will wait it out.

 

[bwaynes]

I brewed my first every beer (wheat) a few months ago, and the taste was just weird. I've let it sit a bit longer and still a weird taste, im hoping my stout comes out much better

 

[Mellow52]

OK I gave it time but I am still not over the moon with it. It definitely kicks your ass after 2 bottles so the abv is there but the taste is not.

If anyone wants a sample I will ship a few bottles for 'expert feedback' just pm me your address.

This is the recipe: http://www.brewapp.com/recipefiles/BELGIAN BLONDE ALE - 5 GAL.pdf

 

[Fid]

Give it two more weeks. Most importantly, try to keep a log of tasting notes while you're sampling during conditioning so you can refer back to the maturation process for future brews.

 

[bds3]

Wait it out. The good aroma but little taste, and effervescent, that you described in your initial post is exactly what I experienced with my first brew. I was worried and posted about it, actually. Everyone told me to let it sit. I did and it was ok after about 6 weeks in the bottle. After 3 months it was really good, and after 6 it was one of the best stouts I've ever had.

My beer didn't have the alcohol content yours did, either. So you definitely need to let it sit. Be patient; it's still green.

 

[Mellow52]

OK then, I am going to put it in the backroom and forget it for the next 3 months. Sucks because my first brew was a larger so that took forever. To get the pipeline going I thought this Belgian Ale would be nice only to learn it is now 3 to 6 months out. I am now on my 4th beer batch brewed and just did two 5gal of Edworts apfelwein so a total of 6 batches and drank very little beer. It is fun as hell making the stuff but would be nice to drink a few after all that time and money spent.

 

[Stauffbier]

It is fun as hell making the stuff but would be nice to drink a few after all that time and money spent.

Make a wheat beer, IPA, or simple session beer that has a low ABV, so it will be ready to drink quickly. I usually make 2-3 simple, low ABV beers then something that requires more time and then repeat. That way your pipeline keeps flowing...

 

[Yooper]

OK I gave it time but I am still not over the moon with it. It definitely kicks your ass after 2 bottles so the abv is there but the taste is not.

If anyone wants a sample I will ship a few bottles for 'expert feedback' just pm me your address.

This is the recipe: http://www.brewapp.com/recipefiles/BELGIAN BLONDE ALE - 5 GAL.pdf

I don't want a sample, thanks, but one of the things I wanted to mention was that high fermentation temperatures can cause some of the flavors you're describing.

Another thing that might make a big difference is if you are using water that is chlorinated or with chloramines in it. That makes a sort of "clove" like flavor in the beer, and although some Belgian yeast strains also have a clove like finish, the one caused by chlorine in the brewing water is a bit different, almost like bandaids or chloroseptic. (They are called chlorophenols).

Pitching yeast before the wort is under 70 degrees can do that too.

 

[Fid]

Make a wheat beer, IPA, or simple session beer that has a low ABV, so it will be ready to drink quickly. I usually make 2-3 simple, low ABV beers then something that requires more time and then repeat. That way your pipeline keeps flowing...

+1. The pipeline is a cruel, cruel thing. Definitely shoot for something on the smaller side for your next brew. My pipeline has been dry for 4 months thanks to a move, a promotion, and life in general getting in the way. This weekend I'm going to brew a small, sessionable 4% Saison and a batch of Apfelwein to get things moving along again. If you get a couple smaller beers that are ready to drink it makes forgetting about that big beer conditioning in the closet much easier to do.

Another thing that might make a big difference is if you are using water that is chlorinated or with chloramines in it.

I've never gotten a water report but my first beer tasted a little funny to me... looking back on it it was likely due to inexperience and rushing into drinking my batch before it was ready. That being said, every batch since then I've always bought bottled water to brew with. It adds a little cost to the brew day but only a couple bucks per batch and its nice having the peace of mind knowing that the water isn't loaded full of chlorine and its a simple change to make as far as trouble shooting goes.