Flavourless first attempt

[paul_beer]

First of all, I have to say I am impressed with this forum. I have been spending more time on this site than I have working!

My first attempt was an extract brew using Morgans hopped extract (1 can ~1.5kg Iron Bark Dark Ale) and another 1.5 kg of dark DME. The extract was hopped so no additional hops was used. It fermented 1 week in the primary and then 2 in the secondary. I primed using 1 1/4 cup brown sugar (boiled in water) for more flavour.

It has carbonated well, too much even, but it does not have much flavour. It was been over a month since I bottled it and it has gained a little but not much. It doesn't taste bad either, just... bland. I know that oxidation is supposed to give a wet cardboard taste but I can't say I have ever ate cardboard. I was careful with the racking so I can only think of two things: A) contamination or B) oxidation of the hot wort.

I was pretty anal with sanitizing so I don't think it was that. Oxidation doesn't sound likely either because this has no taste, let alone cardboard. The morgan's extract wasn't boiled (didn't want to loose the hops aroma) but the dme was. Everything there went fine until we cooled it. My wife, being the helpfull person she is, stirred it to help it cool faster. What I didn't tell her was that the wort wasn't supposed to be aerated until it cooled to avoid oxidation so it got a little bit of a beating until I remembered reading that little tidbit.

So, that leads me to my question: What could have gone wrong? Was it the littled bit of air while the wort was too hot? I also read that some bacterial infections eat up all the malt (which would explain the excess carbonation, assuming I didn't use too much sugar).

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to be as detailed as possible.

 

[Cheesefood]

First of all, I have to say I am impressed with this forum. I have been spending more time on this site than I have working!

So do the rest of us.

My first attempt was an extract brew using Morgans hopped extract (1 can ~1.5kg Iron Bark Dark Ale) and another 1.5 kg of dark DME. The extract was hopped so no additional hops was used. It fermented 1 week in the primary and then 2 in the secondary. I primed using 1 1/4 cup brown sugar (boiled in water) for more flavour.

They never put enough hops in those extracts. You're better off buying unhopped extract and hopping it up yourself.

I was careful with the racking so I can only think of two things: A) contamination or B) oxidation of the hot wort.

No, those cause off-tastes like band-aids, etc.

I was pretty anal with sanitizing so I don't think it was that.

You said "anal". Heh-heh

Oxidation doesn't sound likely either because this has no taste, let alone cardboard. The morgan's extract wasn't boiled (didn't want to loose the hops aroma) but the dme was. Everything there went fine until we cooled it. My wife, being the helpfull person she is, stirred it to help it cool faster. What I didn't tell her was that the wort wasn't supposed to be aerated until it cooled to avoid oxidation so it got a little bit of a beating until I remembered reading that little tidbit.

I stir mine like crazy and never had a problem.

So, that leads me to my question: What could have gone wrong? Was it the littled bit of air while the wort was too hot? I also read that some bacterial infections eat up all the malt (which would explain the excess carbonation, assuming I didn't use too much sugar).

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to be as detailed as possible.

Right now I'm thinking of the Miller commercial where people are pouring air and thinking it's Budweiser.

The problem was with your ingredients. Next time, get a grain bag and throw in some crushed grains and hops. Pick a recipe on this board or others and brew.

 

[cweston]

I agree with Cheesefood--your recipe tastes the way it is meant to taste.

Try getting an ingredient kit for a style you like from a place like morebeer.com or northern brewer. Or, find a recipe from a book or from here and ghet the ingredients al a carte. It's really very easy to make excellent beer, honest.

 

[paul_beer]

Thank you for the quick reply. I think I might just have to try your vanilla ale recipie for the next batch! My first batch scared me into using a boxed wort kit (Barons Brown Ale) it tasted good when I racked it but it isn't "my" beer. I am looking for a good, refreshing summer beer. Do you think the vanilla ale fits the bill or is too heavy?

 

[Markusface]

It could be that you used brown sugar, I've read that using malt extracts for your fermentables improves flavour considerably.

For my first batch I'm currently brewing I used a kilo of cane sugar, so I'm not expecting much on the flavour side... it's mainly for the alcohol content tehe

 

[Cheesefood]

Thank you for the quick reply. I think I might just have to try your vanilla ale recipie for the next batch! My first batch scared me into using a boxed wort kit (Barons Brown Ale) it tasted good when I racked it but it isn't "my" beer. I am looking for a good, refreshing summer beer. Do you think the vanilla ale fits the bill or is too heavy?

If you're talking about the kind of beer you can kill a case in a few hours with your friends, then try a Kolsch. The Vanilla is really only good for maybe 2-3 in a night. It's a great dessert beer, but I don't think I could pound these.

Kolsch or Hefeweissen's are easy styles that are perfect for summer. I'm brewing a Hefe this weekend.

 

[Ize]

If you're talking about the kind of beer you can kill a case in a few hours with your friends, then try a Kolsch. The Vanilla is really only good for maybe 2-3 in a night. It's a great dessert beer, but I don't think I could pound these.

Kolsch or Hefeweissen's are easy styles that are perfect for summer. I'm brewing a Hefe this weekend.

Jumping in for just a sec. Cheese what ever did happen with your and 2nd Streets Kolsch's (?) You guys had a thread on it and it just dropped dead. I was considering this for a summer brew but wasn't sure....


Ize

 

[DrewsBrews]

So do the rest of us.

Heck... I visit the site several times a day just to check out Cheese's avatars.

Edit: until he changes it to Mother Theresa. Buzz kill.

 

[Cheesefood]

Jumping in for just a sec. Cheese what ever did happen with your and 2nd Streets Kolsch's (?) You guys had a thread on it and it just dropped dead. I was considering this for a summer brew but wasn't sure....


Ize

I don't remember, but I've been known to say I'll do a lot of things that I never get around to doing. My basement is proof incarnate of this propensity.

What kind of Kolsch were we going to make? Kolsch is next on my list. My wife is out of town this weekend! I've been drinking a lot of Goose Island Summertime Kolsch, and it's pretty good. I think they do Kolsch very well.

 

[Cheesefood]

Heck... I visit the site several times a day just to check out Cheese's avatars.

Why do you think I post them?

 

[Ize]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2187



Last September.... Hoping this doesn't bring back nightmares of something.


Ize