I'm on my second brew now and have a few questions regarding my 1st and 2nd brew. I decided to use the Cooper's Australian Lager extract kit again. I only wanted to change a few variables at a time as I flesh out my process.
My first brew turned out alright. It was very clean, clear, and carbonated fine. However, it was very sweet tasting. At first I thought that these were green flavors, but after letting it condition in the bottle for 2 months, it didn't go away. Consulting these forums, I have begun to believe that these were off flavors produced by too-high fermentation temperatures. Ignorantly following the Cooper's instructions, I left my brew to ferment at room temperature (76f), which appears to be far too high.
The other factor that I think contributed to this was that I racked off the primary after 1 week into a secondary, where I only left it for another 1 week. Many people recommend 3-4 weeks, and leaving it in the primary the whole time.
This time around, I've decided that I will leave the beer in the primary for the 3-4 weeks before bottling. I also cooled the wort to 64 f before pitching the yeast, and it now sits in a water bath, filled up to the same level as the beer, and it sits at a constant 63-64 f. One other change I tried was using simple table sugar instead of dextrose, and was careful to use exactly what the recipe called for (1kg).
So here are a few questions I have, both pertaining to my brews, and in general:
Thanks for your help. While the last batch was very sweet, after a few, you got used to it, and my family and friends had no problem helping drink them up. The consensus is that if we can bring the sweetness down to an ordinary/low level, it would be a great beer!
My first brew turned out alright. It was very clean, clear, and carbonated fine. However, it was very sweet tasting. At first I thought that these were green flavors, but after letting it condition in the bottle for 2 months, it didn't go away. Consulting these forums, I have begun to believe that these were off flavors produced by too-high fermentation temperatures. Ignorantly following the Cooper's instructions, I left my brew to ferment at room temperature (76f), which appears to be far too high.
The other factor that I think contributed to this was that I racked off the primary after 1 week into a secondary, where I only left it for another 1 week. Many people recommend 3-4 weeks, and leaving it in the primary the whole time.
This time around, I've decided that I will leave the beer in the primary for the 3-4 weeks before bottling. I also cooled the wort to 64 f before pitching the yeast, and it now sits in a water bath, filled up to the same level as the beer, and it sits at a constant 63-64 f. One other change I tried was using simple table sugar instead of dextrose, and was careful to use exactly what the recipe called for (1kg).
So here are a few questions I have, both pertaining to my brews, and in general:
- Do you think these changes to fermentation temperature and time will help get rid of the sweet off flavors?
- The brew frothed as expected this time during fermentation, but last time there was zero froth. Why would this change?
- The froth is now gone after about 8 days fermenting, and there are clumps of what look like yeast (brownish) floating at the top. Does this mean fermentation is largely completed?
- I don't really use my glass carboy anymore, and in general, they just seem tedious. What's your opinion on glass carboys?
Thanks for your help. While the last batch was very sweet, after a few, you got used to it, and my family and friends had no problem helping drink them up. The consensus is that if we can bring the sweetness down to an ordinary/low level, it would be a great beer!