"home brew" taste. What's the deal?

[oatsoda]

So I have made a handul of beers (Amber, IPA, Pale Ale, Porter). They all seem to have a similar flavor. I can't describe it as anything but a "home brew" flavor. They just don't taste like craft beers i've had from the bottle or on tap a brew pubs. Is it because of the malt extract? I've done partial mashes with specialty grains, but havent noticed significant differences in flavor. What's the deal.

 

[beerman0001]

What yeast are you using? What temp are you fermenting at?

 

[Malticulous]

I'd say homebrew flavor (if used in a bad way) means poorly fermented, poorly conditioned beer and probably a bad recipe to boot. It could just be your water. You have to be more specific to get a specific answer. Frankly I think hombrew is better and a good adjective.

 

[oatsoda]

I just bottled a porter today. If i recall correctly i used a WhiteLabs british ale yeast (can't remember the number). Fermentation varied between 68 and 70 degrees. One week in the primary and one week in secondary.

 

[Hoodweisen]

I just bottled a porter today. If i recall correctly i used a WhiteLabs british ale yeast (can't remember the number). Fermentation varied between 68 and 70 degrees. One week in the primary and one week in secondary.

Green

 

[SilverZero]

I just bottled a porter today. If i recall correctly i used a WhiteLabs british ale yeast (can't remember the number). Fermentation varied between 68 and 70 degrees. One week in the primary and one week in secondary.

That's not very long. I'd double each of those if you have the patience. There's a rule of thumb out there: 1-2-3. One week primary, two weeks secondary, three weeks in the bottle to carb and condition. These are all minimums. More time is almost always a good thing. You can't throw a rock in these forums without hitting somebody who leaves their batches in primary for 4 weeks or more (though often with no secondary at all). Let it ride!

Your temps look fine if they're stable, you could stand to come down a couple of degrees if you can manage it to get some really clean flavors.

 

[abc08234]

only 2 weeks total for fermentation will almost surely guarantee rocket fuel taste in your beer. Is that what you mean by all taste the same?

 

[bomberman]

Do you make starters before pitching? Also if it was British ale yeast like you say, then 68-70 would be in the high range and might produce some off flavors.
White labs list that yeast's optimal temps at 65-70.

 

[mcaple1]

3 weeks in primary....then keg or bottle and let condition for 2 weeks.

 

[passedpawn]

only 2 weeks total for fermentation will almost surely guarantee rocket fuel taste in your beer. Is that what you mean by all taste the same?

No, sorry. 2 weeks is perfect to ferment a normal ale. More time won't hurt, but is unnessary.

At least 2 weeks, 3 is better, in bottles before serving. Keep bottles above 70F for best carb time.

Try making a lighter beer with light DME. Use a good clean commercial yeast like S-05 / US-05. If you do use dry yeast, no need to aerate your wort but do rehydrate your yeast 15 minutes before pitching (search HBT, lots of threads on doing that).

 

[oatsoda]

Thanks for the help everyone (with the exception of hoodweisen)! I'll be much more patient with my next batch. Brewing is a ton of fun. This forum seems like a positive place to share and learn. I look forward to future visits!

 

[TopherM]

+1, you are not being patient enough.

1) For most ale yeasts, you really should ferment closer to 60-64 degrees. A slow fermentation is a clean fermentation.

2) I keep my beers in the primary fermenter for a minimum of three weeks. In the first 3-4 days, most active ferementation takes place. In the next 5-7 days, the final few gravity points ferment out. In the next 8-10 days, the yeast will clean up their bi-products, promoting a clean, clear beer.

3) Bottle carb can take up to 3 weeks. Conditioning can take an additional three weeks after that, depending on gravity and style.

With one week in primary and one in secondary, and ferm temps in the 70s (ferm temps in the wort are often 5-8 degrees warmer than ambient temps), you are likely drinking very young beer that has not reached proper final gravity, maybe not properly carbonated, and not properly matured, leaving estery off flavors from your slightly warm fermentation.

Patience is everything!!

 

[Yooper]

only 2 weeks total for fermentation will almost surely guarantee rocket fuel taste in your beer. Is that what you mean by all taste the same?

Huh? My beers must suck then. I never leave ales in the fermenter for more than about two weeks.

 

[Yooper]

Ok, now to be helpful-

Yes, sometimes extract is the culprit of that "homebrew" taste. I'd suggest always buying fresh extract (never the canned stuff) and adding it late in the boil. I'd suggest never buying prehopped LME in a can, especially.

Fermenting in the mid 60s (beer temperature, not room temperature!) can really make a huge difference in the beer quality. Also, proper pitching rates are crucial. If you're using liquid yeast, make sure you make a starter or buy quality dry yeast in 11 gram packages. Stay away from Munton's yeast, Cooper's yeast, and any other yeast in 5 gram packages.

Water is the biggest ingredient of beer, and it's very important. What kind of water are you using? Some tap waters have a "funny" flavor to them, but some are just fine to use.

Lastly, can you give us a recipe with your technique of one of your beers that has that "homebrew" taste? Then we can see if we can pick something out.

A good homebrew tastes like a good quality commercial craft beer, so don't give up yet!

 

[McCuckerson]

So I have made a handul of beers (Amber, IPA, Pale Ale, Porter). They all seem to have a similar flavor. I can't describe it as anything but a "home brew" flavor. They just don't taste like craft beers i've had from the bottle or on tap a brew pubs. Is it because of the malt extract? I've done partial mashes with specialty grains, but havent noticed significant differences in flavor. What's the deal.

I used to think the same thing! I agree with what many others have said that your problem is time-related. Don't even tatste a beer before 6 weeks unless its Biermunchers centennial blonde (which for some reason is excellent at 10 days....wtf?) I see it this way: if i am going to spend 4 hours making a living thing of beauty, why would I kill it before its ready? I promise you, you will LOVE your beer if let it age.

OBTW, its REALLY, REALLY hard to make a bad beer. Trust me I have been trying for over 100 batches now ;-)

 

[mcbethenstein]

Do you aerate well enough? I am just coming to the realization that my "stirring" is not enough to properly aerate wort, and my house flavor may be related to that... I will know in 6 more weeks if that is the cause. I've eliminated water, extract, sanitation, temp, etc... Unless my taste buds are wrong.

 

[McCuckerson]

Huh? My beers must suck then. I never leave ales in the fermenter for more than about two weeks.

Yoop, we expect better than that.....

 

[Sean]

Thanks for the help everyone (with the exception of hoodweisen)! I'll be much more patient with my next batch. Brewing is a ton of fun. This forum seems like a positive place to share and learn. I look forward to future visits!

He was not calling you green. He was calling your beer green. As in young.

Some good tips here.

 

[McCuckerson]

only 2 weeks total for fermentation will almost surely guarantee rocket fuel taste in your beer. Is that what you mean by all taste the same?

Couldn't disagree more... Biermunchers Centennial Blonde is grain-to-glass in 10 days and its lovely

 

[Yooper]

Yoop, we expect better than that.....

I don't know what you mean? I'm supposed to follow like a lemming and leave my beer in the fermenter for a month even though that's dumb?

I leave all of my ales in the fermenter for about two weeks. That's plenty of time if you use decent brewing techniques. After fermentation is over, the yeast will go back and digest their own waste products such as diacetyl, that that is over about three days after beer reaches FG. There is no "magical" event that happens in 3 or 4 weeks that will change that. A well made beer doesn't NEED 4 weeks in the fermenter, although no harm may come to it.

 

[McCuckerson]

He was not calling you green. He was calling your beer green. As in young.

Some good tips here.

+1, I actually laughed out loud when I read that. A year or two ago I would have thought the same thing! Cherry, pure cherry....

 

[McCuckerson]

I don't know what you mean? I'm supposed to follow like a lemming and leave my beer in the fermenter for a month even though that's dumb?
QUOTE]I meant the quick retort, we expect better from our moderators Of course I was just kidding.

 

[Sean]

I leave all of my ales in the fermenter for about two weeks. That's plenty of time if you use decent brewing techniques. After fermentation is over, the yeast will go back and digest their own waste products such as diacetyl, that that is over about three days after beer reaches FG. There is no "magical" event that happens in 3 or 4 weeks that will change that. A well made beer doesn't NEED 4 weeks in the fermenter, although no harm may come to it.

Science aside. I find they do get cleaner and the flavors come together better if I leave it a month in the fermentor, and that bottle ageing is not as nice.

How long do you leave them in the bottle before you feel they are best? For example a standard pale ale.

Edit: But it looks like you mostly Keg? So you are still 'aging' in bulk, which is what I am getting at.

 

[ToddO]

If you do use dry yeast, no need to aerate your wort

Please elaborate. I use dry yeast a lot and have always thought that I never aerate enough.

Cheers~

 

[McCuckerson]

Science aside. I find they do get cleaner and the flavors come together better if I leave it a month in the fermentor, and that bottle ageing is not as nice.

How long do you leave them in the bottle before you feel they are best? For example a standard pale ale.

I do about three weeks primary/secondary and the "try" to do another 3 weeks in the keg. The time in the keg helps with the clarity and body of the beer. If I tap a big beer too early it will taste thin and harsh. It seems like the more caramel I use, the more aging it needs Dunno, works for me.

 

[Malticulous]

I think what happens in the weeks after fermentation is mostly just solids like yeast and protean slowly falling out. The yeast are done. Off flavors will mellow in time but it will never be as good as it could have been without the mistakes that caused the off flavors in the first place.

 

[Malticulous]

Please elaborate. I use dry yeast a lot and have always thought that I never aerate enough.

Cheers~

The yeast are dried in a optimum condition with everything they need to reproduce. I still aerate.

 

[Malticulous]

I'm supposed to follow like a lemming and leave my beer in the fermenter for a month even though that's dumb?

I'm tempted to sig that.

 

[passedpawn]

Please elaborate. I use dry yeast a lot and have always thought that I never aerate enough.

Cheers~

Dr. Clayton Cone states that the dry yeast does not benefit from additional O2 as the cells are well prepared for many initial divisions without it. Except for higher alcohol beers, it's unnecessary.

http://www.danstaryeast.com/library/aeration-and-starter-versus-wort

 

[ToddO]

Awesome. Thanks for that~