Honestly I am so f*&#ing pissed about my beer right now

[bob1852]

where's Revvy with his "STOP and step away from the beer" posts?

you could put the fermenter in your basement with a towel or shirt over it - if it's 58* constant down there, you'd like to get the temps up just a wee bit, but given the choice I'd rather ferment at 58*F ambient temp than 74-76*F.

maybe Revvy is in his moderator training?

 

[Homercidal]

Joy of Homebrewing is great to start.

I think Palmer is more in-depth, and better as a reference for more advanced brewers.

Both are good for beginners, though, so you can't go wrong with either. Plus, this site is an excellent reference too!

I'd guess that high temps and checking after only 3 days is the reason. I never taste mine until at least time to bottle, several weeks usually. Even then, the beer is usually going to change for the better in another few weeks.

Yes, it takes time to make good beer. Just get another started as soon as you bottle this one (or sooner if you buy another fermenter!) and then you will be ready to sample the last batch when you are brewing the next!

There are several great threads on ferm temp control. Find them and decide how to keep your temps in line. This is, IMO, the single most important thing you can do to improve your beer after sanitation. Find the temps your yeast like the best and hold the temp at that range.

Look up swamp cooler for cooling your wort, and brew belt for heating it up.

 

[Homercidal]

where's Revvy with his "STOP and step away from the beer" posts?

you could put the fermenter in your basement with a towel or shirt over it - if it's 58* constant down there, you'd like to get the temps up just a wee bit, but given the choice I'd rather ferment at 58*F ambient temp than 74-76*F.

maybe Revvy is in his moderator training?

Yeah, Revvy usually jumps in way before now with his litany of RDWHAHB advice!

Also, you might like to ferment at 58, but some yeast strains won't work at that low of a temp. And just because it says pilsner, doesn't mean its a cold yeast. It might just stall out at that temp.

 

[jennieD]

Hmm ok. What books do you recommend for reading? Assuming it is above 58 in my basement should I put it down there or leave it in my 74-6 house?

Again thanks for endulging a frustrated newbie. I'll be sure to keep everyone one updated as I continue.

Also, fermentation temps tend to be a bit higher than the ambient temp in the room. If the basement is around 58 or so, you might wind up fermenting in the low 60's which would be just fine. I have the same situation with my basement and my first few batches came out good.

 

[wscott823]

+1 ambient vs fermenting temp.

I run an ambient temp of 67 in my basement, my ales run at 71-72 for the first 3-4 days then settle down to the room temp.

FWIW maybe use a lower temp fermenting ale yeast for whatever you try in the future and try the basement, keep it there too instead of moving it around.

 

[GAbrewer]

Lately I've been using a spare fridge to control my fermentation temps. It doesn't get lower than mid 50's to mid 60's which unfortunately makes for a lousy kegerator. However, this seems to be really nice for ale fermenting. At first I was concerned with it getting a little too cold so I would leave the door open while fermenting. But what I've found coincides with what other people have said here. The fermentation temp is running higher than the ambient temp, so I've noticed that as long as fermentation is going the temperature strip on the outside of my carboy/ale pail stays right around the high 60's to low 70's. So your basement gets my vote for the place you want to keep your fermenters.

 

[ThickHead]

Eheh...waiting is a bitch huh?

Fantastic advice so far in this thread. The best advice after "Relax. Don't worry. Have a homebrew" though is educate yourself first so that you are prepared to succeed. I have read both of the books that have been identified in this thread and can tell you first-hand that they are both fantastic pieces of literature for the beginner homebrewer. One piece of advice I can offer personally is to combine a measure of patience with your passion. Accomplish the above and you will be enjoying the fruits of your labor in no time.

Best of luck...

Cheers!

 

[h4rdluck]

Yea you totally got to wait the beer out. Beer tastes like sh~t when its young. I mean absolute crap. I've had alot of beers that taste HORRENDOUS even at 2 weeks. I can't figure out how to make a beer ready more quickly honestly. I would highly suggest waiting at least 3-4 weeks after bottling before tasting because it will be fantastic.

 

[dontman]

Beer tastes like sh~t when its young. I mean absolute crap.

This is all I'm saying.

I really can not even stand the taste of any hydrometer sample. I think the last time I tried one was something like 15 years ago. Ok, this might be a slight exaggeration but I really have to have a good reason to try the sample - as in I am trying to adjust the sweetness for a fruit beer or . . . nope, that is the only reason I can think of.

 

[eschatz]

I really don't have anything to say about your process/ingredients that hasn't already been said in this thread. However, I will say that my first 5 batches came out tasting like something only it's mother could love (that being me) . My friends remind me while bogarting my beer now. The fact that you're on this site looking for advice means you'll be making great beer in a heartbeat.
You seem like a meticulous guy. How to Brew - By John Palmer and relax. You're on the way!

 

[yeoldebrewer]

Good advice here, and I have only a little to add. Don't feel bad about doing the learning curve. Brewing a good beer isn't rocket science. But it can be a bit unforgiving.

Starting with what we know is wrong: Controlling fermentation temps is absolutely crucial for good beer. Especially for the first 3-5 days. An active fermentation generates heat, So the inside of your fermenter will be higher than ambient at high krauzen. And fluctuating temps are guaranteed to make the yeasties unhappy. The basement is probably your best bet.

Be sure your cleaning process is attacking the hidden crud you can't see. I tend to favor at least one full soak with a Clean In Place (CIP) cleaner, like PBW or Oxyclean before sanitation. It only takes one small particle of hidden crud to thwart sanitation and ruin a whole batch.

Use a flat paddle to stir your wort. If you run the paddle across the bottom of the pot and it comes up with malt extract syrup on it after you think it is stirred in, it may be scorching.

Hang in there and keep the forum posted. Things will turn around.

 

[torque2k]

I may be a n00b, too, but there's one obvious thing you really need to do: get an indoor thermometer. If you can't be sure what temperature you're fermenting at, then troubleshooting your brew is going to be a crap-shoot.

I picked up a nice digital thermometer with humidity readout for $15 at a local supergrocery, and it even has a low/high memory, so I can see how the temp/humidity change over a 24-hour period (very important for the winter months in Michigan, with the furnace turning on and off).

As for reading, I bought Palmer's How To Brew, and love it, but I also picked up some old issues of Brew Your Own magazine, which I love, as it has some great recipes every month for both extract and all-grain brewing.

Also, look around on YouTube, there are several videos which quickly give you the low-down on brewing. One I remember seeing was from [ame="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9F44B8CBFF3584F5&search_query=austin+homebrew"]Austin Homebrewing Supplies[/ame].

 

[ledhed2222]

OK I'm going to let it ferment in primary for three weeks, then bottle those suckers.


I actually found a room that keeps the ferment temp at 70, which I'll take.


Will let you know what happens and THANKS! I can already tell I'm going to be a member of this forum for a long time.

 

[malkore]

young beer does have a lot of flavors that'll age out.

making beer is like baking bread...it often takes trial and error at first, and even veterans have the occasional hiccup.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Since malkore posted I was just thinking if you have a hard time with patience check out the cider, wine, and mead threads here. There you are talking half years, years, to decades before it is ready.
I am really trying to learn patience, I just don't have the time to study.

 

[Cape Brewing]

if you have a hard time with patience.....

actually... if you have a hard time with patience, just buy a couple more buckets or carboys and brew like mad... get three or four batches going and you'll have one "coming of age" every week or so. It's really easy to forget about a young beer when you have a properly aged one ready to pour....

... so you open the bottles on one that is at the right age... and start another batch.

 

[ledhed2222]

So I bottled the beer yesterday and tried one today. It still has a HINT of rancid taste, but it's certainly a lot better. I guess that funky taste is just the taste of too-young beer, like you boys said. I'm going to do another all-malt kit (this time with real hops though) and then I hope to get into the grain stuff. Any suggestions for easy recipes there?

Thanks again so much pals; I'll let you know how the beer tastes in 2 to 3 weeks.

 

[XXguy]

Any suggestions for easy recipes there?

Try Austin Homebrew for their extract kits. Midwest Supplies has some good extract kits also.

As far as a recipe, try shooting for a beer style that you enjoy. If you pick a style that you know & like, you're going to have a better time knowing what should or should not be present in the taste.