How to get rid of that "homebrew" flavor?

[the-adjunct-hippie]

I did my first all-grain batch 2 weeks ago, and while it tastes better than the extract kits I've used, it still has that odd, cidery, unprofessional homebrew flavor.

I am still using my Mr. Beer fermenter; I just picked up a glass one but haven't used it yet. I'm wondering if it's the fermenter, the water, or time? My processes in brewing seem fine - I use a bag instead of a mash tun, but I make sure to cook the grains for a good hour or maybe more, and add hops during the boil. I generally boil for 60-90 minutes using various hop additions.

My IPA came out tasting like every other beer I've made until the end of the flavor profile which brought forth a beautiful bitter hoppy finish.

Any tips? Thanks and glad to be a part of the forums.

 

[Brewski_59]

Fermentation temperature. You need to monitor the temperature of the wort as it's fermenting. Being in a room that's a certain temp isn't good enough, what you want to do is control the temp of the wort. That's going to make a big difference.

 

[Lefou]

I'm assuming you're carbonating and conditioning in bottles.
Time and temperature will affect the final taste of your beer because the fermentation process is still happening there, too. My beer usually conditions 3-4 weeks to give the yeast time to minimize or finish off any acetaldehyde left over.

 

[jerbrew]

Fermentation control, pitching a proper amount of healthy yeast, sanitation, patience, and a good recipe whether that be yours or from someone else.

 

[dyqik]

While you don't mention a "band-aid" taste from chlorine/chloramine, it may be there in low concentrations adding a general bad taste. If you are using tap water, add 1/4 campden tablet per five gallons of water (or more if the smell of chlorine hasn't gone away after the tablet is fully dissolved). Both mash and sparge water.

If you are using RO water, home or store-bought, this probably isn't an issue.

 

[brewcat]

Recipe?

 

[bucketnative]

Curious about "cook the grains"... What is you exact process from start to finish?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

When fermentation is rocking along briskly the wort temperature can and will rise 4 to 8 degrees F. above the rooms ambient temperature (if not actively monitored and controlled). Some have mentioned seeing a 10 degree F. rise. The esters produced due to going over on temp. can be nasty.

Best to ferment at a controlled 64-65 degrees for ales in my opinion. And directly measure the carboys temperature. Not just the rooms air temperature.

 

[GPP33]

What are your temps times and ingredients for each step?

More info needed to help. In my world (and many others here) "homebrew taste" is fkn awesome, I think ours may be different than yours but we can help.....

 

[kh54s10]

I also wondered about "cooking the grains"? Time? Temperature? Why the difference in boiling times 60 - 90 minutes. Some recipes do best at 90 minutes rather than the standard 60 minutes. Do you change your hop addition times accordingly?

Fermentation temperature control is one of the best places to work to improve your beers.

I cannot really comment on "homebrew" taste since I don't know what that taste is. The only homebrews I have tasted, other than my own, were done by very experienced homebrewers. And I have never had the issue with my own brews.

More info on your recipe and process is needed.

 

[Zwoods]

When I first started brewing I had a consistent cidery and green apple off flavor in all of my beers. Acetaldehyde was what I concluded it was through the use of this link http://howtobrew.com/book/section-4/is-my-beer-ruined/common-off-flavors.

After I pin pointed the off flavor, which it sounds similar to the one you're describing, I did the following.

• Made sure my yeast is very happy either through yeast starters or fresh pack and proper rehydration.
• Oxygenate really well at the beginning of fermentation, I just used the "vigorously shake the carboy method" but, I did it for at least a few minutes
• Allow the yeast proper contact time with the beer. From what I remember the yeast will reabsorb some of the acetaldehyde that is produced during fermentation, Maybe 14 - 21 days primary.
• Watch temperature during fermentation as well through I have not used a dedicated ferm. chamber, the wet T-shirt fan method works well on a budget.

Addressing these points has given me great results and the cidery or green apple off flavor has not shown its ugly face again.

Hope this helps

 

[akthor]

I've never had homebrew that was carbed in the bottle that didn't have that "homebrew" taste.

 

[the-adjunct-hippie]

For those wondering about my last recipe, it was a NE-style IPA. Goal quantity was 2 gal.

2 lbs Crisp Maris Otter
1 lb 6 row Rahr Barley
1 lb flaked oats
1/2 lb Gambrinus Specialty Honey malt
9 quarts of tap water

Mashed at 162*F hold for 90 minutes

bag pulled and drained using a collander, let drain for 30 minutes, squeeze every now and again, no sparge

Brought to a rolling boil
added 1/2 oz of Warrior @ 40 minutes into boil
added 1/2 oz of Amarillo @ 55 minutes
added 1/2 oz of Mosaic at 65 minutes
Added 8 oz of mandarin oranges @ 65 minutes
added 2 cups of water for boil off @ 65 minutes
Flameout @ 75 minutes

Cool down time 1 hr with 2 cups of ice cubes added and hops left in for duration of cool-down

After wort was cooled down, drained into Mr. Beer fermenter and 1/2 packet of S-05 yeast pitched (5.5g)
Yeast was pitched in a bit warm I noticed (rookie mistake) and after no krausen activity was repitched after 72 hours (5.5g)

Small krausen formed and disappeared within 24 hours
Dry hops added 6 days after 2nd pitch, 1/2 oz Citra, 1/4 oz Amarillo using a tea ball

Removed 10 days after dry hopping, total time in fermenter : 20 days
Net yield : 1.75 gallons.

Carbonated using bottle conditioning tablets, 4 tablets = moderate carb.


I noticed before dry hopping the beer was much sharper, I felt like bottling it then as it tasted fantastic, but I really wanted to get that dry hop going as I thought I'd "improve" on an already awesome tasting beer.

GRANTED, it's still carbonating in the bottle, it was bottled on the 1st. I tried one today to see how it was coming along, obviously undercarbed but I still had that basic cidery sweetness - but with a sharp, pungent bitterness that was very pro-tasting. It's that first part...that malty mess that I can't get rid of.

Thanks for all your replies.

 

[Zwoods]

I would say that 162 seems really high for mash temp. Most of my mash temps are between 148 - 156. Stouts typically have a higher temp mash. This might explain some of the "malty mess" you described. I would opt for a lower mash temp with something like an IPA. I would try one of the tried and true recipes from here. I would just pick something that many people have tried. This could help narrow down where the off flavor comes from. from recipe formulation to process or similar.

 

[GPP33]

2 things jump out to me.

162 is way to high. Higher temps = more unfermentable sugar. Drop the mash temp by 10 degrees.

Never used specialty honey malt but 11% specialty malt sounds like a recipe for a pretty sweet beer. You didn't mention FG but my guess is it was 1.02 - 1.025, pretty high for an IPA.

What did you do for ferm temp control?

 

[JLeuck64]

I would second the above comments about your mash temp being on the high side. 156F should be the most you would need for an IPA I would think.

I too bottle condition and something I have noticed is it takes at the very least... sometimes longer depending on the style of beer... the same time to bottle condition as it does to ferment to F.G.

So let's say I brew an IPA that has an O.G. in the 1.055 range. That recipe I will typically leave in the fermentor for 3 weeks just to be sure it has reached F.G. and cleared. Then I will add dry hops for another week before I bottle it. I've noticed that those batches will start to develop some carbonation after a week in bottles but really don't finish carbonating until they have been in bottles for 3 weeks or more.

I have been noticing the same sort of pattern for lighter beers that finish fermenting in less time and darker beers that take longer to ferment out. Interesting huh?!

 

[ncbrewer]

You might already know this, but bottle conditioned beer has yeast sediment on the bottom of the bottle. Don't pour the sediment into your glass.

 

[EcuPirate07]

Water plays a big part too. Once I started using bru'n water and building my own water my life changed. Water is a huge part of it and you can't refute that. You may want to look into that too.

 

[Minky]

Did you find this recipe somewhere or did you come up with it yourself? Until you get a little more experience with all-grain, it's best to stick to tried and true recipes.

If the Rahr barley is truly unmalted barley, you needed to do a cereal mash before your main mash to gelatinize the starches so they could be converted by the enzymes. That "malty mess" is starch. Your flaked wheat has been pre-gelatinized and should be OK, but you have a high ratio of other grains in relation to your Marris Otter base malt. As others have said, your main mash was too hot.

Here is an article on cereal mashes:
http://beersmith.com/blog/2013/09/06/cereal-mash-steps-for-all-grain-beer-brewing/