I added waaaay too much sugar, right?

[BookofNick]

Just an update - I bottled it!

...and tasted it, of course! I am known for my sweet tooth, so maybe I'm biased, but this actually tasted pretty good to me. It's got a lot of flavors I like, such as chocolate, coffee, etc. Maybe it's not technically beer, but I'm all in at this point. I'll post again when I drink my first bottle in a few weeks, even though you guys seem to agree that it should sit for a year.

 

[breweRN]

Typically, malt extract is referred to as dry or liquid, and by color - it's assumed to be unhopped. Also, stouts absolutely use hops.

Not trying to insult, only help you understand what hops are for. For your next try, you might want to check out recipes online for stouts.

homebrewdad,

not trying to insult you, but OP is using Mr.Beer extracts which are labeled HME and UME, the latter meaning "unhopped malt extract". HME refers to "hopped malt extract". Mr.Beer wants to make it easy for beginners so they add the hops right into some extracts to possibly kill a step.

 

[Lunchtime]

I want somebody to not add bittering hops and then make that "hop tea". I wanted to see how that would turn out lol

 

[Dhruv6911]

boil it and get some alcohol out of it when its done. Careful though, it might be flammable

 

[BookofNick]

homebrewdad,

not trying to insult you, but OP is using Mr.Beer extracts which are labeled HME and UME, the latter meaning "unhopped malt extract". HME refers to "hopped malt extract". Mr.Beer wants to make it easy for beginners so they add the hops right into some extracts to possibly kill a step.

Yes, this is true. My first batch was a Mr. Beer kit which came with a pre-hopped malt extract (HME). It's easy for a beginner like me to underestimate the necessity of hops after using this kit.

 

[homebrewdad]

homebrewdad,

not trying to insult you, but OP is using Mr.Beer extracts which are labeled HME and UME, the latter meaning "unhopped malt extract". HME refers to "hopped malt extract". Mr.Beer wants to make it easy for beginners so they add the hops right into some extracts to possibly kill a step.

No insult taken. I was only trying to help the OP how to take his Mr. Beer knowledge and be able to apply it to what he might read on this board - and to understand that outside of Mr. Beer, malty extract is typically assumed to be unhopped.

No critisim intended at all by me.

 

[homebrewdad]

Just an update - I bottled it!

...and tasted it, of course! I am known for my sweet tooth, so maybe I'm biased, but this actually tasted pretty good to me. It's got a lot of flavors I like, such as chocolate, coffee, etc. Maybe it's not technically beer, but I'm all in at this point. I'll post again when I drink my first bottle in a few weeks, even though you guys seem to agree that it should sit for a year.

If you are enjoying it, does anything else REALLY matter?

 

[harlond]

Instructive thread. Is there already a regular column or blog called "Can This Beer Be Saved?" If not, there should be. Sorta like the column Good Housekeeping used to run called "Can This Marriage Be Saved," only with greater prospects of success.

 

[BookofNick]

Okay, guys, this tastes pretty damn good (18 days after bottling)

Malty and sweet, as expected. Chocolate really comes out. Very thin head (I expect this to increase over time), but it's there. Smell is dark and boozy - think Starbucks Frappachino with added maple sugar. Though more chocolate than coffee. Molasses is there but just barely. I can just taste the bourbon. It may be sweeter than a normal beer but it packs a punch like an imperial stout.

I call it "Maple Buzz Hopless Malt Stout." It may not technically be a beer without any hops, but I put it in the same general taste category as a high-alcohol, sweet imperial stout.

The only thing I regret is not re-pitching yeast to prolong fermentation and reduce the sugar/increase the alcohol a tad.

I'll prob make another future update as the flavor mellows over time. SO GLAD I did not dump it down the sink.

 

[ChshreCat]

It's not beer, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable. A lot of mixed drinks are really sweet and boozy and people love 'em. I wouldn't want to make this, but if you like it then nobody can say you're wrong.

Just try making some beer next time.

 

[adworld]

Okay, guys, this tastes pretty damn good (18 days after bottling)

Malty and sweet, as expected. Chocolate really comes out. Very thin head (I expect this to increase over time), but it's there. Smell is dark and boozy - think Starbucks Frappachino with added maple sugar. Though more chocolate than coffee. Molasses is there but just barely. I can just taste the bourbon. It may be sweeter than a normal beer but it packs a punch like an imperial stout.

I call it "Maple Buzz Hopless Malt Stout." It may not technically be a beer without any hops, but I put it in the same general taste category as a high-alcohol, sweet imperial stout.

The only thing I regret is not re-pitching yeast to prolong fermentation and reduce the sugar/increase the alcohol a tad.

I'll prob make another future update as the flavor mellows over time. SO GLAD I did not dump it down the sink.

did you ever take any readings? I'm curious what your abv is

 

[BookofNick]

did you ever take any readings? I'm curious what your abv is

Unfortunately, I didn't own a hydrometer when I made this. The Mr. Beer manual I have has a rough guide to ABV. For instance, it says a cup of honey will raise a 2 gal beer by 0.7% ABV. It's probably not perfect, but I put enough stuff to make it an 8.2-8.4%, according to the guide. Not sure it all fermented, though. Maybe it's around 7 or 7.5%.

 

[ChshreCat]

If you're curious, you could plug everything into beer calculus and get a good estimate. http://beercalculus.hopville.com/recipe

 

[McKraken]

homebrewdad,

not trying to insult you, but OP is using Mr.Beer extracts which are labeled HME and UME, the latter meaning "unhopped malt extract". HME refers to "hopped malt extract". Mr.Beer wants to make it easy for beginners so they add the hops right into some extracts to possibly kill a step.

A little off topic:
That just sounds weird to me. In my line of work, HME is "home made explosives".

 

[JLem]

A little off topic:
That just sounds weird to me. In my line of work, HME is "home made explosives".

I love the fact that this was your first post on HBT!

 

[ChshreCat]

And homeland security is reading this thread now.

 

[two_one_seven]

boil it and get some alcohol out of it when its done. Careful though, it might be flammable

You can't get alcohol out of it if you boil it. About 175 F and you will evaporate the alcohol and leave behind the H2O. Who says TV rots your mind.......Moonshiners FTW.

 

[ChshreCat]

You can't get alcohol out of it if you boil it. About 175 F and you will evaporate the alcohol and leave behind the H2O. Who says TV rots your mind.......Moonshiners FTW.

wouldn't that get the alcohol out, then?

 

[BookofNick]

If you're curious, you could plug everything into beer calculus and get a good estimate. http://beercalculus.hopville.com/recipe

What a terrible calculator! It wouldn't adjust ABV based on any of the sugar fermentables, only on the malt fermentables.

 

[MalFet]

What a terrible calculator! It wouldn't adjust ABV based on any of the sugar fermentables, only on the malt fermentables.

I think you're doing it wrong then. Works fine for me.

 

[McKraken]

I love the fact that this was your first post on HBT!

Haha, Sorry for the Hijack, but I'm in the Canadian Forces. Combat Engineer. My job in Kandahar was finding IED's, that's why "HME" sounds wierd to me when talking about homebrew. Hell, when I went sky diving "IAD" (Instructor Assisted Deployment) sounded a hell of a lot like IED.

Back on topic; adding sugar and other adjuncts just for the purpose of slightly increasing abv % seems to be counterproductive. Me and my friends like the flavour of the beer, otherwise we would drink vodka.

 

[MrSpiffy]

Okay, guys, this tastes pretty damn good (18 days after bottling)

Malty and sweet, as expected. Chocolate really comes out. Very thin head (I expect this to increase over time), but it's there. Smell is dark and boozy - think Starbucks Frappachino with added maple sugar. Though more chocolate than coffee. Molasses is there but just barely. I can just taste the bourbon. It may be sweeter than a normal beer but it packs a punch like an imperial stout.

I call it "Maple Buzz Hopless Malt Stout." It may not technically be a beer without any hops, but I put it in the same general taste category as a high-alcohol, sweet imperial stout.

The only thing I regret is not re-pitching yeast to prolong fermentation and reduce the sugar/increase the alcohol a tad.

I'll prob make another future update as the flavor mellows over time. SO GLAD I did not dump it down the sink.

I have a sweet tooth, myself, and that actually sounds pretty tasty! Tempting to make a batch myself... lol! Is this something you could drink more than one of?

 

[venquessa]

And homeland security is reading this thread now.

How do you think I feel. I'm in the UK and this forum is plastered in fire arms and "Glock" forum adverts!

 

[venquessa]

Wasn't ale originally brewed without hops? Was it not one of the great kings like Henry the 8th that made it illegal to put hops in ale because it was make it impure?

I believe people started adding bittering herbs until the churches started to control these as well.

I'm led to believe that herbs was the better solution, but by the time the churches lifted their "restrictions" on herbs everyone had gone back to using hops which were freely available and unrestricted.

But... my history is fairly weak.

 

[hwilshusen]

How do you think I feel. I'm in the UK and this forum is plastered in fire arms and "Glock" forum adverts!

Alcohol and firearms go well together.

 

[Fizzycist]

Why the heck would this still taste sweet? Did OP's yeast peter out before if could finish fermenting everything in there? Doesn't he risk bottle bombs with all that residual sugar?

 

[Kingfish]

You would do well to drink this fairly quickly as you do not have any hops to help kill any bacteria that may have found its way into the bottles. Keeping them cold after carbing will help.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Kind of reminds me of that time at the Vietnamese restaurant. "I havent the foggiest clue what this is that I'm eating, but I like it. Don't tell me, you'll likely spoil it".

 

[BookofNick]

I have a sweet tooth, myself, and that actually sounds pretty tasty! Tempting to make a batch myself... lol! Is this something you could drink more than one of?

No, I'd be content with one. As a dessert or something. I would recommend replacing a bit of the sugar wih malt to make it more drinkable.

 

[BookofNick]

Why the heck would this still taste sweet? Did OP's yeast peter out before if could finish fermenting everything in there? Doesn't he risk bottle bombs with all that residual sugar?

I didn't have a hydrometer, but I was getting one bubble in the airlock every 3 min. I do think the yeast began to die on me. Makes sense, since it's still really sweet. Looking back, I ought to have re-pitched. Yes, I am worried about bottle bombs, but so far it's been okay.

Some people here are saying I should let it mellow for a year to better the taste, others are now saying drink it now before they all explode, and another says drink it because they are no anti-bacterial hops to protect it long-term.

I'm gonna keep drinking one every once in a while, and risk mellowing the rest a bit - if it gets infected, it gets infected. Might make a good nightcap for Thanksgiving 2012