Is Beer Supposed To Be This Flavorful?

[GHBWNY]

First, let it be known that I am NOT complaining when I ask this question.

That said, after 4-6 weeks in the bottle, the last three 5-gal. batches I've made seem "hyper-flavorful", as if everything in the beer --- hoppiness, bitterness, citrus, maltiness, etc. although not objectionable by any means --- is more pronounced/concentrated than past batches/styles I've done and other beers of similar styles, both craft and comm. that I've had. Even their respective colors seem darker.

Mine were a Cali. Common, an Imp. Oaked Stout and an APA. All extract kits, some with speciality grains. Don't get me wrong, they all taste great, except that, again, they seem as if they could have stood another quart to half gallon of top-off water in each batch.

I followed all directions to a tee, used exactly the right amount of water to the ounce. OGs and FGs came in at rec.'d spec's. Ferm was normal. Used the whole 5 oz. pkg. of priming sugar that came with each kit at bottling. Etc., etc..

I believe in the adage that "if your beer tastes good to you, then that's all that matters". To me it does, but I'd also like my beer to taste good to others and I'm not sure it does.

 

[eadavis80]

I don't pretend to be an expert, but only do extracts myself. Has anything CHANGED in your brewing those last three kits? Did you go to full boils? Different water? Fermentation temps change over the summer? I know how important it is to brew beer others like, but at the end of the day, if YOU'RE happy, that's the biggest thing, right?

 

[sloanfamilydsm]

Are you drinking a bunch of Busch Light in between batches?

 

[jigtwins]

Are you drinking a bunch of Busch Light in between batches?

Lol. That would explain the taste.

 

[GHBWNY]

Trust me, I haven't had a comm. beer (by choice) since homebrewing! In fact, tonite I poured a C****a with lime we had left from a party, and ended up pouring it down the drain!

There's a good chance that a good homebrew SO trumps what I drank before, that "too flavorful" is simply a wonderful reality I will simply have to adjust to.

 

[Cyclman]

It could be the final batch size is smaller than the recipe calls for, that would intensify flavors.

If your batch sizes are as expected, it's all good.

Make your beer how you like it, adding more water won't hurt it will just reduce flavor intensity.

 

[Gameface]

How do you control fermentation temp?

 

[ChelisHubby]

Some yeast will give a more blended or subdued flavor. I done a scot beer both with so-04 and with so-05 and the 05 had much brighter bolder flavors, But both were very good.

 

[RM-MN]

Think about a commercial beer. It's brewed very well under tightly controlled conditions, packaged and put in a warehouse. Then it is loaded onto a truck and hauled to another warehouse. Then it is loaded onto another truck and hauled to it's destination where it is put into storage until it is needed for sale. Are all these places temperature controlled? Does every truck driver handle the cases or pallet with loving care? Are all the highways smooth and the traffic always flowing quickly? With all that against it, is it any wonder that your beer is more intensely flavorful?

 

[GHBWNY]

How do you control fermentation temp?

Fortunately, or unfortunately --- depnding on how you look at it --- my ferm temps are what my basement-level brew room dictates. In the winter brew times, I've had to add some heat, but during spring and summer brews, it has been not much above 72F. While not drastic either way, it could admittedly affect the final product.

 

[Gameface]

Fortunately, or unfortunately --- depnding on how you look at it --- my ferm temps are what my basement-level brew room dictates. In the winter brew times, I've had to add some heat, but during spring and summer brews, it has been not much above 72F. While not drastic either way, it could admittedly affect the final product.

Ester production is considerably higher the higher you go in a yeast's temp range. Since you're writing this on the tail end of summer my guess would be that you're getting more esters (not always a bad thing) than you were in early spring.

 

[Opiate42]

Trust me, I haven't had a comm. beer (by choice) since homebrewing! In fact, tonite I poured a C****a with lime we had left from a party, and ended up pouring it down the drain!

We've done this with P***t B*** R***** friends have brought over for BBQ's and left behind.

No, just no.

 

[GHBWNY]

We've done this with P***t B*** R***** friends have brought over for BBQ's and left behind.

No, just no.

If you're using charcoal for your BBQ, you can use it to keep flame-ups down. But other than that...

 

[william_shakes_beer]

In general home brew can be more flavorful than commericial brews, particularly BMC. I haven't consumed any BMC in several years, so I don't have a current basis of comparison, but consider: we are brewing 2-4 cases at a time. Its easy to throw another pound or 3 of malt in, or another ounce or so of hops. If we like the result we have a new recipie. If not we choke it down and chalk it up to the learning process. When commerical brewers produce their product, they need to produce exactly the same product each time. The price is already been set. To do what is equivelant to us throwing another pound of malt into the kettle could cost several hundred thousand dollars, in a market where their brand is already established and a price point set. Dollars lost.

 

[cernst151]

No need to pour out the crappy commercial brews that inexplicably show up in your house. I just used some Bud Light Lime (ew) that somehow ended up in my basement after a party in a margarita for my wife and it was damn good. You can also use these sorts of beers in a beer bread or beer cheese soup or as the base for a marinade.

 

[Opiate42]

If you're using charcoal for your BBQ, you can use it to keep flame-ups down. But other than that...

Think you just gave me an idea for the last can in the fridge.

 

[GHBWNY]

No need to pour out the crappy commercial brews that inexplicably show up in your house. I just used some Bud Light Lime (ew) that somehow ended up in my basement after a party in a margarita for my wife and it was damn good. You can also use these sorts of beers in a beer bread or beer cheese soup or as the base for a marinade.

I made a meatloaf recipe that called for 12 oz. of beer. So, instead of "beer", I used one of my VERY FLAVORFUL nut brown ales and it was absolutely outstanding! My wife who doesn't drink beer said, "But you can taste the beer!" My muffled reply through a mouthful of meatloaf was, "Yeah".

Analogous to what I learned years ago about cooking with wine, don't cook with something you wouldn't drink.

 

[rolewiii]

Hey, I drink P**** B*** R***** when I organize my owl collection and launder my animal face tshirts.

 

[cernst151]

Analogous to what I learned years ago about cooking with wine, don't cook with something you wouldn't drink.

I actually think about this line every time I use crappy beer in something. On the whole I agree but there are some recipes (beergaritas) that actually taste better with crappy beer. Any of my homebrews would have overpowered those beergaritas with beeriness as opposed to adding a nice fluffy character to them.

Also, I've experimented with doing roasts in homebrewed IPA's, Stouts and crappy commercial brews. The stout wasn't bad, the IPA added bitterness but nothing pleasant the crappy commercial brew was pretty good. I'm not saying I'm going to go out and buy a Bud Light Lime (seriously, ew!) but since someone somehow got one into my house I'd rather find a use for it than pour it out.

 

[Gameface]

PBR, BMC, etc aren't "bad" beers. They don't taste "off" and contain a bunch of funky nasty flavors. They are pretty neutral. If you don't like bland, that's understandable, but those beers aren't bad for cooking with.