ejg700
Member
I'm at a loss. I'm relatively new to all grain brewing, and I just can't seem to make a beer with the type of flavor profile that I'm looking for. I have done extract brews for a while, and they all have turned out excellent. I've brewed about one hundred gallons of all grain beer, and they've all out been sub par. I like a malty beer with a complex flavor profile, yet non of my beers have had any appreciable malt character. Here are the things that I've tried:
The first thing I looked at was my grain bill. I've tried gists with up to 60% Munich, and two pounds of melanoidin malt per five gallon batch- nothing.
I tried adding a bunch specially malts, and all I got was mud, with no malt flavor. I've upped my mash temperature to up to 160 with no determinable difference. I know that a higher mash temperature really just results in a more dexterious beer, with more mouth feel, but I've read that some guys have success making a maltier beer with higher mash temperature. Then I looked at my yeast. I tried using yeasts with a "maltier profile," like White Labs London ale, and English Ale, and nothing. I've also tried using yeast nutrient/booster cocktail to no avail. I've tried the "no sparge,"method, and a huge grain bill, and all I got was a super high OG. Then I tried a single decoction mash, and a four hour boil. I figured that this had to do it, because my wort turned dark brown, and the darkest malt I used was two pounds of honey malt in an eighteen pound gist consisting of light Munich, Optic, Melanoidin, and Golden Promise,( My LHBS was out of most everything that day, so I had to improvise.) Nothing. I've tried thicker, and thinner mashes with no avail. Lastly, I looked at my water. I don't use my tap water, because frankly I wouldn't water my plants with that stuff. I had been using RO water, and then read that it lacks the minerals to for an efficient mash, and yeast health. I tried my local grocery store spring water, and one gram of calcium carbonate for a 3 gallon batch. That didn't do it either. I'm obviously doing something very wrong, but what? Here is my process.
First, I heat my strike water. I use a strike water temperature calculator, and it's usually hits my strike temp pretty closely. I mash for one hour. Next I transfer the wort into the boil kettle, no sparge. I boil for about ninety minuets, and add hops according to my IBU calculator. Here is the part that isn't so consistent. Sometimes I put the boil kettle in the freezer, or fridge, and let it cool down overnight to eighty. That's when I'm feeling lazy. Usually I carefully siphon the hot wort into a PETA carboy, and cool it in an ice bath. This usually takes about ninety minutes. Finally, I pitch my starter into the wort, and shake the schit out of it. In about three to four weeks, I end up with with something that usually ends up mostly down the drain. I swear, the sewer gremlins love me, as they can usually plan their parties around the same time each month. To whomever can help me figure out what the heck I'm doing wrong, I'll love you long time. The sewer gremlins... Maybe not so much
The first thing I looked at was my grain bill. I've tried gists with up to 60% Munich, and two pounds of melanoidin malt per five gallon batch- nothing.
I tried adding a bunch specially malts, and all I got was mud, with no malt flavor. I've upped my mash temperature to up to 160 with no determinable difference. I know that a higher mash temperature really just results in a more dexterious beer, with more mouth feel, but I've read that some guys have success making a maltier beer with higher mash temperature. Then I looked at my yeast. I tried using yeasts with a "maltier profile," like White Labs London ale, and English Ale, and nothing. I've also tried using yeast nutrient/booster cocktail to no avail. I've tried the "no sparge,"method, and a huge grain bill, and all I got was a super high OG. Then I tried a single decoction mash, and a four hour boil. I figured that this had to do it, because my wort turned dark brown, and the darkest malt I used was two pounds of honey malt in an eighteen pound gist consisting of light Munich, Optic, Melanoidin, and Golden Promise,( My LHBS was out of most everything that day, so I had to improvise.) Nothing. I've tried thicker, and thinner mashes with no avail. Lastly, I looked at my water. I don't use my tap water, because frankly I wouldn't water my plants with that stuff. I had been using RO water, and then read that it lacks the minerals to for an efficient mash, and yeast health. I tried my local grocery store spring water, and one gram of calcium carbonate for a 3 gallon batch. That didn't do it either. I'm obviously doing something very wrong, but what? Here is my process.
First, I heat my strike water. I use a strike water temperature calculator, and it's usually hits my strike temp pretty closely. I mash for one hour. Next I transfer the wort into the boil kettle, no sparge. I boil for about ninety minuets, and add hops according to my IBU calculator. Here is the part that isn't so consistent. Sometimes I put the boil kettle in the freezer, or fridge, and let it cool down overnight to eighty. That's when I'm feeling lazy. Usually I carefully siphon the hot wort into a PETA carboy, and cool it in an ice bath. This usually takes about ninety minutes. Finally, I pitch my starter into the wort, and shake the schit out of it. In about three to four weeks, I end up with with something that usually ends up mostly down the drain. I swear, the sewer gremlins love me, as they can usually plan their parties around the same time each month. To whomever can help me figure out what the heck I'm doing wrong, I'll love you long time. The sewer gremlins... Maybe not so much
