Lager came out flavorless

[Spectre216]

I know they are supposed to be clean, but the lager I brewed recently finished bottling up and it tastes kind of like heavy water. No real maltyness or hoppyness. I was wondering if someone could help me figure out if it was do to my ferementation or my recipe.

I used the Crop Chopper Recipe from here. Feremented with 34/70 for 10 days @50-52 degrees. Then did a 48 hour d-rest, then lagered at 37-40 for 6 weeks. It has spent 5 weeks in the bottle at room temperature. Originally it tasted like green apples (still has some of the smell), but it really tastes like nothing.

Any ideas?

 

[helibrewer]

I know they are supposed to be clean, but the lager I brewed recently finished bottling up and it tastes kind of like heavy water. No real maltyness or hoppyness. I was wondering if someone could help me figure out if it was do to my ferementation or my recipe.

I used the Crop Chopper Recipe from here. Feremented with 34/70 for 10 days @50-52 degrees. Then did a 48 hour d-rest, then lagered at 37-40 for 6 weeks. It has spent 5 weeks in the bottle at room temperature. Originally it tasted like green apples (still has some of the smell), but it really tastes like nothing.

Any ideas?

That recipe is very light on any flavor components to begin with. You might try a German lager strain next time, they contribute pretty well to the flavor profile.

 

[g-star]

34-70 is a German yeast strain.

The problem is all of that corn and rice, which is designed to reduce flavor in finished beer. Next time, try making an all-malt lager for better flavor.

And if it tasted like green apples, you should re-examine some of your practices, because that is a clear fermentation flaw (acetaldehyde).

 

[helibrewer]

34-70 is a German yeast strain.

The problem is all of that corn and rice, which is designed to reduce flavor in finished beer. Next time, try making an all-malt lager for better flavor.

And if it tasted like green apples, you should re-examine some of your practices, because that is a clear fermentation flaw (acetaldehyde).

Thanks g-star, I'm not familiar with the dry strains at all.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Mash temperature too low, perhaps?

 

[max384]

I know they are supposed to be clean, but the lager I brewed recently finished bottling up and it tastes kind of like heavy water. No real maltyness or hoppyness. I was wondering if someone could help me figure out if it was do to my ferementation or my recipe.

I used the Crop Chopper Recipe from here. Feremented with 34/70 for 10 days @50-52 degrees. Then did a 48 hour d-rest, then lagered at 37-40 for 6 weeks. It has spent 5 weeks in the bottle at room temperature. Originally it tasted like green apples (still has some of the smell), but it really tastes like nothing.

Any ideas?

First off, did you hit your mash temps and gravities?


I think the biggest problem is probably recipe selection. The recipe was designed to be a lawnmower beer. You don't want a malty hoppy heavy beer on a hot summer day bopping around on the lawnmower. You want a light American lager for this, which is exactly what you got.

I've actually bookmarked this recipe, as I need a good light American lager for the summer.

 

[Spectre216]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think the acetaldehyde may have come from bottle conditioning as it's gone now and wasn't present at all during fermentation. Glad to know the likely source was the recipe itself and not my process (first lager attempted in a SoF chamber as an experiment). I'll be sure to try all malt next time and see if it solves it.

I mashed at around 150, and yes I hit my numbers, though it fg was lower than anticipated (.004 instead of .007).

On the bright side this is still very drinkable (since it doesn't really taste like a whole lot) so I doubt i'll have any trouble finishing it.

 

[Conehead]

I made a lager last summer using 100% Pils malt and WLP940 Lager yeast with Hallertauer hops, 23 IBU. Tasted like a Pils should.