Lesson learned - Brew what you can tolerate more than once

[JoeMama]

I say this ESPECIALLY to the new brewer. And ESPECIALLY to the new brewer who is going the kegging route.

Dont brew a beer(s) that you arent going to be comfortable drinking alot of. I too was drawn in by the allure of kegging and not having to bottle, but the downside of this is its gonna be around longer while I (slowly) drink it.

I recently brewed a couple of 'out of the norm' brews from AHS and they were/are good beers, but definitely something I dont plan on brewing again anytime soon.

1st - Double Chocolate Stout (with a raspberry flavoring added into the primary) This beer is a stout. Plain and simple. I dont really know what I was expecting when I brewed this. I was really excited about this beer at first, but now that I have it on tap its getting rather old quickly. It almost tastes 'salty' to me. (But then again Ive noticed other stouts are very similar in taste and aroma as well) Hell ITS A STOUT AFTER ALL!! I think im gonna have a hard time floating this keg.

2nd - AHS Spiced Holiday Ale. This brew was only recently kegged - I havent had a chance to get a taste of this brew just yet. But I will say that during the kegging process, the smell of it was rather SPICY. It was like a sweet cloying spicy smell that just seemed to irritate me as I transferred it into the keg. Will it be good? Who knows...

Fortunately I have a Pale Ale in the primary now and another brown ale on standby waiting to be brewed. But it seems as what I have on hand right now isnt exactly my favorite...
*Sigh* This is depressing....
-Me

 

[reim0027]

Good advice man. I'll take note to not brew and Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic clones

 

[JoeMama]

LOL
Amen to that!
-Me

 

[adx]

That's why you keep your bottles around even when you keg. I still bottle about 50% of my batches. I'd rather have APAs, IPAs and lighter beers on tap, but keep the porters and stouts in bottles.

 

[OLB]

Why don't you bottle from the keg using BierMunchers method. seems straightforward and little to no extra equipment to buy. I'v enever tried it myself because I am just getting my setup together, but I plan to in the future.

 

[SumnerH]

That's why you keep your bottles around even when you keg. I still bottle about 50% of my batches. I'd rather have APAs, IPAs and lighter beers on tap, but keep the porters and stouts in bottles.

IPAs are usually heavier than stouts (except for Russian Imperials), significantly so in the case of the most popular varieties (American IPAs vs. dry Irish stouts).

But, yeah, I'd keep the heavy stuff (Imperial IPAs, barleywines, Belgian strongs, Russian Imperials, etc) in bottles and the lighter stuff (dry stouts, APAs, bitters, wits, weizens, whatever) on tap.

 

[Moonshae]

Sounds like a good reason to go with a kegerator that has room for more kegs than installed taps...tired of one brew? Switch the beer line to a different keg!

 

[Coastarine]

You've been angry at these beers for so long...why can't you let down that hard facade and just allow these beers to love you?

Good advice though, particularly if you have just one or two taps. Even with six taps I'm careful to always keep one of them pouring a light colored lightly hopped light gravity beer for easy drinking. Right now it's my willy-mo smash, before it was the cream ale. I keep one that's above 7%, one with a lot of yeast character (usually belgian) etc...It wouldn't be good to have all "novelty" beers (wicked strong, spiced, fruited...)

 

[Homercidal]

Why don't you bottle from the keg using BierMunchers method. seems straightforward and little to no extra equipment to buy. I'v enever tried it myself because I am just getting my setup together, but I plan to in the future.

+1 on this. Transfer those special beers to bottles and pull one out whenever you feel like having one. Get your Bitter or Pale Ale or whatever in the keg for the everyday beer.

I'm in the same boat. I got a Wit in my keg, and some apfelwein in another and that is all I got room for. I got some IPA still in the bottom of my third keg, but no room to put it in the kegerator. I"m thinking about building that bottle filler.

But, not just to be be able to fill a few random bottles for tastings, parties, etc., but also to allow me to force carb a batch and then transfer to bottles. Not so much for my beer, but for Apfelwein and soda.

 

[FSR402]

All you need is more kegs, if you want a different beer switch kegs. They will stay carbed when not on the gas..

FWIW I LOVED that Double Chocolate Stout with raspberry from AHS. Went thru 10 gallons of that in like 6 weeks. :rockin:

 

[zaprozdower]

Good advice man. I'll take note to not brew and Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic clones

My god Cranberry Lambic makes me shiver. A naturally tart fruit beer with MAPLE SYRUP added in...why Sam Adams why?

 

[Revvy]

Another reason to brew "special beers" or experimental first time recipes as a 2.5 gallon batches, and bottle it. That way If the recipe sucks, you can either stick them aside, or give them away.

And if you like the recipe, then scale the recipe up and keg it, or tweak it.

 

[Coastarine]

Sounds like a good reason to go with a kegerator that has room for more kegs than installed taps...tired of one brew? Switch the beer line to a different keg!

You realize this makes no sense, right? If you have room for four kegs why not have four taps? You'd rather only have two taps but be able to switch which two beers you have on tap than just have all four on tap?

 

[kevmoron]

You realize this makes no sense, right? If you have room for four kegs why not have four taps? You'd rather only have two taps but be able to switch which two beers you have on tap than just have all four on tap?

clearly he needs 8 kegs with 4 taps.

no, make that 16 kegs with 8 taps.

and so on, exponentially.

 

[conpewter]

You realize this makes no sense, right? If you have room for four kegs why not have four taps? You'd rather only have two taps but be able to switch which two beers you have on tap than just have all four on tap?

Fridge is cheap (free) holds 6 kegs... 6 perlicks along with all the fittings etc are expensive.

 

[Bobby_M]

You realize this makes no sense, right? If you have room for four kegs why not have four taps? You'd rather only have two taps but be able to switch which two beers you have on tap than just have all four on tap?

Well, it does make sense when you start getting up there in numbers. There's a big price difference between holding a keg cold and holding it cold attached to $60 in stainless hardware.

However, I had space for 5 kegs and I installed 4 perlicks. Yes, I eventually put a picnic tap on the 5th, got tired of that noise and just added a fifth perlick. If I had room for 12 kegs however, I'd likely only have 6 faucets.

If I get tired of a beer, I remove the keg and stash it in my basement for a couple months and then it's like a new beer, only better.

In any case, the answer is not bottling more. It's getting more kegs. My 5 taps are like this... Oaked Barleywine, Smoked Porter, Experimental Grape Beer, Barrel aged Flanders, and an APA. That fifth tap is like Coors light compared to the rest.

 

[Coastarine]

Well, it does make sense when you start getting up there in numbers. There's a big price difference between holding a keg cold and holding it cold attached to $60 in stainless hardware.

I hear that. Six taps is as many as I want, so no need for me to switch out kegs. I guess I'm saying I agree with the sentiment of getting a nice big fridge. I do have extra room in the keezer for cold conditioning carboys and to make sure the next beer up is chilled, carb'd, and ready for the tap. If I wanted more variety I could put in another tap or two. Extra room in the fridge is a good thing, but having fewer taps than you want of beer is a bad thing.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I have room for 3 kegs and have 3 taps. Well I have two taps with the hole cut for whenever I get a 3rd. But my concern now is building up a pipeline. I only have 4 kegs though. and only 3 carboys. Oh and no ingredients. Life is depressing.
But I guess technically I could at any time, have 4 kegs, one secondary and two primary. That's 35 gallons going at all time. Not bad. Anyone want to donate ingredients to a man too afraid to spend money? Kidding.

 

[JoeMama]

FWIW I LOVED that Double Chocolate Stout with raspberry from AHS. Went thru 10 gallons of that in like 6 weeks. :rockin:

Meh, Im actually starting to wonder if there isnt something 'wrong' with this batch. Im really trying to like it, but Im finding it rather difficult. It just seems to taste kind of 'salty' Almost like it was a smoked coffee stout... I dunno... It just tastes a little 'off'. (But then again Im not a big stout drinker) I guess I know why now.

This may be one of those cases of where it should be sitting longer to age itself to what it should really be tasting like. But damn it if im not making myself enjoy it.
Or at least drink it... *Sigh* cant win em all! I think my pale ale will come out a winner when I get off of my lazy ass and transfer it.
-Me

 

[jldc]

Another reason to brew "special beers" or experimental first time recipes as a 2.5 gallon batches, and bottle it. That way If the recipe sucks, you can either stick them aside, or give them away.

And if you like the recipe, then scale the recipe up and keg it, or tweak it.

I'm not sure about this. The 2.5 gallon batch is exactly as much work as the 5 gallon batch and the savings is ingredients on most batches is only $10 or $15 at the most.

The bottling of experimental batches makes sense, at least for people without 5 or 6 taps.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Good advice. This was a lesson I learned last fall when I put a 10.5% abv Belgian Golden Strong on tap. It's a damn fine beer, but I'd probably still be drinking off of that keg if I hadn't bottled it off. At 10.5% it only took 2 or 3 and I was done.

 

[JoeMama]

Meh, I think that keg is going to come out of the kegerator for a while. It might magically transform into something more drinkable down the road.
Not to mention, the kegerator is being a dick now... I have it set to about 38, but it gradually creeps up in temp and never drops back down. (Its up to 46 now)

I might want to get that straightened out before I start serving more brews
WOOOO! When it rains it pours!
-Me

 

[chri5]

Meh, I think that keg is going to come out of the kegerator for a while. It might magically transform into something more drinkable down the road.
Not to mention, the kegerator is being a dick now... I have it set to about 38, but it gradually creeps up in temp and never drops back down. (Its up to 46 now)

Why so cold? I find the beers coming out of the keezer taste best when it is set to ~50.

Both of the beers you said were in there would probably be better a bit warmer than you are serving...

 

[Homercidal]

Why so cold? I find the beers coming out of the keezer taste best when it is set to ~50.

Both of the beers you said were in there would probably be better a bit warmer than you are serving...

Perfect temps vary with the style of beer and the taster. I like mine a bit colder than others here, as I can always let it warm up a bit if it's too cold. Bigger beers I let sit on counter for a while, but I don't keg the big beers either.

I only have room for 2 kegs and if they are both ball lock, then the temp control is in the way. So right now I have 1 keg going and my beer is conditioning outside the fridge until I get the shelf modified to fit both kegs and I install the second tap. I will likely put soda on the second tap because I am the only one here who drinks beer and it takes a long time to drink 5 gallons! Plus the kids have wanted soda on tap for a while now.

But, then I'd need a secondary regulator too... Darn it...

 

[TexasStu]

Meh, Im actually starting to wonder if there isnt something 'wrong' with this batch. Im really trying to like it, but Im finding it rather difficult. It just seems to taste kind of 'salty' Almost like it was a smoked coffee stout... I dunno... It just tastes a little 'off'. (But then again Im not a big stout drinker) I guess I know why now.

This may be one of those cases of where it should be sitting longer to age itself to what it should really be tasting like. But damn it if im not making myself enjoy it.
Or at least drink it... *Sigh* cant win em all! I think my pale ale will come out a winner when I get off of my lazy ass and transfer it.
-Me

Joe, How about making a black & tan? (like that thread about mixing tapped beers) it's amazing how a couple of different styles can make a hybrid that is very interesting (YMMV!)

 

[JoeMama]

Joe, How about making a black & tan? (like that thread about mixing tapped beers) it's amazing how a couple of different styles can make a hybrid that is very interesting (YMMV!)

Thats not a bad idea, and I may just give that a shot. I think that this 'off flavor' may also have quite a bit to do with the water used for it. Im gonna give this beer some time to sit and think about how bad it tastes before I revisit it. Time may in fact make this a tasty brew after all.
-Me

 

[nakros]

Before I started brewing, a friend was brewing and sharing with me (read my profile for details). After 6 or 7 batches, he came over with what he called a "mix keg". Essentially, kegs are 18 or 19l, and the batches are 23l. He was dumping the extra beer into an airlocked carboy until it got filled, and then emptied it into a keg.

It was really really tasty! It really did taste like a mixture of the previous batches -- only tastier since they had time to age/condition!