Little flavor in all 3 batches...

[drf4th]

I am a newbie. I just finished brewing my 3rd 5 gallon brew. Started with a porter, then did a dunkel, and just wrapped up a brown ale. All 3 of my brews lack body/full flavor. The alcohol content is definitely there but the taste is not. I have been using "Brewer's Best" kits and there has to be something I am doing wrong. I was under the impression that everything in the BB kits are measured out and ready to go. Is this not the case? Do I need to crush the grains? I thought those came already crushed but maybe not. Do I need to steep my grains longer than the instructions say? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[wonderbread23]

Sounds to me that you're fermenting too warm and possibly over attenuating the beer. What were the hydrometer readings? If you go too warm, it can leave hot alcohols as well as ferment to a higher attenuation rate thinning out the beer.

 

[jigidyjim]

You should be able to look at the grains and tell if they are crushed or not. If they are crushed, the grains will be split open.

 

[RM-MN]

The grains come uncrushed. Since the time between them building the kit and the time it will be sold is unknown, if they crushed the grain it could well be spoiled before you bought it. Use a rolling pin to crush the grain as the flavor is locked inside that grain kernel and the water can't get to it. If you don't have a rolling pin, you can substitute a beer bottle if you can find one.

Places like Midwest have their kits made up and if you stop at the store to pick them up they will give you the option of crushing the grains for you if you intend to use them up within a few days. They would prefer you not wait more than a week or maybe 2 before you use them or they will begin to degrade.

 

[drf4th]

Sounds to me that you're fermenting too warm and possibly over attenuating the beer. What were the hydrometer readings? If you go too warm, it can leave hot alcohols as well as ferment to a higher attenuation rate thinning out the beer.

I am fermenting at 65 - 69 degrees.

Hydrometer readings:

Porter: Lost the sheet

Dunkel: OG = 1.061, FG = 1.024

Brown Ale: OG = 1.075, FG = 1.018 (Added 2lbs of Maple Syrup during secondary fermentation)

 

[Yooper]

The grains come uncrushed. Since the time between them building the kit and the time it will be sold is unknown, if they crushed the grain it could well be spoiled before you bought it. Use a rolling pin to crush the grain as the flavor is locked inside that grain kernel and the water can't get to it. If you don't have a rolling pin, you can substitute a beer bottle if you can find one.

Places like Midwest have their kits made up and if you stop at the store to pick them up they will give you the option of crushing the grains for you if you intend to use them up within a few days. They would prefer you not wait more than a week or maybe 2 before you use them or they will begin to degrade.

I'm certain that the Brewer's Best kits come with the grain already crushed. I've used them in the past.

I would suggest getting a fresher kit- like Midwest as was mentioned, or from northernbrewer.com or austinhomebrew.com. Those online "name" homebrew stores crush the grain fresh, and make up the kit fresh, when you order it. They seem to make better beer, too.

I particularly like austinhomebrew.com for kits- they have hundreds and hundreds of choices, and inexpensive flat rate shipping. I've done their Pete's Wicked Ale clone, the Fat Tire clone, and several others that I've forgotten! All were perfect.

 

[slicksmix]

I'm certain that the Brewer's Best kits come with the grain already crushed. I've used them in the past.

I would suggest getting a fresher kit- like Midwest as was mentioned, or from northernbrewer.com or austinhomebrew.com. Those online "name" homebrew stores crush the grain fresh, and make up the kit fresh, when you order it. They seem to make better beer, too.

I particularly like austinhomebrew.com for kits- they have hundreds and hundreds of choices, and inexpensive flat rate shipping. I've done their Pete's Wicked Ale clone, the Fat Tire clone, and several others that I've forgotten! All were perfect.

Yoop is correct. The BB grains are crushed, as i sell them everyday at the LHBS I work at. Although i have never done the recipes OP did, i have done several others, and have never had one that was lacking in the flavor dept. In my experience, the kits have all turned out excellent (minus the oatmeal stout, it tasted good but stuck at 1030, but i know what i did wrong). Just bottled their limited edition Hopnog, cant wait to taste it!

 

[Bottenbrew]

Yoop is correct. The BB grains are crushed, as i sell them everyday at the LHBS I work at. Although i have never done the recipes OP did, i have done several others, and have never had one that was lacking in the flavor dept. In my experience, the kits have all turned out excellent (minus the oatmeal stout, it tasted good but stuck at 1030, but i know what i did wrong). Just bottled their limited edition Hopnog, cant wait to taste it!

Yeah but how long was your sitting on the shelf? A LHBS that has a good turn over rate will get better results from a precrushed kit than a LHBS that has a longer turn over time. The longer those kits sit, the less flavor they will impart.

 

[flabyboy]

I'm certain that the Brewer's Best kits come with the grain already crushed. I've used them in the past.

I would suggest getting a fresher kit- like Midwest as was mentioned, or from northernbrewer.com or austinhomebrew.com. Those online "name" homebrew stores crush the grain fresh, and make up the kit fresh, when you order it. They seem to make better beer, too.

I particularly like austinhomebrew.com for kits- they have hundreds and hundreds of choices, and inexpensive flat rate shipping. I've done their Pete's Wicked Ale clone, the Fat Tire clone, and several others that I've forgotten! All were perfect.

The ones I used were crushed as well