My first amber ale was a little...what went wrong

[lminor72]

Aloha from Hawaii...

New to the forum, but I've already learned alot.

My first batch (aside from 3 gallons of Mr. Brew my mother-in-law got me) was an Amber Ale (malt extract, cracked grains, hop pellets). I got the recipe from my LHBS and followed it to the letter, EXCEPT for not topping it off to 5 gallons.
It was in primary fermentation - 10 days.
Bottle - 10 days.

The result was a pretty stout/strong brew, good amber flavor, but it seemed a little syrupy. I enjoyed it; friends who appreciate heavier dark beers enjoyed it too. My Coors light drinking friends were scared of it. The ABV was high (I didn't measure it, but I could tell).

My question: What happens if you short your batch...meaning I mis-read my bucket and only brewed 4 gallons of what should have been a 5 gallon batch??

Thanks in advance...

Minor
sends

 

[bernerbrau]

In general, I believe that everything will just come out more concentrated. The malt will be thicker and darker, the alcohol will be stronger, and the hops will be more bitter and aromatic.

 

[lminor72]

I figured that, but was curious what others might say...maybe get some "ah-haa" answer.

Thanks.

Minor
sends

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

Nice work, and welcome to the forum!

What bernerbits is exactly right...due to making 4 gallons instead of 5 you've got a lot more hops, malt, and alcohol in every bottle! Not necessarily a bad thing either...just call it your Imperial Amber Ale when you give it to friends. Nice work on scaring your BMC friends :rockin:.

 

[lminor72]

Thanks TwoHeads...

Imperial Amber Ale it is...

LM

 

[Tankard]

10 days in the primary and 10 days in the bottle is not enough time. For an amber ale, it should have been in the primary at least 2 weeks, 3 - 4 would have been better. And then 2-3 weeks once it is in the bottle.

 

[DeathBrewer]

definitely heavier in alcohol (higher concentration of sugars in lower amount of liquid.)

that being said, i agree with tankard. Everything smooths out with age. If you used a secondary after the 10 days for another 10 days and then left it 4-6 weeks in bottles, it would be a much smoother brew

if you have more bottles, let them sit for a few weeks at room temp...you'll see.

 

[Revvy]

10 days in the primary and 10 days in the bottle is not enough time. For an amber ale, it should have been in the primary at least 2 weeks, 3 - 4 would have been better. And then 2-3 weeks once it is in the bottle.

Yes....leave them at 70 degrees for another 2 weeks and see if they don't taste better...you are drinking really green beer...

Read this and enjoy the snazzy video...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=54362&page=11

 

[adamjab19]

10 days in the primary and 10 days in the bottle is not enough time. For an amber ale, it should have been in the primary at least 2 weeks, 3 - 4 would have been better. And then 2-3 weeks once it is in the bottle.

This what I am doing with my amber. 2 weeks in primary and just finishing up my fourth week in the bottle.

 

[Grinder12000]

As a rule of thumb I leave everything in the Primary for 3 weeks and bottle age for 4 weeks.

And while I'm waiting I brew more.

 

[Dinbin]

While I agree 100% that you want to let the brew age in the bottles for a few weeks to help develop the flavors, I don't think leaving it the primary for 3-4 weeks is really needed. I've found that aging is aging, in the bucket or in the bottle. Unless you have a lot of particulate floating around, a secondary is not a necessary step. Especially if you are doing extract and specialty grains. It just complicates your process.

Throw a couple six packs in the closet, or under the house and let them mellow for a couple weeks. You will notice a definite difference in the taste of your brew. Be careful of high temps, I know it can be hard to get good temp control in Hawaii, but try to keep it under 72 F.

Cheers!