My first "bad" batch, or is Oktoberfest aweful?

[Brunobearbo]

Hey all, I'm a long time forum reader and I thank you all for the great tips. Now It's my turn to post I guess.

I have been brewing for about three years, mostly partial kits. But recently I ordered a True Brew Oktoberfest kit and gave it a try.

Now I have never had an infection in the 15-20 batches I have made, so I don't think that's the case, but this beer just didn't seem right from the moment fermentation started. It had a quite strong sulfur smell which I thought would go away with time. After two weeks in my primary I bottled. Three weeks later I tried one, and it tasted "weird".

I can only describe it as tasting like someone soaked a cantaloupe in barrel of wet Chinese newspaper, squeezed it into a jug of Coors Lite and left it in the sun for a few hours. It just has this weird melon flavor to it.
It has been five weeks now, and I'm trying to enjoy these damn things but they're quite unpleasant.

Now my question is, what are Oktoberfest beers Supposed to taste like?

And what the hell could I have possibly done wrong?

 

[Brewnoob1]

Is it a lager or ale? I think true oktoberfests are lagers. Can't help much right now with the actual issue, just wondering if lagering or ale yeast have anything to do with it.

 

[Brunobearbo]

Unhopped Amber Malt Extract (1 can)
2 1lb bags of Light Dried Malt Extract
Melanoidin Grain (8 oz)
Hop Pellets (2 oz)
Ale Yeast (1 pack)
Grain Steeping Bag
Priming Sugar (5 oz)

 

[dawgmatic]

What does wet Chinese newspaper smell like?

 

[jdauria]

I don't want to know what wet Chinese newpaper tastes like!

From BJCP guidelines:

Flavor:
Initial malty sweetness, but finish is moderately dry.
Distinctive and complex maltiness often includes a toasted aspect.
Hop bitterness is moderate, and noble hop flavor is low to none.
Balance is toward malt, though the finish is not sweet. Noticeable
caramel or roasted flavors are inappropriate. Clean lager character
with no diacetyl or fruity esters.

What were your fermenting temps? Being a lager it should been in low 50's for the primary stage and then should have been brought up for a diacetyl rest in the low 60's for a couple days, then should have lagered for a month or longer around 34F to let it clean up and drop the yeast and such.

My first thought is that you that it fermented way to warm so the yeast went haywire and created the fruity esters that should not be there. As for the sulfur smell, that is actually normal for lager yeasts (what was the yeast you used?) and you will get a lot of rotten egg aromas during primary and letting it sit for the long lager stage would normally clean that out.

 

[Brunobearbo]

What does wet Chinese newspaper smell like?

I guess like wet paper, but worse!

 

[Brunobearbo]

I don't want to know what wet Chinese newpaper tastes like!

From BJCP guidelines:

Flavor:
Initial malty sweetness, but finish is moderately dry.
Distinctive and complex maltiness often includes a toasted aspect.
Hop bitterness is moderate, and noble hop flavor is low to none.
Balance is toward malt, though the finish is not sweet. Noticeable
caramel or roasted flavors are inappropriate. Clean lager character
with no diacetyl or fruity esters.

What were your fermenting temps? Being a lager it should been in low 50's for the primary stage and then should have been brought up for a diacetyl rest in the low 60's for a couple days, then should have lagered for a month or longer around 34F to let it clean up and drop the yeast and such.

My first thought is that you that it fermented way to warm so the yeast went haywire and created the fruity esters that should not be there. As for the sulfur smell, that is actually normal for lager yeasts (what was the yeast you used?) and you will get a lot of rotten egg aromas during primary and letting it sit for the long lager stage would normally clean that out.

Looking at the websites that sell it, it says it was an Ale yeast. Not sure if that's a typo.

Unhopped Amber Malt Extract (1 can)
2 1lb bags of Light Dried Malt Extract
Melanoidin Grain (8 oz)
Hop Pellets (2 oz)
Ale Yeast (1 pack)
Grain Steeping Bag
Priming Sugar (5 oz)


I had no idea this was a lager, I normally create my own IPA's and just did this batch in-between brews. My brewing temperature was in the 60's. Thanks for the help!

 

[dawgmatic]

I guess like wet paper, but worse!

Racist...

 

[Brunobearbo]

Racist...

LOL, nothing to do with race, it was just a Simpsons quote. The energy bars Homer ate were made out of "ground up Chinese newspaper". But it does have a wet paper taste, but oxidation shouldn't be the issue, everything was sealed well.

 

[fizgig]

unleash the power of apples

 

[Cincyfan78]

Sounds like to me that this was meant to lagger and you didn't do that. Temps were too high for fermentation, and that is causing the off taste.

You noticed the smell right away possibly because the fermentation temps were immediately too high.

Just a guess on my part, though.

 

[Toga]

It could be several issue. Old malt extract from a kit that has been sitting for a long time (the Octoberfest kits are limited release kits), your water, high fermentation temps, steeping grains at too high of a temp, crap yeast (these guys love muntons which is awful), sanitation, or many others.

My first though is the yeast. Second is the fermentation temp.

The first thing you should do if you ever buy a True Brew kit again is toss the muntons yeast in the trash or add it during the last 10 minutes of your boil to use as a yeast nutrient, then replace it with a packet of a decent dry yeast such as US-05 or Nottingham.

While an Octoberfest can be fermented with ale yeast with decent results the style is typically fermented with Lager yeast. Check out biermunchers Ocoberfast for a tasty version fermented with ale yeast. Look through the post. Someone did convert it to an extract recipe as well. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f63/biermunchers-oktoberfast-ale-ag-39021/index2.html

 

[Brunobearbo]

It could be several issue. Old malt extract from a kit that has been sitting for a long time (the Octoberfest kits are limited release kits), your water, high fermentation temps, steeping grains at too high of a temp, crap yeast (these guys love muntons which is awful), sanitation, or many others.

My first though is the yeast. Second is the fermentation temp.

The first thing you should do if you ever buy a True Brew kit again is toss the muntons yeast in the trash or add it during the last 10 minutes of your boil to use as a yeast nutrient, then replace it with a packet of a decent dry yeast such as US-05 or Nottingham.

While an Octoberfest can be fermented with ale yeast with decent results the style is typically fermented with Lager yeast. Check out biermunchers Ocoberfast for a tasty version fermented with ale yeast. Look through the post. Someone did convert it to an extract recipe as well. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f63/biermunchers-oktoberfast-ale-ag-39021/index2.html

That might be it. This was the first time I have ever used Munton's yeast. That mixed with the temperature. Thanks!