New brew taste

[Brewpup506]

Hey guys! Think my first round went well so far. Made my high spiced pumpkin Amber ale. Tasted some when transferring to my secondary. Tasted like sweet flat beer but the hop bite was missing. Will that develop over next 2 weeks?

 

[RM-MN]

What you call hop bite might be carbonic acid bite from the dissolved CO2 that you will get when your beer is carbonated. Hops should just be bitter or aromatic.

 

[divrack]

Nope. If anything it will fade.
On a side note, I know it's hard to resist getting carried away with things brew trusted but I'd definitely recommend starting out with simple recipes so you have some chance of figuring out what is going well and what isn't in your practice.
I was the same though, jumping right in with 30 ingredients in 10 percent beer, but I guarantee you will make better beer and learn more keeping it simple and concentrating on a specific angle in each brew.
Back to your original question though, the lack of "hop bite" could be any number of factors depending on what you are actually tasting. If you want more bitterness you can boil up a hop tea and add that. If you want more flavour aroma a dry hop will help.

 

[mongoose33]

Probably not much if it does. Having said that, beer changes in amazing ways when it conditions.

A few other things you may want to think on.

1. The use of a secondary has for the most part gone the way of the Dodo bird. Unless you need to free up the primary for another batch, or you're doing long-term aging or extracting flavors or something, it's not necessary. It seems like most of the kits recommend it, though if you were to do a poll here amongst experienced home brewers, I'll bet you fewer than 5 percent use a secondary.

I think there may have been some value with a secondary early in homebrewing's history--the yeast wasn't as good, there was concern about getting the beer off the yeast before it died and autolysis set in and created off-flavors in the beer. But you can go a month in primary without concern. Generally, brewers would be bottling at 2-3 weeks, so it's not in the primary long enough to matter. And some people argue that the yeast helps clean things up so there's value in keeping the beer in primary.

2. I'm drinking batch 58 right now, but I remember vividly being new at this. A suggestion is to brew relatively simple beers for your first 5 or six, and even repeat a couple. The goal is to dial in the process, get it down, and then branch out to different recipes. Brewing isn't rocket science, but neither is it simplistic. As you know, there are many moving parts, and learning to control them is part of the process.

3. I have gotten to the point where I'm brewing some pretty good stuff. Not just my opinion, either. The way I got to this point was continuous quality improvement. Every time you brew, try to do something better. Your beers will get better and better, and you'll have a harder time keeping your friends away. If you want to.

4. Most here will tell you that fermentation temp control is one of the biggest leaps forward they made as a brewer. It was for me. You can get a tall mini-dorm-style refrigerator for this, and they don't have to cost an arm and a leg. I have one (see pic below). Even if that's not an option at this point, you need to try to control ferm temp. Yeast is exothermic, meaning they produce heat while they work. The temp of the fermenting wort can be 5-10 degrees higher than ambient temp surrounding it.

A used refrigerator, an Inkbird 308 controller, and a reptile heat mat is all you need to make a great leap forward.

And if it's not an option at this point, you can also use the old swamp cooler method. It'll knock about 5 degrees off the temp of fermenting wort bringing it close to ambient. To do it is simple: get a turkey pan from the dollar store, put the fermenter in it, add about 2 inches of water or so, drape an old t-shirt over the fermenter so it dangles into the water. The water will wick up into the shirt and its evaporation will help cool things. I have a pic below showing that as well.

Anyway, good luck, welcome to the hobby, and enjoy!

 

[divrack]

Also what's the obsession with pumpkin spice ale with you yanks? Malt and hops not good enough for you eh? If you ask me this is the reason your empire is in decline.

 

[Brewpup506]

Also what's the obsession with pumpkin spice ale with you yanks? Malt and hops not good enough for you eh? If you ask me this is the reason your empire is in decline.

Ha! It was a recipe my friend used already and was successful with so we did it together for my first run. Plus by the time it’s done it’ll be autumn stateside and for us yanks that means thanksgiving, pumpkin, spiced, and more beer. I want to try a porter next, planning on starting it in the next week or so. I need to buy a burner for the garage 1 boil over + 1 angry wife = no longer allowed in kitchen

 

[Brewpup506]

Probably not much if it does. Having said that, beer changes in amazing ways when it conditions.

A few other things you may want to think on.

1. The use of a secondary has for the most part gone the way of the Dodo bird. Unless you need to free up the primary for another batch, or you're doing long-term aging or extracting flavors or something, it's not necessary. It seems like most of the kits recommend it, though if you were to do a poll here amongst experienced home brewers, I'll bet you fewer than 5 percent use a secondary.

I think there may have been some value with a secondary early in homebrewing's history--the yeast wasn't as good, there was concern about getting the beer off the yeast before it died and autolysis set in and created off-flavors in the beer. But you can go a month in primary without concern. Generally, brewers would be bottling at 2-3 weeks, so it's not in the primary long enough to matter. And some people argue that the yeast helps clean things up so there's value in keeping the beer in primary.

2. I'm drinking batch 58 right now, but I remember vividly being new at this. A suggestion is to brew relatively simple beers for your first 5 or six, and even repeat a couple. The goal is to dial in the process, get it down, and then branch out to different recipes. Brewing isn't rocket science, but neither is it simplistic. As you know, there are many moving parts, and learning to control them is part of the process.

3. I have gotten to the point where I'm brewing some pretty good stuff. Not just my opinion, either. The way I got to this point was continuous quality improvement. Every time you brew, try to do something better. Your beers will get better and better, and you'll have a harder time keeping your friends away. If you want to.

4. Most here will tell you that fermentation temp control is one of the biggest leaps forward they made as a brewer. It was for me. You can get a tall mini-dorm-style refrigerator for this, and they don't have to cost an arm and a leg. I have one (see pic below). Even if that's not an option at this point, you need to try to control ferm temp. Yeast is exothermic, meaning they produce heat while they work. The temp of the fermenting wort can be 5-10 degrees higher than ambient temp surrounding it.

A used refrigerator, an Inkbird 308 controller, and a reptile heat mat is all you need to make a great leap forward.

And if it's not an option at this point, you can also use the old swamp cooler method. It'll knock about 5 degrees off the temp of fermenting wort bringing it close to ambient. To do it is simple: get a turkey pan from the dollar store, put the fermenter in it, add about 2 inches of water or so, drape an old t-shirt over the fermenter so it dangles into the water. The water will wick up into the shirt and its evaporation will help cool things. I have a pic below showing that as well.

Anyway, good luck, welcome to the hobby, and enjoy!

View attachment 585072 View attachment 585071

I have this random shower in our basement that cleaned out and use. It’s constant 64 f. And has a door to keep our light. Then I cover with a blanket.

 

[BobBailey]

Some seasoned brewers are able to predict what a beer will be at maturity by tasting at various stages. Many more cannot. As a new brewer I strongly recommend that you wait until the beer has fully conditioned before making any judgements.

This means allowing it to fully carbonate and mature prior to cracking the first bottle and then reserving judgement until the last bottle.

 

[mongoose33]

I have this random shower in our basement that cleaned out and use. It’s constant 64 f. And has a door to keep our light. Then I cover with a blanket.

Well, that's a good place to start. Are you OK with your fermentation temps ranging from 69 to as high as 74? Because that's what they'll be.

Most of my ales I ferment at 64 or possibly 67. The only time I exceed 70 degrees is at the end of fermentation when I bump the temp up to about 71, so the yeast can clean up after themselves.

The reason why you want to control ferm temps is that the warmer yeast are when fermenting, the more likely they'll put out off-flavor compounds that won't help your beer.

There are exceptions--farmhouse ales, saisons--these are intentionally fermented at higher temps, and because of that they produce very specific flavors. I personally don't much care for them, because of those flavors, so I try to keep that out of my own beer. But others like 'em, that's fine, people like what they like.

 

[Brewpup506]

Well, that's a good place to start. Are you OK with your fermentation temps ranging from 69 to as high as 74? Because that's what they'll be.

Most of my ales I ferment at 64 or possibly 67. The only time I exceed 70 degrees is at the end of fermentation when I bump the temp up to about 71, so the yeast can clean up after themselves.

The reason why you want to control ferm temps is that the warmer yeast are when fermenting, the more likely they'll put out off-flavor compounds that won't help your beer.

There are exceptions--farmhouse ales, saisons--these are intentionally fermented at higher temps, and because of that they produce very specific flavors. I personally don't much care for them, because of those flavors, so I try to keep that out of my own beer. But others like 'em, that's fine, people like what they like.

I know the yeast heats things up a bit but my temp gage on carboy read 64 throughout the week. I pitched at 72 then let it drop to room over 2 week period. Tasted sweet but good and got a decent gravity. I want it to sit 2 more weeks before bottling. Need to figure the sugar ratio next to carb it up.

 

[divrack]

Ha! It was a recipe my friend used already and was successful with so we did it together for my first run. Plus by the time it’s done it’ll be autumn stateside and for us yanks that means thanksgiving, pumpkin, spiced, and more beer. I want to try a porter next, planning on starting it in the next week or so. I need to buy a burner for the garage 1 boil over + 1 angry wife = no longer allowed in kitchen

Nice. Tell her it's safer when you stick to the floor..
Good luck on the porter

 

[RM-MN]

I have this random shower in our basement that cleaned out and use. It’s constant 64 f. And has a door to keep our light. Then I cover with a blanket.

Don't cover the fermenter with a blanket. It needs to shed the heat given off by the fermentation. It isn't necessary to keep out all the light during fermentation, it is the UV light that skunks beer. Just don't put the fermenter in the sunlight or leave the fluorescent lights on all the time.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

that means thanksgiving, pumpkin, spiced, and more beer.

Christmas means reindeer, fir trees and Brussels sprouts, we don't (in general) feel the need to put them in our beer....

1 boil over + 1 angry wife = no longer allowed in kitchen

Simet(h)icone is your friend here, either in "official" anti-boilover from your LHBS or anti-wind medicine from the pharmacy/supermarket.

 

[NGD]

Christmas means reindeer, fir trees and Brussels sprouts, we don't (in general) feel the need to put them in our beer....

I just had an idea for a new beer!

 

[Rodent]

I pitched at 72 then let it drop to room over 2 week period.

temp management thru a fermentation cycle would be a good study topic for you.

it's generally recommended to pitch yeast at (or slightly below) fermentation temp, and to hold steady or rise in temp from that point forward. the only time you'd be dropping in temp is after completion of fermentation, when you're cold crashing down to 35F and telling the yeast they're all done and it's time to drop out of solution and go into hibernation.

pitching warm and cooling off increases potential for stressing the yeast and increases the likelihood for off flavors

 

[Brewpup506]

temp management thru a fermentation cycle would be a good study topic for you.

it's generally recommended to pitch yeast at (or slightly below) fermentation temp, and to hold steady or rise in temp from that point forward. the only time you'd be dropping in temp is after completion of fermentation, when you're cold crashing down to 35F and telling the yeast they're all done and it's time to drop out of solution and go into hibernation.

pitching warm and cooling off increases potential for stressing the yeast and increases the likelihood for off flavors

I guess so far I’m lucky since the taste wasn’t off just didn’t have that beer bite to it. But the gravity read at a beer level. It’s looking like around 9% abv. Batch 2 I’ll work it the right way. Glad I found this forum!

 

[Morrey]

Christmas means reindeer, fir trees and Brussels sprouts, we don't (in general) feel the need to put them in our beer....



Simet(h)icone is your friend here, either in "official" anti-boilover from your LHBS or anti-wind medicine from the pharmacy/supermarket.

OMG you have given us a huge idea. Lets use Brussels Sprouts as a bittering agent and throw hops away! LOL. Seriously, a local guy claiming to be the organic wonder-boy, brewed an APA with collard greens as a bittering agent sans hops. Collards have a semi-bitter taste so I said why not try one. DARN, that was the most disgusting thing I even tried. Even the potted plants wilted when watering them with it. Sorry OP, my bad.

 

[Rodent]

I guess so far I’m lucky since the taste wasn’t off just didn’t have that beer bite to it. But the gravity read at a beer level. It’s looking like around 9% abv. Batch 2 I’ll work it the right way. Glad I found this forum!

I was in a similar situation: brewing decent all-grain beer that my friends complimented. I added a small chest freezer + Inkbird temp controller + Fermwarp + 2-hole bung with a thermowell to drop the temp probe down into ... and my next batch was miles (kilometers * 1.6) beyond anything I had brewed previously. I got the freezer on sale for ~$200, but could have used craigslist for an even better deal. This gave me control over temps, the ability to hold a temp +/-1F, the ability to raise the temp when timing was right, and then to cold crash. It also opened the door to brewing lagers, should that be your thing. Stepping up to solid temp control is a huge leap towards better beer