No Flavor

[robdog09]

Hi,

Ive only been brewing for a few months. I just completed my fourth, and kegged it (my first kegged beer).


The first beer i did was a homerun. It was a perfect summer ale. But the last two really lacked flavor. I did an Orange'ish beer in July, that tasted simply like just a hard core ale. And this most recent one I did (and kegged) was supposed to be a holiday brew (with cinnamon and nutmeg), but it tastes again like a hard core ale. The beer has alcohol, but it simply has no flavor, or least what i desired.

Im using a single stage plastic, beginner bucket fermenter. I dont have a glass carboy. Both the last two beers were ready to be bottled about 7 days in.

Im curious if anyone has tips or questions that can lead to some sort of conclusion.

One thing i did do on these last two beers (but didn't do on my first) was apply some filtering when putting it into the bottling bucket. Im mainly trying to get out any crud before going to the bottle. Could that cause this no flavor situation? Is there a lot of flavoring going on in a bottle or keg as its carbonating?

 

[brewcat]

Recipe and process?

Wait longer on your fermentation.

 

[TheHopfather]

^ what were your recipes and what method do you use for brewing? Can you define what you mean by "hardcore ale"? Not sure what taste you might be referring to there.

7 days is a short timeline, especially if you are only 4 brews into the hobby. I'd be giving them at least 2 weeks (even 3 if you can make yourself wait) before bottling. How is your sanitation game?

 

[lumpher]

what was your fermenting temp?

 

[poptarts]

I did an Orange'ish beer in July, that tasted simply like just a hard core ale.

lol wut?

 

[robdog09]

@poptarts -- thanks for making someone feel welcome. This is the beginner forum, ******.

Everyone else -- sanitation shouldn't be a problem. The one thing mentioned by two of you was fermenting. Temp was in the 60-70 degree range. The two that didn't turn out were only fermenting for 7-10 days. I did the SG measures and they basically stopped moving. Should i let ferment two weeks no matter what? The first beer that turned out great was fermented two weeks, plus a few days.

The recipe was a kit from midwest supplies.

 

[robdog09]

@poptarts -- this is a beginner forum. Dont be a ******.

Fermenting may be the issue. I stopped it fermenting because it hadnt changed readings. It hung at 1.015 for a few days. The original beer that was great was fermented for two weeks, plus a few days. The ones that didn't have the flavor were shorter. Could that potentially be the issue? Regardless of the reading, i need it to sit for 2-3 weeks?

 

[GrogNerd]

even after fermentation is done, the yeast do a little more like clean up after themselves, removing off flavors and such

isn't that nice of them? if only they'd help tidy up after brew day

it's good to give them a few extra days to work

 

[Elkobrewer]

One thing you can try is when adding flavores to beer do it after primary fermentation or on bottling/kegging day.

 

[chickypad]

One thing i did do on these last two beers (but didn't do on my first) was apply some filtering when putting it into the bottling bucket. Im mainly trying to get out any crud before going to the bottle. Could that cause this no flavor situation? Is there a lot of flavoring going on in a bottle or keg as its carbonating?

What do you mean by filtering? If you're talking about putting a bag or something on the racking cane that's probably okay. You need to be careful about oxygenating the beer after fermentation. That can lead to off flavors, though early on might show as muting or dull flavors.

By hard core ale do you mean a hot alcohol taste? That is almost always due to fermenting too hot (unless it's just a big beer that just needs to age). If the room is 70 the beer temp could be much higher. Read up on fermentation temp control. 7 days is a pretty short turn around. If you pitch a good healthy amount of yeast and have good temp control it could be ready but a lot of beers will benefit from another week or so to clean up. I pay good attention to yeast health but still it's rare I package before about 12-14 days.

 

[bluemoose]

Filtering could be an issue. Tell us more.

 

[wyccad915]

Idk what the filtering is like but one week is really short. You might want to let it age a little more.

 

[robdog09]

For filtering, i purchased one of these => http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00STS10ZY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20. I simply ran it through this before it went into the keg and bottle. My first beer (which was really good) just had a lot of sediment in it. I was attempting to get rid of some of it.

Sorry, hard core was not the right word. It was simply just a very hard-tasting, heavy beer. It tasted like beer, and had alcohol, but it just didn't have any flavor standing out.

Meanwhile, the latest beer i was criticizing that had no flavor is actually tasting better. I kegged it last Wed (8 days ago), and set the regulator to 10 PSI. I came back from xmas trip on Tuesday (2 days ago) and found the PSI dropped to 6. So, needless to say, the beer wasn't that carbonated, and when i tasted it, it wasnt that good. I turned the PSI back up and had a taste last night, and it already was much better. Need 1-2 more days and i should be good.

 

[bluemoose]

Proper carb levels are important. People insist on tasting my beer, even when it is not fully carbed. The difference is night and day.
I would be concerned with using a filter like that. I'm not sure what keeps the beer from becoming oxygenated. I just took a quick look at it, but I wonder if it is meant to be used after fermentation.
It seems like a quick turnaround is a concern for you, but if it isn't, cold crashing will help to clear your beer. With only 7 days fermenting, there is likely a larger amount of yeast in suspension. The longer you let it sit, the more will flocculate out. Cold crashing helps to speed that process. Like a lullaby for yeast.
You will find that with the keg, the first and last couple pulls will have some sediment, but the remainder will be pretty clear. You will be effectively cold crashing it while it sits in the kegerator.

 

[BNolt17]

I agree with the previous posts. Time is probably your biggest issue. Let the yeast clean everything up before you bottle or keg. Patience is hard, especially for the first few brews, but it will pay off big time in the end.
The second issue might be opening your fermentor too often. If you are checking your gravity every day or even every 2 days you are introducing oxygen to your brew. Let it sit at least 10 days to 2 weeks before the first reading, and check again 2-5 days later. If the reading is the same, fermentation is done. Even though you now have alcoholic beer, letting it sit another 1-3 weeks is potentially good for the beer, assuming you didn't dry hop and risk loosing that beautiful hop nose and flavor before bottling or kegging.
Arguably filtering could potentially be adding to the lack of flavor as as well. There are many threads on here as well as other sites debating filtering vs non filtering prior to fermentation. I personally leave everything and account for about 1/2 gallon loss to trub, so I ferment 5.5 gallons. I have tried filtering only once and felt that I didn't gain anything from the added headache. Just my opinion but to me the added equipment to sanitize and time to strain wasn't worth it. If you let the yeast do their thing, you should make clear beer without filtering

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

To summarize some of the advice here:

1) ferment longer - 2 weeks at least. Yeast needs to finish its work.
2) the filter seems like it would oxygenate the beer. Gives it off flavors.
3) cold crashing will help clear the beer
4) keep the siphon just above the trub when you transfer to the bottling bucket or keg and you won't need to filter
5) let the beer carb and condition a while before you taste it. Flavors develop over time.

Most of these can be summed up in one word - patience. It can be the hardest thing to learn but makes a huge difference. Good luck!