Northern Brewer German Blonde Ale advice

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_Bryan

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Hi everyone,

Tonight I opened a bottle of the Northern Brewer German Blonde Ale that I brewed. Unfortunately, it was less than ideal. There was no head on pour and it was over-carbonated and felt a tad watery. The watery part was surprising, on bottling day I sampled a bit and it had a nice flavor.

Below are details from my brew day notes:

Type: Extract with steeping grains
Volume: 1 gallon
Pitch temp: 68F
SG: 1.040
Secondary: on 4/4
FG: 1.010
Bottled on: 4/14
Opened first bottle on: 5/5

So, I had 1 week in primary, 10 days in secondary and 3 weeks in bottle.

Fermentation, secondary and bottle condition were at a temp range of 68-72. I used the Fizz Drops that Northern Brewer supplied, one drop per bottle per directions.

Any thoughts on where I messed up?

Thanks
 
My guess is a minor infection, especially in light of your fermentation temperature.* There are certain infections that just rob the beer of all of its malt flavor, and that has happened at my local brewpub.

*Excessively high fermentation temperature can cause a wateriness that comes from the production of too much alcohol, specifically fusels. But excessively high tends to be above, say, 75 degF.
 
Over carbonated and no head doesn't jive. A beer that is over carbonated would more than likely pour all head. When the head dissipates on pouring the culprit is most likely soap residue in the glass.
What was the SG of the primary before racking to the secondary. This may have been the mess up step. More time in the primary on the yeast cake, and no secondary, will improve the character of most beers. Even a beer that was designed to be light and fizzy.
Give the rest of your bottles more conditioning time at about 70° to 72°. Chill for three days before opening.
 
Sounds to me like it's just young/green beer. Three weeks is okay, but more is better. Try again in a couple weeks and I bet it'll be better. When I bottled, I usually wouldn't touch them until 6 or more weeks (well, I'd take a taste here and there) but they really weren't ready at 3 weeks and would, you guessed it, be bland and watery.

How long was it in the fridge before you popped it open? If it was less than 48 hours, that can mess with the carbonation too.

Anyway, I bet the beer is fine and just needs a little more time. Cheers!
 
How does that old song go?
"Waiting is the hardest part"?
Or did I change the words and make that up? Not sure, old timer's sets in sometimes.. Anyway, Cheers!
 
I made this same kit. It is getting better with each week, but I just don't think I'm a big fan of the taste. Perhaps this kit would fit well with a fruit addition? Maybe a strawberry blonde.

Cracked one open last night...

IMG_3779_zpse4793361.jpg
 
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