Not bad but a little "fruity" tasting

[cnw]

Brewed my 2nd batch in my Mr. Beer kit and although it tastes quite good it has a "fruity" aftertaste. I fermented it for 3 weeks and carbonated it for 2 weeks before my first taste - does it need more time?

I used the all the following Mr. Beer ingrediants: beer mix, malt extract, Booster and their liquid yeast.

In my first batch (that also tasted good) I left out the Booster (sugar) but wanted a higher alcohol content so I included it in this batch.

Thanks.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Sounds like it's ready to me.

The fruity flavor may be attributed to a slightly higher fermenting temp than recommended or not enough bittering hops.

Glad it came out for you.

 

[cnw]

Thanks, so adding hops may take out some of the fruity taste?

 

[homebrewer_99]

Not the fruitiness, but the sweetness. These are two different flavors. Be sure you are not getting them confused.

In brewing you start with sweet malt and add hops to "bitter" it during the boil. Just the opposite of making a sweet tea. Then there's "aroma" hops that you use at the end of the boil (but only if your recipe needs them).

The "fruitiness" is produced by the malt and fermentation temp like I mentioned earlier.

I do not recommend adding any hops at this time.

The extra sugar will add more alcohol but will not add any color to your beer.

You should never use more than 20% sugar in your beer. It tends to make the beer "cidery". I hope that's not the fruitiness you are experiencing.

Visit this site for some more brewing info:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/benbrew/beerbook.html

Here's another good site for your research:

http://cruisenews.net/brewing/index.php

Later.

 

[Sir Sudster]

Fruitiness can also be attributed to the type of yeast you use and the fermentation temperature you ferment that yeast at. Especially if it is an english style strain.