Nub with a Question

[loafer74]

Ok I've made one MR. Beer kit wich was a failure , sour beer , so I went to a homebrew shop and they sold me what was more or less the 5 gallon beer kit wich I made and it too turned out awful. Now not being one who knows when to quit , I was having to travle a bit on Saturday so I went to another brew shop and bought a Dark Cont Lager beer kit that has the hop pellets and the grain and the powder extract in it.

So here is my question , the guy in the shop said that I could ferment this beer at room temp just like an ale even though Im using Lager Yeast. Does this sound right to anyone? I have no idea and I just dont want to mess up a Third batch. Any help will do.

 

[TexLaw]

What yeast is it? The only lager yeast I know that works nicely at higher ale temperatures is California Common yeast. Any other lager yeast, and you are too likely to get diacetyl, esters, and acetaldehyde that you don't want in that lager (maybe some other stuff, too).


TL

 

[sirsloop]

Before you make that kit I would try and figure out how you gor sour beer from the last batch. Sounds like you need to take a little more care with sanitation. Are you still using the mr beer hardware for fermenting?

 

[loafer74]

Sanitation should not be a problem , both the yeasts in both kits were no good and I figured it out a little too late , so I attribute age of the kit and me being a nub to the other to going south

Before you make that kit I would try and figure out how you gor sour beer from the last batch. Sounds like you need to take a little more care with sanitation. Are you still using the mr beer hardware for fermenting?

 

[loafer74]

ok the yeast it came with is

Fermentis Dry Lager Yeast

Saflager s 23

What yeast is it? The only lager yeast I know that works nicely at higher ale temperatures is California Common yeast. Any other lager yeast, and you are too likely to get diacetyl, esters, and acetaldehyde that you don't want in that lager (maybe some other stuff, too).


TL

 

[sirsloop]

Ok, well what you are proposing is called "steam beer". I'd get yourself some Nottingham's dry ale yeast and use that for your stout. Put the lager yeast in the fridge for another batch, after you have a couple successful ale's under your belt (literally). The goal here should be a successful simple brew that you can chug down... and get another kit for more beer cause you're gonna need it soon

 

[loafer74]

Ok I got some Muntons Active Brewing Yeast in the Fridge that I bought last week.

The kit Im making is supposed to be similiar to a heineken dark. If I use the Muntons with the kit what will it do to the flavor of the beer

Here is the info on the kit , all I could find
Continental Dark Beer Kit Continental Dark - This beer has a very dark color and rich flavor with a surprisingly light feel due to the use of lager yeast. This is the Dark version of our H-4 European Lager Kit.

Ok, well what you are proposing is called "steam beer". I'd get yourself some Nottingham's dry ale yeast and use that for your stout. Put the lager yeast in the fridge for another batch, after you have a couple successful ale's under your belt (literally). The goal here should be a successful simple brew that you can chug down... and get another kit for more beer cause you're gonna need it soon

 

[Jumbo82]

I'm a noob as well, but I'd like to try to help you troubleshoot your other failed beers. How long did you wait after bottling before you drank your beer? The homebrew I've made generally don't begin to taste good until after over a month in the bottles. If you got impatient and started drinking them after only a week then that might explain the "awful" taste you described in your second batch. Did you follow the directions exactly, or did you make some modifications? A bit more detail might help the real beer experts on this forum troubleshoot what went wrong on your first attempts so you don't repeat the same mistake.