Racked into Secondary tried tasting, didnt taste much alcohol...

[britishbloke]

Hey all,

I siphoned off my first ever batch of brew.

Its a dark ale. Fermented and went to one bubble per minute.
Thats when I siphoned it.

From the carboy to the smaller 5 gallon carboy for clearing.
I tasted some from the testing tube I have.

It tasted malty and a little chocolaty. Although only a small amount of alcohol seemed present, it tasted a little watery. I hope that I didnt take it out too early...

I have heard that if it sits for too long in the primary it can have some off flavors in it.

 

[david_42]

Too long in the primary is 6+ months, not a few days.

Post your recipe & we can tell you what the ABV should be.

 

[britishbloke]

It was 5 gallons Badger Dark ale.

Malt was boiled with eventually added ingredients for an hour.

Cooled down, which took longer then hoped. 45 mins.
Placed in 6.5 gallon carboy. Bubbles went alot for 4 days and then slowed down for 2 days.

Went to one beat a minute on the airlock....

 

[gruntingfrog]

Carbonation has a lot to do with mouthfeel (whether it seems watery or thick). Tasting the beer when it's flat will often seem watery. The right amount of carbonation will fill out the beer. If you want to test this, go buy a commercial ale, pour it into a glass, put it in the refridgerator and leave it overnight. Taste it the next day. It will seem watery.

Go forward with the process and your beer will turn out fine.

Don't worry.

 

[britishbloke]

OK. I understand.

I have left a pale ale of Sierra Nevada in the fridge and it did the same thing..

But it tasted like it had alot of alcohol kick.

This one seemed to lack that but ill wait.

Hopefully it will increase in alcohol as time goes on.....

 

[artfldodger]

how much malt is in it? it might just have low ABV... or just well balanced/fermented so you dont notice the alch.

 

[britishbloke]

Im at work right now.

The malt I added was a decent sized bag.
This is the beerkit I got it from:

Badger Dark Ale
This dark ale is based on the malt profile of the California Golden Ale and the Badger Amber Ale ingredient kits. We have made the flavor a little more pronounced with the addition of dark grains to enhanced the slight roasted flavor of the malt. It is moderately well hopped. Delicious and easy to make.

Made with dark malt extract, grains, Brewer’s Gold and Mt. Hood hops, Ale yeast, and corn sugar (for priming). O.G. 1.040. IBU’s 32-35. Basic Kit $26.95

Hope this helps!

 

[BrewmanBeing]

1.040 is a low O.G. There won't be much alcohol in this brew. With 75% attenuation your F.G. should be close to 1.010, pretty darn light. As long as it doesn't taste sweet and you are close to your F.G. you are ok.

 

[david_42]

You're looking at about 4% ABV. Carbonation will improve the body and mouth feel. Being able to taste the alcohol isn't a plus in most brews, because it tends to mean you fermented too warm and you have fusel alcohols.

 

[Ol' Grog]

Dude, I tasted the same thing on my first batch last month, bottle it and let it sit for two weeks. It will be FINE! Like others have stated, dark brews won't give a lot of alchohol content. 5% is about max. But here in Oklahoma, we can only get 3.2 beers, so anything above that is heaven to me. But, then I look at your name and if you are from Britain, than 4-5% may seem weak....just drink MORE!!!!!