Same taste in all brews

[jsvinth34]

I've brewed two batches with my starter kit that I got a while back (both extract brews). I tried to make a pale ale and it turned out like a Scottish ale, and I just bottled a cherry Hefe. They both tasted basically the same, I'm pretty sure I used the same extract for both batches (gave it the same basic color too, rather dark). I'm curious as to some ideas that would make it taste the same. Any ideas?

 

[WayFrae]

If you are doing partial boil extract brews often times the extract will caramelize and cause a sweet sort of flavor. I experienced this when I was doing partial boils and started adding about 80% of the total extract with only 10 minutes left in the boil. This seemed to help quite a bit. If you start doing full boils it will help even more because you will be able to achieve better hops utilization so you won't be left with a pale ale that has no hop flavor.

 

[ncbrewer]

Maybe I misunderstood, but if you used a pale ale extract to brew a hefe, it wouldn't taste right. That could explain a lot. The hefe needs a wheat beer yeast, too.

 

[jsvinth34]

I usually do a full 60 minute boil so I feel that would help allow the hops to be tasted. This time it boiled over and then I just decided to leave the lid off and keep it at a rolling boil. Not sure if that played a factor or not

 

[kh54s10]

Maybe I misunderstood, but if you used a pale ale extract to brew a hefe, it wouldn't taste right. That could explain a lot. The hefe needs a wheat beer yeast, too.

I saw this too. The two beers require very different ingredients and yeasts!

How much water you use, extract with top up or full boil, would not make that big a difference other than hop character.

 

[cgrivois]

I usually do a full 60 minute boil so I feel that would help allow the hops to be tasted. This time it boiled over and then I just decided to leave the lid off and keep it at a rolling boil. Not sure if that played a factor or not

You said you decided to leave the lid off. Youre not boiling with the lid on are you?

 

[jsvinth34]

So I'm using about 3 or 3.5 gallons for the boil and add in the rest before I chill it to put in the carboy.

 

[jsvinth34]

Now that I think more about it, I didn't leave the lid on the first time during the boil... I'm not sure why I was thinking that I did

 

[jsvinth34]

And another thing, the first (pale ale attempt) that I tried, when I went to bottle it, it tasted like a super watered down light beer. This Hefe that I tasted was like what the pale ale tasted like out of the bottle (after carbonation) which I thought was strange

 

[fredthecat]

at a different location where i first started brewing, i used city water and tended to use s-05 yeast. regardless of beer type i noticed a simil taste in most of my brews that wasn't bad but sort of tasted amateurish. now i tend to doctor up the water a bit by dilution with RO water and minerals depending on what kind of beer i want and my beer has gotten more professional tasting.

just keep going and trying to improve through note taking and tasting. in time you will make great beer

 

[jsvinth34]

at a different location where i first started brewing, i used city water and tended to use s-05 yeast. regardless of beer type i noticed a simil taste in most of my brews that wasn't bad but sort of tasted amateurish. now i tend to doctor up the water a bit by dilution with RO water and minerals depending on what kind of beer i want and my beer has gotten more professional tasting.

just keep going and trying to improve through note taking and tasting. in time you will make great beer

Thanks! I'll work on it more, I mean there is still hope that it will turn out decent after bottling lol

 

[fredthecat]

like any hobby, it will take a period of time to get it down. just write down every detail and step you took, then afterward during the hard part (drinking beer) try to figure what action had what effect.

 

[MrKrinkle151]

So what yeast and type of extract did you use for each?