Sooooooo....I learned something.......

[Teufelhunde]

NOT to rush it......

I'm still pretty new to all this and brewing extract kits....I have been increasingly rushing my beers due to being anxious to try them.....I had gotten down to the point of 1 week (maybe a couple days more, depending of gravity) of fermentation, 3 days of dry hop then bottling....one week in the bottles and good to go.

I did a Mosaic IPA kit from Norther Brewer....after a week in the primary, the gravity flatlined, so I dry hopped....it started fermenting again.....after it flatlined again, I bottled and after a week in the bottle, tried a couple......I was NOT happy with the taste...weird flavor that I couldn't place, still pretty flat, and a nasty aftertaste.

I left it in the bottles for another week, and OH what a difference a week makes...well carbonated, smooth, and the grapefruit of the hops coming through nicely......

I'm not a rocket surgeon, but I am trainable.....NO MORE RUSHING THE BEER.....Just like smoked meat, it's done when it's done....and not before.....

 

[grampamark]

You’re learning. Congratulations. Good things come to those who wait.

 

[Cyclman]

The key is having a pipeline of beer ready to drink, then the need to rush goes away. My recommendation is do lots of small batches, 2 1/2 gallon batches are easy. You will learn, can experiment, don’t have to buy a lot of equipment, and will develop a pipeline quickly.

 

[Yesfan]

The key is having a pipeline of beer ready to drink, then the need to rush goes away. My recommendation is do lots of small batches, 2 1/2 gallon batches are easy. You will learn, can experiment, don’t have to buy a lot of equipment, and will develop a pipeline quickly.

Straight up truth here. That and give your batches a little time. I've been brewing since 2012, and (imo) an empty pipeline is worse than it sounds. If you have beers on tap and/or bottled, then you're not in a rush to get that next batch on deck. This is where you can make the most of time.

Case in point, I brewed a stout a month and a half ago. It was the worst brew day that I can remember. I stayed the course and kegged it (10 gallons). Had I not already had a couple of other batches on tap, I'd probably dump this one after I sampled it. Seriously, after a week in the keg I just wasn't liking it. It didn't taste good. Now it's tasting great and it's already half gone. Matter of fact, I tapped the 2nd keg earlier today.

Tom Petty said it best. "The waiting is the hardest part."

 

[brewgar]

Yeez Grasshunde, you are learning.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

You learned step one: don't fuggin' rush it.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

You learned step one: don't fuggin' rush it.

I was fuggin drinking when I wrote this. Sorry if it came off as rude, but yeah, time is your friend. I learned the same way you did. I thought my first beer was trash. Turns out I was just too hasty. I've made the recipe several times over and it tastes better every time.

 

[kh54s10]

Yes you rushed things. It takes longer than a week to bottle condition. I'm not at all surprised that you didn't like those. Standard practice is minimum of 2 weeks at about 70 degrees F. 3 weeks is even better. I have almost always tried a bottle at 2 weeks. Some were carbonated, some were not. IMO, ALL of my bottled beers tasted better at 3 weeks or longer. For big beers - much longer.

 

[Teufelhunde]

I was fuggin drinking when I wrote this. Sorry if it came off as rude, but yeah, time is your friend. I learned the same way you did. I thought my first beer was trash. Turns out I was just too hasty. I've made the recipe several times over and it tastes better every time.

Not to worry....I have very thick skin.......

 

[Jag75]

My Aunt told me the same thing @grampamark said. She taught me to be patient because patience is right up there with cleaning and sanitizing. You just learn how to stagger your beer to make sure the pipeline is moving .