Tasted my first Home Brew

[JBooze]

Well, I used a Munton's kit to try out beer brewing to see if I'm gonna like it. I'm really enjoying the cider thing, and hope to get into Beer. I let it sit for two weeks in the fermenter (the instructions said 1 week), and then bottled. They have been in the bottles for 3 weeks now. I have tried one after each week. So far, it is not good. There is a very strange off-taste that I do not like. I assume they will get better with age, but I'm curious how long I should let them age?

I used 2.2lbs of DME with the 6 gallons of beer. It fermented between 65-75 degrees, mostly around 72. From what I've heard, the higher temps could be what caused this flavor. Otherwise, it looks good and is carbed good, I guess I'll just wait it out.

 

[ChshreCat]

Your beer is very green still. Give it another month or more and see what you think.

 

[Scotty_g]

I'd give the beer a while longer before you pass judgement. 72 F is probably not too warm, assuming you used an ale yeast rather than a lager yeast. I'm not sure what's in that kit (I assume there's a can of liquid malt extract to which you added 1 kg of DME?) so it's hard to say. Can you give us more info on your ingredients and procedure?

How does it taste--funky, sour, rotten, mediciney or plasticy? Did you see anything wrong in the fermenter? Is there stuff in the bottles other than yeast sediment on the bottom?

 

[Revvy]

giving it another couple weeks in the bottle and I bet you will not even notice the "off taste."

It's more than likely still a little green...just because a beer is fizzy, doesn't mean it's done, it could still taste like a$$ for a while longer.

Beer has a tendency to improve with age...there's some stories about that here..

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ne...virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

 

[Yooper]

What was the recipe? You said you used 2.2 pounds of DME. What were the other ingredients? I'm not familiar with Munton's kits, so I'm not sure if it's the kit itself, or a technique. Letting us know the ingredients will help us figure it out.

 

[Fishdeep]

Some recent experience from a n00b....

my first 2 batches were Muntons kits.
A can of LME add Some DME and dump in the dried Muntons yeast. They had an "off" taste I couldnt put my finger on. Just tried a bottle from my third batch (kit from Northern Brewer) and it doesnt have that taste.....

I almost think it's the Muntons yeast or something...

 

[JBooze]

It's just their all-in-one kit, with the hopped liquid extract and yeast. They say to use sugar, but I used Light DME instead. Funny thing is, I bought a sixer of SouthHampton Double White Beer tonight and it has that same "off taste", though not nearly as strong as mine. I don't care for the taste. It kind of tastes like a tree leaf, if that makes any sense. It says it is brewed with Coriander, orange, and lemon peel. Mine is just a light beer kit, so I doubt it would have any of those things.

 

[treemind]

+1 with Fishdeep...

I am three batches in now, my first was a kit with muntons dry yeast and still is 6 weeks in taste like ass. Its a better ass then it was a few weeks ago, but nothing great yet, Just bitter and off tasting.

However, I have an IPA only two weeks in bottles made with Wyeast 1056 and I tasted it today and it is amazing... granted it is still very green, but miles above the muntons crap already.

I also have an amber in my first corney keg force carbed about a week or so and it is also at this stage way better tasting then the Muntons dry yeast batch. It also needs to age but has such a good taste in comparison.

I can't wait to age the two that used internet recipes with Wyeast smack packs... the smack packs are rad! As a noob i totally suggest searching this site for recipes and using the liquid Wyeast!

 

[Scotty_g]

I've recently started making more brews with different dry yeasts (times are tough, money's tight, and since I've been making recipes up I don't need to worry about matching a commercial brew) and have been very pleased. In the last couple years it seems like there are more and more dry yeasts available, and some are direct replacements for the liquid yeasts at 1/3 to 1/2 the cost.

For a beer that doesn't need a starter and doesn't need a super-special yeast (a saison or lambic or something like that), there's probably a dry yeast that will work.

That said, I am also really suspicious of the "Munton's" yeast some kits come with. The one I have rotting in the fridge was sold with a Tripel kit; I used some spare Wyeast Belgian Strong instead. That's another case where the right yeast is much better to use.

 

[ifishsum]

72* can give you off flavors, I like 65 a lot better for cleaner tasting brews. You describe "leafy" which could certainly just be green beer, forget about if for 2 more weeks then see how you feel about it.