Hey guys first time poster here. For my first batch I started a nut brown ale from a kit. I boiled the specialty hops first in one gallon of water and then proceeded with boiling my extract and bittering hops. During this time I only added probably 1 gallon more of water to the wort. Once I was finished with the whole boiling process I added about 3 more gallons of fresh water added yeast and fermented for 2 weeks. Then added priming and bottled and 1 week out I just tried a bottle that had decent carbonation already and a verry good smell but there was NO flavor, it tastes like mich ultra with a bit more hops. Did I manage to water it down or does it jist need more time? Thanks
Watered down first beer
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I assume you mean that you first boiled your specialty grains (not hops). You typically don't want to let specialty grains get all the way to a boil. 170ºF tends to be the rule of thumb.
In any case, did you follow the recipe for quantities of malt and volumes of water? What was your OG and FG? What was the recipe? Need more info, señor.
In any case, did you follow the recipe for quantities of malt and volumes of water? What was your OG and FG? What was the recipe? Need more info, señor.
When making a kit beer, it's important to follow the direction on volumes (unless you know what you're doing and want to chance a change in the recipe).
A Nut Brown should NOT taste watery, even if it's young. It may taste a little bit watery, but should still have plenty of flavor.
There is just no way we can troubleshoot this without knowing how much malt and how much water was used.
Just be aware that if you only used a single can of extract, it probably will taste thin and flavorless. Very often kits will not really contain enough malt to do a proper job of replicating a style.
A Nut Brown should NOT taste watery, even if it's young. It may taste a little bit watery, but should still have plenty of flavor.
There is just no way we can troubleshoot this without knowing how much malt and how much water was used.
Just be aware that if you only used a single can of extract, it probably will taste thin and flavorless. Very often kits will not really contain enough malt to do a proper job of replicating a style.
Sorry.. to clarify: I brought what I thought was 1 gallon of water (really 1/2-2/3 gallon) to a boil and then backed off the heat and added my specialty grains to steep for about 30 minutes. I then added about 1/2 gallon more of water and added 3 lbs of dry amber malt extract and 2 lbs of a dry chocolate(i beleive) malt extract. I kept it below boiling temp as I mixed for probably 20 minutes then brought to a boil and added bittering hops and kept boiling for an hour. I then added some aromatic hops and let boil about 15 more minutes before stopping and cooling. Here is where I realized that I had not measured out the water correctly earlier in the process as I had only about a 1-1.5 gallons of wort in my fermenter. I then added clean water to fill to about 5 gallons, and pitched the yeast at about 75 degrees. My hdrometer rolled off the counter and broke during this process so no OG. So yeah, this sounds like a watery mess.
5 pounds of dme in 5 gallons of water will give you a reasonable OG, though I've never heard of "dry chocolate" malt extract so I can't guess how that will play out.
Give it another week, i had the same problem with my irish draught. I was excited to try my first brew so i popped one at 15 days and it was watered down, but it was my own fault and know why. Anywho, at day 18 it was getting better..My suggestion is wait at least 3 weeks then try it. I have a multigrain red that i just bottled on friday, not gonna touch it till week 3...Its amazing what a little time can do to a beer....
1) It tastes watery because it's not carbed.
The co2 of carbonation goes a long way to lifting flavors and aromas to our tongue and nose. It appears thin and watery because the co2 isn't there to give it the appearance of more body.
You ever pull a soda at a fast food joint that the gas wasn't working? It tastes watery too. The mix is exactly the same whether it's flat or not, but that carbonation is what gives it a fuller mouth feel.
2) It's not carbed because it's only been a week.
The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.
Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.
And just because a beer is carbed doesn't mean it still doesn't taste like a$$ and need more time for the off flavors to condition out. You have green beer.
Temp and gravity are the two factors that contribute to the time it takes to carb beer. But if a beer's not ready yet, or seems low carbed, and you added the right amount of sugar to it, then it's not stalled, it's just not time yet.
Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."
The co2 of carbonation goes a long way to lifting flavors and aromas to our tongue and nose. It appears thin and watery because the co2 isn't there to give it the appearance of more body.
You ever pull a soda at a fast food joint that the gas wasn't working? It tastes watery too. The mix is exactly the same whether it's flat or not, but that carbonation is what gives it a fuller mouth feel.
2) It's not carbed because it's only been a week.
The 3 weeks at 70 degrees, that we recommend is the minimum time it takes for average gravity beers to carbonate and condition. Higher grav beers take longer.
Stouts and porters have taken me between 6 and 8 weeks to carb up..I have a 1.090 Belgian strong that took three months to carb up.
And just because a beer is carbed doesn't mean it still doesn't taste like a$$ and need more time for the off flavors to condition out. You have green beer.
Temp and gravity are the two factors that contribute to the time it takes to carb beer. But if a beer's not ready yet, or seems low carbed, and you added the right amount of sugar to it, then it's not stalled, it's just not time yet.
Everything you need to know about carbing and conditioning, can be found here Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning. With emphasis on the word, "patience."
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