Which are the easiest beers to brew? I keep on failing with my wheat ale. I think the problem might be that I haven't adjusted the pH but it'd be nice to have a easy brew to bring my brewing confidence back up.
Which are the easiest beers to brew?
- Thread starter chazam
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
Can you post the recipe you used for your "failed" Wheat Ale?
And in what way did it fail, according to you?
What kind of water are you using?
Wheat beers are considered easy, or maybe better phrased, forgiving. So are Brown ales, basic Pale Ales, and some low to medium gravity Stouts/Porters.
And in what way did it fail, according to you?
What kind of water are you using?
Wheat beers are considered easy, or maybe better phrased, forgiving. So are Brown ales, basic Pale Ales, and some low to medium gravity Stouts/Porters.
The easiest beers to brew are those where the hopped wort comes in a plastic bag and you simply empty the bag into the fermenter and add yeast. The hardest parts of that are lifting the bag to empty it without spilling and finding the patience to let the beer fully ferment. About the only easier way to get beer is to go to the store and buy it.
I'm not advocating either method. A simple beer with extract and a single hop addition can be just about as easy and people will argue that you will get better beer.
I'm not advocating either method. A simple beer with extract and a single hop addition can be just about as easy and people will argue that you will get better beer.
The taste was tarty immediately after 10 days of co2 carbonation @6c. Also when I tried to bottle w iTap the foaming was crazy. Maybe the co2 level of 2-2,5 bars for 12h before changing it to 1,2 was too much. After mashing I remember tasting the wort and it was still good. I used tap water. I have considered buying water from a market. No idea about the pH of my tap water. I thought about getting a pH meter.
Only recently I started taking notes. Didn't realize the importance of it. I can still sort of fix things out of memory but it's better to take notes.
Malt Extract I don't remember if used on that one.
If my BU:GU and OG & FG are off for a typical witbier, can that result a bad tasting beer, of course?
Can I remove the coriander and orange peel from my next batch to see if they (or probably the latter) are a problem?
Witbier 7.3L
Original Gravity (OG): 1.057 (°P): 14.0
Final Gravity (FG): 1.014 (°P): 3.6
Alcohol (ABV): 5.60 %
Colour (SRM): 4.2 (EBC): 8.3
Bitterness (IBU): 20.3 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)
41.26% Pilsner
25.59% Wheat Malt
19.65% Torrified Wheat
8.6% Rice Hulls
4.91% Dry Malt Extract - Light
0.8 g/L Mandarina Bavaria (9.5% Alpha) @ 90 Minutes (Boil)
1.0 g/L Coriander Seed @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
2.0 g/L Orange Peel Whirlpool (when wort temp. drops to 65C)
Single step Infusion at 65°C for 90 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes
Fermented at 22°C with Fermentis Safbrew WB-06
5d cold crash @ 6c
I don't want to only use these extracts. I consider it cheating.
jerrylotto
Well-Known Member
It also has an awful lot to do with the equipment that you own and the process you use. The "ease" of maintaining temperature controls through all stages of your process,, cleanliness and sterilization, and precisely measuring weights volumes, pH, specific gravities and pressures will vary all over the map depending on the size of your batch and the process you use.
Keep good notes and vary things one at a time. Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgment.
Keep good notes and vary things one at a time. Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgment.
My (biab) wheat beer recipe is super easy and delicious.
59% white wheat malt
37% 2-row
4% carapils
centennial at 60mins
hallertau mittlefruh at flameout
lutra kveik
59% white wheat malt
37% 2-row
4% carapils
centennial at 60mins
hallertau mittlefruh at flameout
lutra kveik
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
Those seem quite high, but I highly doubt they'd be responsible for (overly) tart beer.
For reference, I use 7 gr of each in a 5.5 gallon (25 liter) batch.
That's .28 g per liter.
Those are dried, bitter orange peel bought from the LHBS. The (large) chunks have been chopped up into small bits, around 2 mm in diameter.
The coriander seeds are coarsely cracked.
These are added 10-5 minutes before FO.
Yeast/fermentation will lower the pH.
2 bar = 29 psi! That's quite high, but probably OK for 12 hours of burst carbing without agitation/rolling/shaking.
[Added]
It could well be over-carbonated, which does add some tartness.
If your dispensing lines are long enough to provide the correct resistance at your dispensing pressure and temperature, it should hold on to the carbonation, and not be overly foamy.
Proper hose length - Mike Soltys
If it spurts out very fast, your dispensing pressure is too high. You got to lower it and release the over-pressure in the keg too, so it matches the regulator's.
You'll get a feel for how much to release by the character of the "pssst" sound.
If your beer did get over-carbonated, it will take a few days by letting off the extra pressure a few times a day until it all equalizes again.
I've successfully dispensed from over-carbed kegs by letting off the extra pressure and dispense at relatively low pressure, such as 5-6 psi, instead of 10-12.
When doing that one needs to vent the headspace regularly, as CO2 coming out of solution settles in the headspace, building up pressure slowly to form a new equilibrium.
pH itself is insignificant, even useless. What's relevant is the mineral content, especially buffering capacity (bi-carbonates) that resist change of pH.
Call your water company for the mineral content of your daily water, especially the minerals (ions) we brewers are interested in. They have the data.
Also ask them how much it fluctuates, week to week, month to month, season to season.
If your tap water is soft, low mineral content, and stable during all seasons there's no need to buy bottled water. Besides, some bottled water is mineralized, often with... baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate), which is exactly what we try to avoid, as it makes the water less suitable for most brewing.
Last edited:
hotbeer
Opinionated Newb
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2021
- Messages
- 3,090
- Reaction score
- 2,809
If you are asking about all grain recipes then a basic ale where all the hops are added during the boil and the only fermentable ingredient is from barley malt. And only one or two of those.
If you are asking about extract recipes then I'd have no idea what to tell you.
A better description of what the issues have been with your beer will help. Your failures are likely your procedures or a misunderstanding of how to properly do them.
If you are asking about extract recipes then I'd have no idea what to tell you.
A better description of what the issues have been with your beer will help. Your failures are likely your procedures or a misunderstanding of how to properly do them.
So you're talking about UK gallons and not US, ok. I measured my orange peel citrus sinensis measurements and a largest pieces are something like 5 x 7 mm.
I know the bars got pretty high there. A bit of a mistake there.
I try to find info on the bicarbonates.
I only found these:
7.9-8.1pH (I can find daily pH straight from the city website, typically range is 7.8-8.6)
0,4mg/l chlorine
3,4 °dH hardness
I assume any type of a pH meter would be a waste of money. Although I have to say I have seen many brewers measure their pH like the guys from Clawhammer Supply. I think they measure after 5-20 minutes of a boil.
You mean one or two of the different types of barley malt?
Last edited:
Again, pH is not that useful without knowing the mineral content.
Now that^ is a good entry point, yes!
There are formulas to convert that to actual (or predicted) mineral content.
If using tap water for brewing, you need to dechlorinate it before use.
The easiest is with "Campden" (K-Meta-MetaBisulfite or Na-MetaBisulfite).
A small amount suffices, 1/4 tsp of the powder will dechlorinate 20 US gallons. That's 1/16 tsp (!) per 5 US gallon (
Using a bit more (say double or even 4x as much) does no harm. It's still a very small amount. Works virtually instantly, once dissolved and mixed into the water.
Also comes in tablets, which contain binders and stabilizers, and are hard to crush and dissolve.
Use the powder, Luke!
Last edited:
I know, I just listed everything just in case it can be used as a support data of another data or for anything.
I'm going to dig around the internet a little bit and probably get back to this thread. Youtubers at Clawhammer Supply (they didn't pay me to promote lol, I just follow the guys) used those Campden tablets.
So every brewer has different ideas as to how much to use.
All can be "right", as it is just a preference.
I use one ounce of each per five gallons in a saison and two ounces of each in a wit.
It is ground fine as powder in a spice mill and added with about five minutes left in the boil.
I also prefer to use sweet orange peel that is from Mandarin oranges that has been dried.
Okay, so 36-47mg/l is the bicarbonate value and bicarbonate hardness is 1,8-2,2°dH. There were two options where my water came so the range is thus the range in mg/l can be 5mgs less or 0,3°dH less from the max. I need to find this one chemist to get a tiny bit more accurate.
"Carbonate is considered the most important ion for all grain brewing. Carbonate (or bicarbonate), expressed as “total alkalinity” on many water reports, is the ion that determines the acidity of the mash. It also is the primary determinant in the level of “temporary hardness” of the water. If carbonate levels are too low, the mash will be too acidic, especially when using darker malts (which have higher acidity). If carbonate is too high, mash efficiency will suffer. Recommended levels are 25-50 mg/l for pale beers and 100-300 mg/l for darker beers. Note that bicarbonates and temporary hardness can be reduced by pre-boiling the water – the precipitate that falls out after boiling is primarily bicarbonate."
https://www.cityofeagan.com/beer-brewing-water
My bicarbonate levels seem fine with that.
"Carbonate is considered the most important ion for all grain brewing. Carbonate (or bicarbonate), expressed as “total alkalinity” on many water reports, is the ion that determines the acidity of the mash. It also is the primary determinant in the level of “temporary hardness” of the water. If carbonate levels are too low, the mash will be too acidic, especially when using darker malts (which have higher acidity). If carbonate is too high, mash efficiency will suffer. Recommended levels are 25-50 mg/l for pale beers and 100-300 mg/l for darker beers. Note that bicarbonates and temporary hardness can be reduced by pre-boiling the water – the precipitate that falls out after boiling is primarily bicarbonate."
https://www.cityofeagan.com/beer-brewing-water
My bicarbonate levels seem fine with that.
Mine are sweet as well. The taste must be great in beer with a successful brew.
Last edited:
Velnerj
Simul justus et potator
I've had bad experience with the yeast you use wb-06, the off flavor I detected is tart. I've seen this pop up in other threads too so I'm not alone.
I've had better luck with Mangrove Jack's wheat yeasts (both their Belgian witbier strain and their Bavarian wheat strain).
Also us-05, to my palate, has never let me down. Very clean, very forgiving. Not suitable for wheat beer per se... But if you're just looking to brew a tasty beer, a simple pale ale with us-05 might do the trick.
I've had better luck with Mangrove Jack's wheat yeasts (both their Belgian witbier strain and their Bavarian wheat strain).
Also us-05, to my palate, has never let me down. Very clean, very forgiving. Not suitable for wheat beer per se... But if you're just looking to brew a tasty beer, a simple pale ale with us-05 might do the trick.
I have to say, as soon as I saw you'd made a wheat beer you weren't happy with, I thought "WB-06!" Nothing good to say about that yeast.
To answer your original question, then in general I find darker beers are easier to get right. This is at least partly because the roast will hide a number of flavor flaws, and the color makes some cosmetic flaws moot. I think the water is easier to get right, too.
I'd recommend an American Stout with a healthy dose of hops (all added in the boil! try Chinook or something.) and dry yeast (probably US-05 or Nottingham; both are very forgiving.)
To answer your original question, then in general I find darker beers are easier to get right. This is at least partly because the roast will hide a number of flavor flaws, and the color makes some cosmetic flaws moot. I think the water is easier to get right, too.
I'd recommend an American Stout with a healthy dose of hops (all added in the boil! try Chinook or something.) and dry yeast (probably US-05 or Nottingham; both are very forgiving.)
Depends on what you mean by "easy."
I agree darker porters and stouts are "easier" to produce good tasting beer because the dark malts hide a lot.
I also think SMASH (single malt & single hops) recipes are "easy" in that there are minimal ingredients and it's "easier" to taste the impact each ingredient and change in your process. (And they can taste great if the rest of your process is sound).
As for the above beer, I suspect it's a combination of WB-06 and fermenting a little too warm. If you will be fermenting at 22C, I suggest using a saison or kveik yeast. [I made a SMASH beer with 10 lbs pilsner, 2 oz Saaz, and WY3724 saison yeast, and it turned out great].
I agree darker porters and stouts are "easier" to produce good tasting beer because the dark malts hide a lot.
I also think SMASH (single malt & single hops) recipes are "easy" in that there are minimal ingredients and it's "easier" to taste the impact each ingredient and change in your process. (And they can taste great if the rest of your process is sound).
As for the above beer, I suspect it's a combination of WB-06 and fermenting a little too warm. If you will be fermenting at 22C, I suggest using a saison or kveik yeast. [I made a SMASH beer with 10 lbs pilsner, 2 oz Saaz, and WY3724 saison yeast, and it turned out great].
Last edited:
Okay, so might be the yeast. I had a yeast package in my fridge, of which half I had used to my previous brew. I now have three packages of Mangrove Jacks M20 at the fridge unopened.
Wow, people really dislike that yeast.
I did actually do a stout or porter once and was successful with everything else other than CO2. Now I just force carbonate.
Single step fusion would be easy and actually without any orange peels would be too, since I understood they can become bitter somewhere >75c. Hops and high FG drinks logically would be good at avoiding bacteria during fermentation, so that too. Of course I take care of the hygiene as well as possible at home environment. The temperatures I can do are 6c and 22c. Lagers would be difficult if they require more than 6c and two-step fermentation.
I don't want to be impossible so lets just say everything works, but yeah noting the things above does help.
At 22 C you’re ideal for hefeweizen and Belgians. I really like Lallemand Abbaye as a dry Belgian yeast. Not crazy about Munich Classic for weizens, but 3068 is pretty well behaved for a liquid yeast (and some underpitching is even recommended, depending who you ask.)
Keeping with darker beers, you could make a dubbel or a dunkelweizen or a weizenbock, though I don’t think of those as particularly easy styles to get right. Or, at least, I’ve screwed up at least one of each of those before.
But what do you like to drink? Even if you can make a good dubbel easily, if you don’t like it …
Keeping with darker beers, you could make a dubbel or a dunkelweizen or a weizenbock, though I don’t think of those as particularly easy styles to get right. Or, at least, I’ve screwed up at least one of each of those before.
But what do you like to drink? Even if you can make a good dubbel easily, if you don’t like it …
Ah, screw it. Lallemand puts 22 as the top end of optimal for Nottingham, and if you’re looking for easy, I’d go for it. If you think you’ll like the style, my earlier recommendation for a well hopped American stout stands.
bracconiere
Jolly Alcoholic - In Remembrance 2023
well, back to easy 'good' beer...if i'm wanting something good and discouraged, i reach for the dark malt...
it's like carpentry, if you're finding your cuts aren't straight, throw a bunch of trim over them!
it's like carpentry, if you're finding your cuts aren't straight, throw a bunch of trim over them!
Last edited:
Before it was dark lagers and more IPAs. Now it has been little bit of sours, less IPAs, some NEIPAs and wheat beer is my favourite. Also I don't know what's in it, but Blanc 1664 I like a lot.
For what I've understood witbier is like a light version of something like a hefeweizen. It could have a ?fuller body?. I guess that's what it is called what I mean.
Again, pH is not that useful without knowing the mineral content.
Now that^ is a good entry point, yes!
There are formulas to convert that to actual (or predicted) mineral content.
If using tap water for brewing, you need to dechlorinate it before use.
The easiest is with "Campden" (K-Meta-MetaBisulfite or Na-MetaBisulfite).
A small amount suffices, 1/4 tsp of the powder will dechlorinate 20 US gallons. That's 1/16 tsp (!) per 5 US gallon (21 liter).
Using a bit more (say double or even 4x as much) does no harm. It's still a very small amount. Works virtually instantly, once dissolved and mixed into the water.
Also comes in tablets, which contain binders and stabilizers, and are hard to crush and dissolve.
Use the powder, Luke!
Especially since this is in the beginner forum, I want to recommend a small correction to the dosage units - 5 US gallons isn't 21L, it's 18.9L.
It is, yes. Thanks for the correction.
Light version as in color, you mean?
https://www.allagash.com/blog/what-is-wheat-beer-vs-witbier-vs-hefeweizen/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_beer
Witbier (a style of Belgian origin) includes at least 50% of "raw" wheat (flaked wheat is fine), while Hefeweizen (German origin) brewed in Bavaria uses Malted Wheat instead because of Reinheitsgebot. Hefeweizen brewed elsewhere can contain either, but the yeast has to be low flocculant for the beer to be a "Hefe." The Banana or Clove flavor/aroma is also a characteristic part of the Hefeweizen style, brought on by the yeast strain.
Either is fairly easy to brew, yes.
Well, you are high on gravity for starters. Also at the top end on color and IBUs. I actually think you are good with corriander and orange.
Mandarina Bavaria is somewhat of a new hop and many report it is supposed to lend an orange flavor, so I can see why you’d think you’d want to use it in a recipe like this. I’ve tried it a couple times and I don’t see the orange thing.
I’m not familiar with Fermentis Safbrew used in this recipe. Yeast is a huge deal for witbier though, and I might try again with lower gravity and a liquid yeast.
Mandarina Bavaria is somewhat of a new hop and many report it is supposed to lend an orange flavor, so I can see why you’d think you’d want to use it in a recipe like this. I’ve tried it a couple times and I don’t see the orange thing.
I’m not familiar with Fermentis Safbrew used in this recipe. Yeast is a huge deal for witbier though, and I might try again with lower gravity and a liquid yeast.
| Vital Statistics: | |
|---|---|
| OG: | 1.044 – 1.052 |
| IBUs: | 8 – 20 |
| FG: | 1.008 – 1.012 |
| SRM: | 2 – 4 |
| ABV: | 4.5 – 5.5% |
Last edited:
If you’re looking for orange in your hops, Lotus or (if you can get it) Bergamot bring it in spades. Boy do I like those hops.
