Why do my AG taste like c**p

[Belter]

My brother and I started brewing a few months back. We did a few coopers kits, a wherry etc. We bought a Buffalo Boiler and all the gear. Bought Graham Wheelers book. Got a 25kg bag of Maris, etc etc. We did a Sierra Nevada Pale ale after recommendation which we used too much liquid on and so it came out a little under ABV. We then did a Wadworth 6X clone the week after which came out bang on OG and FG. Everything went great. Both beers taste like s*&t. Not like they have an infection. Just like terrible beer. Pretty bitter and lacking any real taste. Sort of like drinking the dregs from the fermentation bucket. Perhaps we haven't left them long enough to mature?

They have been in the house for two weeks and the SNPA has been in the garage for one week. The 6X is going into the garage tomorrow. Does Beer really need 4 weeks to mature?

We suffered a little chill haze (need to invest in a plate chiller). They are both drinkable but I don't like them. I wouldn't buy them. My vision was that once you went AG you'd never go back. A bit like cooking your own food. Or baking your own bread compared to off the shelf stuff.

So far I've been thinking about going back to kits. Which is a little depressing really. There must be something simple I'm doing wrong.

 

[Dunfie]

I sympathise with your issues - AG really should produce good results. You really need an experienced brewer to taste your beer to let you know what has gone wrong.

Where abouts are you? We might be able to put you in touch with one of the members who can point you in the right direction. :thumb:

 

[Belter]

I sympathise with your issues - AG really should produce good results. You really need an experienced brewer to taste your beer to let you know what has gone wrong.

Where abouts are you? We might be able to put you in touch with one of the members who can point you in the right direction. :thumb:

I don't think anyone in Cornwall uses forums. Too many thumbs it meaha the words cameoir at All wrong.

 

[klaus]

Hmmm .... did my first AG recently, the SNPA. First taste great from the barrel, matured just under a fortnight. Even compared it with the commercial stuff and must say mine's better, will be even better after four weeks and longer. The more expert AG brewers here will probably want to look at your recipes and process notes. Been doing kits for years, most came out fine.

 

[Belter]

Maybe I should leave it a few weeks longer.

 

[Good Ed]

If you would post up the recipe and process you followed people maybe able to look at any things to consider

 

[pittsy]

hi , if you can give details on how they were brewed such as mash temps and time, boil time ,amount of hops used, amount of grain , amount of liquid brewing sg and fg , fermentation temp , and yeast . If you list what you did then we may find the problem :thumb:

 

[EskiBrew]

To be honest Belter I often drink my AG brews young so you probably should not have to wait that long :wha: Consider a brewery, they cannot afford to mature standard bitter for too long, they need to ship it out the door.

It's hard to say what might be going on from what you have posted. I could say though that SNPA and 6X are pretty advanced brews for cutting your teeth on. Why not strip it back to a simple uncomplicated recipe :thumb:

We'd need to see thorough details about your brew day to comment with more confidence.
Where are you in cornwall? - there are quite a few members on the map in that are - possible one of them is an AG brewer who can have a look over your shoulder during a brew :thumb:

Keep us posted. :

 

[jonewer]

They have been in the house for two weeks and the SNPA has been in the garage for one week. The 6X is going into the garage tomorrow. Does Beer really need 4 weeks to mature?

Yes it really does, sorry.

Thats nowhere near enough maturation time. As a rough guide, 2 weeks in the fv and 4 weeks maturation. Or 1 week of maturation for every 10 points of OG up to 1.040 and longer for additional gravity. A few beer (wits) might be ready before that but most take at least that long.

Patience is certainly the hardest part of brewing.

 

[jonewer]

To be honest Belter I often drink my AG brews young so you probably should not have to wait that long

You drink your beers after only 1 week of maturation? :shock:

 

[orlando]

My vision was that once you went AG you'd never go back. A bit like cooking your own food. Or baking your own bread compared to off the shelf stuff.

Both of which also take time to practice to get right. If you swore to never get back on a bicycle after falling off the first time look what you miss out on and as for sex....... well if that analogy doesn't strike a chord I really am wasting my time.

The point of kits is to take out of the equation wort production, this is the essence of brewing and is the area of brewing that takes the most skill and like any skill has to be practiced. Any AG brewer will tell you this is a challenge but it is the part of the hobby that brings the most pleasure. If it was easy, less people would do it. To misquote JFK we choose to brew AG not because it is easy but because it is hard!

 

[Belter]

When I get five minutes I'll post up what we need. Need to keep a brew diary. Where is this map I'd be keen to get in touch with anyone local.

I'm looking forward to finishing my kegerator. The disappointing thing is not that the brew tastes poor. It's that I bothered bottling it. If I had filled a Cornie with it I could just poor it away and get on with it. Instead of convincing myself to drink 40 bottles of it.

Just need to find away to get the lid off my fridge. Think they've glued it instead of screwing it.

 

[jonewer]

Put the bottles away and forget about them until mid September/early October. Meanwhile get another brew on....

I'll bet they'll taste great!

 

[EskiBrew]

You drink your beers after only 1 week of maturation? :shock:

Well no not quite that young (although the Hefe was being drunk then ).

Where is this map I'd be keen to get in touch with anyone local.

Have a look at the top of every page - see the buttons on the left - click on the map and then add yourself - move the map around and zoom in then hover your mouse over the map pins to find out their names - send them a PM and see if they share your interests and are interested in getting together :thumb:

 

[jonewer]

You drink your beers after only 1 week of maturation? :shock:

Well no not quite that young (although the Hefe was being drunk then ).

Kind of my point though. A hefer might be good to go after a week but an SNPA clone is hoppy and 1.050ish.... I'd say a month at least.... OP is wondering why its no good after a week. Because its green!

 

[Belter]

Ok so I've been really busy and on holiday etc. I haven't had chance to check the info on how I brewed the beer etc. But... I tasted my SNPA Clone tonight at room temperature and it was very palatable.

Not the best beer I've ever tasted. A little bitter and bland but much much better than it was.

The question now is...

Is it possible that it tastes like cr*$p chilled and not at room temperature for a reason? I haven't chilled it yet and tasted it again to check but my brother gave me a ring and said "Try the SNPA at room temperature it's far nicer!"

I know Stouts are better closer to room temperature but I prefer Pale Ales chilled.

 

[RobWalker]

Yes. Ales taste better cool, not cold. They rely on esters, malty flavour etc, and that needs a good temperature to really come through. On the contrary, pub lager is served cold because the less flavour, the better basically.

 

[beffrey]

I would never bottle of keg prior to 3 weeks. Then I find a least another 3 weeks is needed for carbonations. Altogether I wouldn't touch a beer until 2 months had passed. Stronger beers longer. Hoppier beers you want to drink between 2 and 6 months so the aroma doesn't fade to dramatically.

So I think your main culprit is lack of patience.

It will also help if you post your SN recipe. You may have put your hop additions in too early if too bitter and no aroma. Do you use a wort cooler? Do you use hard water - if so, you need gypsum, CRS, epsom salts. etc etc. Need more info really.

Chill haze - don't give a fig about that. 90% of microbreweries have the same issue - it is just a cosmetic issue.



Rob, plenty of great lagers around and they are best served around 5C and on a very warm day there is nothing better.

 

[beffrey]

double post y'all

 

[Belter]

I used the recipe on The Malt Miller.
http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.ph ... at&catId=9
Mysterio from Jims Beer Kits SNPA clone.

I followed the additions exactly. When I put the hops I had into beer alchemy the IBUs seemed way off but I've since used Beer Alchemy for number of other things, calculators etc, and I can say I'll probably never use the software again. It seems to be lacking in areas other websites aren't. If I want a BIAB calc I can go to website. Or of I want strike temp calcs all the info I have can be put in on a website. Beer alchemy seems to get you running through hoops to get the answer you require. I do use it for unit conversions sometimes though.