Beer Faults

[Kroozy]

I have been following this forum for a while now and it has been a great help.
After doing 4 AGs (bitters, APAs) so far, I have a fault that is common to all of them.

When the beer is fresh (<3 weeks from bottling) it tastes great as the hops dominate. But as it conditions further, the hops mellow and there are a couple of flavours that start to become noticible when the beer is warm.

There is a dry astringency that lingers on the back of the palate along with tingling on the back sides of the tongue. I am thinking this is possibly water/pH related as I have made no adjustments to this as yet. Was thinking of adding 1 tsp gypsum next brew as my water has moderate alkalinity and low calcium and sulphate. Could this be tannins or other pH related problems?

Also there is a hot alcohol aroma and taste that is possibly from too high a fermentation temp. I do have difficulty keeping it below 22C in this weather without a fridge. But I use the wet towel/fan method which does help. Any other ideas what this could be?

So was wondering whether anyone else has experienced these same faults before and was able to help with what they are, and how they cured them?

 

[Uncle Fester]

Kroozy,
Where are you posting from? Others in your area may have already found answers to generic problems in your area....

If you need a quick fix for temperature, a trip to the camping section at K-Mart will get you a 100 can cooler for $20.00. Bung the fermenter in there, with a blow off tube (it is a tight fit height wise), and then half a dozen 600ml coke bottles filled with saline from the freezer, rotated day/night. Keeps my stuff at 17-18 degrees in a 24 degree room.

I'm hoping this relates to 10 degrees in the guts of winter when the ambient room temp drops to 18.


Over to those more learned than I.

M

 

[Kroozy]

Mandraker, that is a fantastic idea. Haven't seen those before but looks like it will do a great job. Will check them out next time I'm at kmart. I'm on the lookout for a cheap fridge, just waiting for one to become available at the right price.