Beer Kinda Cidery

[justinw]

hey guys,
so i did my first brew and i done a few silly things ie. (letting temp drop too much, too much sugar in the bottles, not sterilising right, opening the brew every day to check on progress etc).
Anyway i was dying for a beer so after two days of carbination i put one in the fridge and drank it, not too bad although i will drink anything, the beer does though have a kinda cidery taste, and its very sweet, i know its not very carbonated, will this change with time?
When i botteled it, i had no beer tap thing so the beer could have splashed a little, would this affect it much?

 

[pk.sax]

2 days is nothing to carbonate!
Ok, a safety q ppl ask often here: did you measure the specific gravity to check it had fermented through before you added sugar for carbonation?? If not, it's pretty dangerous, ESP if u bottled in glass.

Ciderytastes are usually attributed to using table sugar with your kit.

Ps: the sweet taste might just. Be the unfermented carbonation sugar if you DID ferment properly, otherwise you might have bottle bombs on ur hands.

 

[fcmcg]

hey guys,
so i did my first brew and i done a few silly things ie. (letting temp drop too much, too much sugar in the bottles, not sterilising right, opening the brew every day to check on progress etc). So you know what to do next time...good..Anyway i was dying for a beer so after two days of carbination i put one in the fridge and drank it, not too bad although i will drink anything, the beer does though have a kinda cidery taste, and its very sweet, i know its not very carbonated, will this change with time? Did you take an OG and FG reading ? If its very sweet it could possibly be not finished its fermentation...did you do 3 days of refractometer readings ?When i botteled it, i had no beer tap thing so the beer could have splashed a little, would this affect it much? You do not want to splash your beer when bottling it...a little bit may be okay but alot and your increasing your chance of oxidisataion...and bad taste..

Mate ,
So you already know what you need to change next time ....
Just remember patience IS a virtue...your beer will tatste better if you leave it longer...and make sure its fully fermentetd out before you bottle it , as you could have bottle bombs...
Good luck
Ferg

 

[np1962]

Geez guys, the falla has just done his first brew and Ferg you are asking about Refractometer readings? I assume you mean hydrometer readings?
The most common reason for a cidery taste in a new brewers beer is Too High a Ferment Temp IMO rather than the use of white sugar(there are better things to use than white sugar though).
If you have followed the can instructions this is probably why it tastes this way.
Some here have been trying to point newbies to the articles and added some for new brewers with links to information to get you started on the right track.
Justin, at the top of the page, just under the Craftbrewer link, you will find a link to Articles, click this and do some reading. It may answer this and other of your questions.
Things can only improve from here and don't despair, let your brew carb up before you taste it again. Time is your friend.
Cheers
Nige

 

[fcmcg]

Geez guys, the falla has just done his first brew and Ferg you are asking about Refractometer readings? I assume you mean hydrometer readings?
The most common reason for a cidery taste in a new brewers beer is Too High a Ferment Temp IMO rather than the use of white sugar(there are better things to use than white sugar though).
If you have followed the can instructions this is probably why it tastes this way.
Some here have been trying to point newbies to the articles and added some for new brewers with links to information to get you started on the right track.
Justin, at the top of the page, just under the Craftbrewer link, you will find a link to Articles, click this and do some reading. It may answer this and other of your questions.
Things can only improve from here and don't despair, let your brew carb up before you taste it again. Time is your friend.
Cheers
Nige

Yes Nige...sorrry , i did mean hydrometer...my bad...don't hold that against me lol..been a LONG day

 

[justinw]

2 days is nothing to carbonate!
Ok, a safety q ppl ask often here: did you measure the specific gravity to check it had fermented through before you added sugar for carbonation?? If not, it's pretty dangerous, ESP if u bottled in glass.

Ciderytastes are usually attributed to using table sugar with your kit.

Ps: the sweet taste might just. Be the unfermented carbonation sugar if you DID ferment properly, otherwise you might have bottle bombs on ur hands.

yeah well i think i used a tad too much sugar, and the brew was down for like 8 days so i think it was done, and it is in plastic. And yes i did use plain white sugar, so maybe thats it.

 

[justinw]

thanks for the replys guys, i will try correct my issues next batch, its still pretty drinkable and hopefully some of that sugar will ferment.
Do you guys rekon botteling without a tap stop thing, meaning the beer may splash would hurt it?

 

[O'Henry]

Sugar is not the culprit. Did you try it when bottling? Did it have the cidery taste then? When you say cider, do you mean it tastes like apples of is it a bit harsh and alcoholic?

If green apples, then all is well. The yeast will produce the cidery taste while refermenting the sugars you have added, and over time the chemical responsible will be turned into something else. If it is still there in the finished beer, then you have some problems somewhere.

 

[pk.sax]

Post a piccie of what ur referring to (the equipment) and somebody will help. What can I say, ppl like all sorts of beer porn

Ps: my first batch was done pretty cold temps most of the time and then again, I undercarbonated it just to be safe. Head on mine disappears quickly so, but beer itself is gassy as I need. I guess, as long as ur not a badass brute to ur beer it will still turn out drinkable. Mostly. Gl mate.

 

[justinw]

[quote name='O'Henry' post='680987' date='Sep 16 2010, 06:43 PM']Sugar is not the culprit. Did you try it when bottling? Did it have the cidery taste then? When you say cider, do you mean it tastes like apples of is it a bit harsh and alcoholic?

If green apples, then all is well. The yeast will produce the cidery taste while refermenting the sugars you have added, and over time the chemical responsible will be turned into something else. If it is still there in the finished beer, then you have some problems somewhere.[/quote]

when bottling it tasted bitter as hell, not sugary or cidery like now.

 

[justinw]

Post a piccie of what ur referring to (the equipment) and somebody will help. What can I say, ppl like all sorts of beer porn

Ps: my first batch was done pretty cold temps most of the time and then again, I undercarbonated it just to be safe. Head on mine disappears quickly so, but beer itself is gassy as I need. I guess, as long as ur not a badass brute to ur beer it will still turn out drinkable. Mostly. Gl mate.

yeah well im damn sure its not done fermenting ad there isnt much bubbles, im just beer horny.
and yes i would pretty much drink green paint

 

[O'Henry]

Give it at least two weeks just for the yeast to do what it loves and then it should be back to what it was, if you did everything else well (priming, filling etc.).

 

[justinw]

[quote name='O'Henry' post='681002' date='Sep 16 2010, 07:04 PM']Give it at least two weeks just for the yeast to do what it loves and then it should be back to what it was, if you did everything else well (priming, filling etc.).[/quote]

does it matter if the beer splashed, i thought air mixed in and it made it go bad or some crap.

 

[felten]

Its not the best practice to oxygenate it post fermentation, but it shouldn't present itself as a cidery taste, staling can be more like a sherry or even cardboard taste. I'd use the little bottler when bottling in the future if you can.

It could be the yeast hadn't finished clearing up the fermentation by products, or it could be that the bottling sugar isn't fully fermented out and its tasting sweet. I would leave it for 2-3 weeks after bottling before tasting it, as said above, especially if your ambient temps are on the cool side.

 

[DangerousDave]

i had that cidery taste when i first started

changed from sucrose (SUGAR) to dextrose and it pretty much disapeared

although as stated the taste of your beer in 2 weeks will be nothing like at 2 days

 

[Lecterfan]

im just beer horny.

Love it! :icon_cheers: