My Beer Is Really Boring... Fix?

[Swinging Beef]

I have brewed a Munich Lager and it is nearly finished in the primary but tastes really dull.
Obviously I realise it has not been lagered and not fermented, and there is nothing bad tasting about it, but it is suprisingly uninteresting straigt from the fermenter. I normally get quite excited about the taste of my brews when they approach their final gravity, but this one just left me cold.

Munich 100%
35g Tettenang for 60 minutes
20g Tettenang for 20 minutes
Wyeast Cal Lager 2112

It was meant to contain around 2% Carafa but somehow I forgot to add it in the milling.

There is nothing 'wrong' with this beer, and being a lager, I guess its meant to sit cold for a long time, but Im concerned that it is waaaaay too one dimensional.
Should I:
1. just suck it up and wait a few months in cold conditioning to see if it improves
2. chuck something else in to improve things
3. leave it be and just drink the dull beer as a lesson to poor planning
4. HTFU

 

[Sammus]

:lol I like option 4, but only because I don't know the answer to your question

 

[MVZOOM]

option 1.

 

[Bribie G]

IMHO I've never had much luck with Tettnang, I know people rave about it but it doesn't seem to be on the same bus as Hallertau etc. Maybe take 3 Hallertau Mittelfruh plugs and make a strong hop tea, and chuck that in secondary? Or even do a fairly strong steep of Caraaroma or Carared, boil the steepings for 10 mins with the Hallertau plus a bit of LDME and strain that in to the end of primary. Shock treatment :lol:

The Hallertau can taste a bit grassy at first but I found with a recent brew that I hop-tea'd that it has smoothed out nicely after a couple of weeks.

 

[fraser_john]

the 2112 might be contributing to your problem as well, not sure it produces esters that enhance the malt profile like a southern german lager strain would.

 

[Snow]

You used a fairly neutral yeast for a Munich Lager. Real German lager yeasts bring out the maltiness of the Munich malt. That said, It should still be a nice beer after lagering and carbonating. You may be surprised how much more character comes from the beer when it is carbonated. I choose option 4 then option 1

Cheers - Snow

 

[Josh]

Option 1.

Then on the next batch option 2.

Here's your baseline. Next play with your grain bill a bit. Maybe some Vienna or Pilsner malt or both to give a depth of malt flavour that you are looking for.

I'd also consider using Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager. But I'm guessing you went the Cal Lager option as you can't ferment at 8-10C?

 

[Swinging Beef]

But I'm guessing you went the Cal Lager option as you can't ferment at 8-10C?

Crekt.. not unless the snow starts to fall in Wollongong

 

[Bribie G]

Me again, on another thread Thirsty Boy suggests that the Californian yeast is about the closest he can recommend for doing a Fosters type brew. Fosters of course have a proprietory yeast and it was developed for temperature tolerance which is great for making a Carlton Draught wannabee but as other posters suggest maybe not up to the job of a German brew.

Edit: I've got a stepson at Berrima and a couple of years ago the snow nearly made it to the Gong

 

[Ross]

Swinging Beef,

It may well come good, but if it's still lacking a bit of character I'd be looking at adding some hop oil, it can transform an ordinary beer.

Cheers Ross

 

[3G]

I made a vienna and it took atleast 3 months for it to smooth out and mellow together. Enjoy it as is, use it as your session beer where you just need a few cold ones after work.

Cheers

 

[BoilerBoy]

As suggested above, I would think its the 2112 Cal lager.

I actually really like the yeast, its great in Cream ales, APA's, Steam beer and I think TDA even used it in a stout once which turned out nice, but despite its name it should IMHO be treated as an "ale yeast" with "some" lager characteristics.

I'm sure you'd be loving it with it a WY 2206 or WL 833 Bavarian yeasts strains.

Cheers,
BB

 

[raven19]

You could also split the batch and go half option 1 (baseline as per Josh's comment), half option 2...

Not sure on size of batch, or if you are kegging this or bottling though...?

 

[Swinging Beef]

Ill be bottling... its a 25 litre batch.
Im half tempted to make a rich wort up and blend it.
As I said.. there is nothing wrong with it.. hey, it may even taste good later, but it just feels dull.

 

[marlow_coates]

Lifes too short for dull beer swinging beef.

I had a bland brew that I decided would just have to sit in a keg and be drunk whenever. I wish I had done something with it in retrospect, it became a drudge to drink through, when there was much nicer beer I could have been drinking. Ended up telling people who were round that it was all I had left just to finish it off. Not a bad drop, just lifeless.

I would go with a hop tea and maybe some specialty grain. It will give it at least a bit of a kick.

Good luck

Marlow

 

[Adamt]

Compared to the Belgians, Wheats and IPAs you are currently drinking (ref: your signature), Munich Lagers are extremely boring...

 

[Swinging Beef]

Compared to the Belgians, Wheats and IPAs you are currently drinking (ref: your signature), Munich Lagers are extremely boring...

I didnt know how to ask that without sounding liek a ******... so you reckon I may well have created a beer that is very much "to style"?

Marlow... how do you suggest adding specialty grains post ferment?

 

[Adamt]

Yep, it could very well be a great Munich Lager... It's supposed to be a subtle style, and I guess "subtle" could easily be misconstrued as dull or boring for those used to big, in-your-face ales. No off flavours is great sign, there's no place for them to hide in subtle beers, and with 100% Munich there can't be no malt profile.

Lager it and put it away for summer!

Edit: This is all assuming you want it "to style"!

 

[Screwtop]

I have brewed a Munich Lager and it is nearly finished in the primary but tastes really dull.
Obviously I realise it has not been lagered and not fermented, and there is nothing bad tasting about it, but it is suprisingly uninteresting straigt from the fermenter. I normally get quite excited about the taste of my brews when they approach their final gravity, but this one just left me cold.

Munich 100%
35g Tettenang for 60 minutes
20g Tettenang for 20 minutes
Wyeast Cal Lager 2112

It was meant to contain around 2% Carafa but somehow I forgot to add it in the milling.

There is nothing 'wrong' with this beer, and being a lager, I guess its meant to sit cold for a long time, but Im concerned that it is waaaaay too one dimensional.
Should I:
1. just suck it up and wait a few months in cold conditioning to see if it improves
2. chuck something else in to improve things
3. leave it be and just drink the dull beer as a lesson to poor planning
4. HTFU

A bit early to be judging SB, this beer should be slightly sweet, and the malt flavors should dominate, maybe not what you are used to, bitterness should be low to medium around the 20IBU, that level of bitterness may seem boring to your palate. What gravity did it finish at, sometimes beers that finish a little high can seem boring until some carbonic acid is noticable after carbonation. Age/lagering will also help.

Cheers,

Screwy

 

[marlow_coates]

I thought you could do a steep in maybe 2L, 200 or 300gms of whatever you feel will help,
Then bring to boil, add a small amount of LDME (mainly to bring it in line with the OG you started with so final product is still close to the ABV you were after)

Boil your hops in this.

Add to fermenter warm, and with the small jump in temp, and new sugars, the yeast should start back up for another small ferment.

I haven't done this but can't see any holes in it. If so please point out because this is what I would do in your situation.

Also I thought you said it was close to finishing? Not finished?

Give it the extra time to ferment out the extra addition, retaste and see if it's helped.

Lager as usual and presto :icon_cheers: