Please help! I can't get it right

[rookiemistakes]

So I have only been brewing for a short time. I first brewed a Mexican cerveza, which turned out alright (considering) it was Morgan's brand with more expensive dextrose from the Brew shop... I then did a coopers lager with the cheap dextrose from big w. This turned out kind of crap, with a horrible bitter after-taste that sticks in your mouth after one or two glasses (I'm sticking it out though).. I then did a Morgan's brand blonde with the same cheap dextrose from big w, which has the same taste issue but less intense.. I am yet to bottle the next brew which is a Morgan's Mexican cerveza with the cheap dextrose again... I am wondering if the quality of the dextrose is the reason for the horrible taste? Or if there is anything else I could be doing wrong? I have a heat belt on the fermenter (keeps at around 26 degrees) and I have left all the brews on for about two weeks regardless of hydrometer reading. I clean the bottles and all equipment with sodium perc and spray with starsan every time and use coopers carb drops when bottling.... What am I doing wrong?! I just want decent beer!!!! Cheers [emoji482]

 

[captain crumpet]

are you using yeast that comes with the can? Changing the yeast to something like US05 will make a world of difference.
plus fermenting at 26c is going to give you all sorts of crap flavours. it needs to be closer to 18-20c.

 

[YAPN]

I think it's unlikely that dextrose is your problem. US05 yeast may cost more but you can re-use it.
My taste buds hated kits until I started dry-hopping and steeping grains, then it all started making sense.

 

[MHB]

Agree with Captain Crumpet, personally I'm a lot less in love with US-05 than are many brewers, especially in a dry beer like Cerveza. There are plenty of good yeasts to choose from, you could try Nottingham or S-04.
Temperature is critical to flavour, the hotter (say anything over 20oC) will make more what are called Esters and other flavours like Fusel Alcohols. Every good yeast will have a recommended temperature on the pack or online, in the attached info sheet on US-05 it says 15-24oC, unless you know better the middle of the recommended range is a good place to start so 19.5oC (give or take).
One other point that really needs attention.
As soon as a beer is finished brewing (stable hydrometer reading) get it off the yeast!
Yeast sediments (falls to the bottom) when its got no food to eat, some of it will die. It will give off some very nasty flavours from a process called Autolysis (literally Self Eating) causes a bunch of different flavours (none of them good).
Naturally this happens faster hotter, so when the hydrometer says the beer is finished bottle it within a couple of days.

I know that as a new brewer you will get buried in opinions, but think it through, use quality products and if in doubt take the time to do a bit of research.
Attached are a sheet for US-05 (an old one) a snip from a guide to off flavours and a copy of the off flavour guide you can down load and use, you can search for anything you can taste (Ctrl F) try descriptive terms other than just Bitter (too many hits).
Quality ingredients, the right temperature, the right time in the fermenter, good hygiene will make good beer.
Mark

 

[Pokey]

Try starting your ferment at 18 then after a week raise the temp up slowly to 22 to help it finish off. The lower start temp should help reduce off flavours.
Last time I fermented out of a fridge I put a heat belt on with a blanket over the whole fermentor then stuck a temperature controller on the heat belt, probe needs to be under the blanket next to the fermentor.

 

[CDS01]

All I can advise other than what all other authors are saying is don’t use any cheap ingredients.
Going back to my days of doing extract I too bought the cheap Brigalow ingredients and after having only a couple of brews taste well under par I went back to the Coopers Brew enhancer and never looked back.
Remember that it is better to pay an extra 10cents per bottle brewed than throwing a whole batch.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Re temp control and good yeast. Sometimes two packets of yeast to get that healthy pitch rate. Added Ingredients can be it as well. I remember that (Brigalow) brand? I used a kilo of either dextrose or a sugar blend a couple of times and it must have been the what gave an off flavor for me since the same recipe worked fine with the Coopers brand ingredients.

 

[Thomas Wood]

I've noticed an off flavour in some of my brews, but it's only noticeable the more I have. I am hoping it's from using the yeast that comes with the tins and not something else. I have started using US05 @ 18c so will see if that makes a difference.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

The Coopers kit yeast is a good yeast. Its probably the only respectable kit yeast but there is only 7 grams of it. That's an under pitch unless your making lite beer. That can then take you into the realm of building up/culturing up with yeast starters etc. Also worth looking into re hydrating yeast, yeast starters, activating the yeast before pitching etc.
Yeast health and under pitching is probably one of the most common floors overlooked by new, and sometimes not so new home brewers and its essential for making good beer.

 

[Tex083]

Lager is a difficult style to pull off as a new home brewer. If you are after a pale subtlety hopped beer try a Kölsch. It’s a cool fermented ale that is similar to a lager.
Or you can have a google of warm fermented lager from Brulosophy and that should give you some good tips on brewing a quick lager.

My first 50 brews were all ales as they are a bit more forgiving

 

[altone]

All the above is good advice. If you want to just buy a kit and make it , stick to the pale ales.
Lagers need time and usually low temperatures, plus the cheap kit yeasts are usually not the right ones to use.

Dextrose, whether cheap or more expensive is just the same - don't sweat it.

The brew differences are more likely due to temperature or poor sanitizing (ie. infection)

Simple advice:
Clean everything more than you think it needs.
Use a good sanitizer like Starsan or Stellarsan and spray it everywhere.
Invest in ways to control your fermenting temperature.
Once you're making consistently decent beer, look at replacing the kit yeast with something better.
Next look at adding other extra bits to the kits like hops and specialty malts.

In a sentence: First make beer, then look at how to improve it.

You are on your way

edit: karnt spel