Sweet Beer?

[johnno]

Hi all

Last sunday i bottled a Coopers dark ale. I was reading this book and the advice I got was to boil everything for 10 mins or so. Well i used a brewiser ultra brew pack and boiled all. Then i bulk primed after fermentation.
The last bottle I filled only went to 3/4 full. Last night i decided to have a taste. Well as soon as i had a sniff it smelt sweet. Then when I tasted it, it tasted like a cross between really sweet sherry and port. Has anyone come across this before? Is this something associated with dark beers?
I tried another bottle this morn and it wasn't as sweet so i dont think that taste has gone thru the whole brew.

All feedback appreciated.

 

[deebee]

It's probably still sweet from the priming sugar. It hasn't yet fermented out to produce full carbonation. Takes about two weeks at mild room temperatures, can be longer in winter.

If you have tasted the bottle that was only 3/4 full the sherry taste may be associated with oxidised beer. The large surface area of the beer and the relatively large amount of oxygen in the headspace of the bottle may have oxidised the beer especially if the bottle was shaken or moved around much - oxygen has chemically bound to compounds in the beer, as opposed to simply dissolving into the water. I understood that these tastes took at least several weeks to develop, but they are described as being like sherry or wet cardboard. The bottles that you filled up shouldn't have this problem.

The hardest thing in brewing is leaving your bottles for long enough but if you can manage it, it's probably best to just let your beer sit a month or two before tasting again. Dark ales will be best at about 6 months.

 

[johnno]

Thanks for the info deebee. I will try and be patient and wait a couple of months at least.

I think some one here also mentioned that if u pitch the yeast at too high a temp it can also cause a fruity flavour in your beer.
Well I'm pretty sure the temp was too high when i pitched it. I will keep a closer eye on it next time.

 

[jayse]

johnno

its actually good to pitch at a higher temp 25c-28c.then slowly bring it down to 20c after a few hours or when you notice airlock activity.also make sure you get as much air into the wort as possible.i shake the living hell out of it but you can just violently add the cold water.
and with the hopped concentrate cans you shouldn't boil them.boiling you would usually do with a non hopped extract can when your adding your own hops.or a hopped can if your adding your own hops also.

hope this helps a bit.

 

[johnno]

jayse,
I did add some hops at the end. Bewiser ones. I seeped them in boiled water for 10 mins then put that in the wort.
I was concerned about the sweetness in that particular bottle I tried but I dont think there is anything wrong with the brew so far. I suppose I'll just have to learn as I go along. Hopefully this brew will turn out ok.

 

[jayse]

johnno
boil them in the extract you boil.what hops?

 

[johnno]

jayse,
the hops were Brewiser CL80 I think or something like that.
Coz i've just started i'm getting all my ingredients from supermarkets and department stores.

 

[Jazman]

johnno go to a good hbs shop not brewcraft and get your stuff from them you will get good advice and good ingredants .and get fresh hops that are refrigarated amd use malt and not sugar it makes a difference so if your in melbourne go to grain and grape

 

[deebee]

CL80 is a blend, I think. I have used it in dark ales and it's pretty good, but I am not a fan of those teabags. Don't reckon there's much flow through.

 

[jayse]

i agree don't use those cl80.they are a blend of god nows what hops.
you want to know what your putting in there so you know what your tasting for future reference etc.iam not saying the cl80 are no good.i have used them when i was doing kits.iv'e brought two brewiser fermentor kits.which came with them..
for your dark ales try goldings.or for anything else use cascade or hallertau for a more graceful noble spicy and floral brew.
also i agree about getting on to a h.b.s. for your hops. not the brewcraft stores.but one which has fresh ingriedients.and the abilty to sell them cheaply.
also you could get yourself some light crystal malt(200g) to go in the boil for ten minutes then strain the grain out with a collander.the grain will cost about $5 a kilo.that'll do 5 brews.you can use that much light crystal in any beer.

just a few tips.
and never forget to airate the leaving hell out of the wort.once the leaving hell has been giving to it do it again.dried yeast is better at fermenting with less air but its a good pratice to get into going mad with air.

 

[johnno]

Hey everyone,
Thanks for all the advice.
I am still a beginner (May 03) at this and I dont mind experimenting at this stage with whatever I can get in kits and from the shelf of supermarkets or department stores.
This dark ale is only my third beer. My first was a lager that came with the kit I purchased. That was at least drinkable even though I did drink it too soon. Second was a real ale which only has a few bottles left. Very nice...for me anyway. All have been coopers. Got the 2 ales for 2$ in safeway on special.
Ive also made 2 ginger and 1 cider brew so far as well.
I will probably move on to more complicated brewing in the future but for the moment I'm just doing what I'm doing.

I researched extensivley before I started and still do and I find advice on these sort of sites really good. There is an excellent variety of people who have brewed for ages between them. I am also currently reading 2 books on the subjest as well. Charlie Papazian's (USA) The home Brewers Companionand Laurie Strachan's (OZ) The Complete guide to hombrewing in Australia as well as John Palmers How to brew on the net.

Ive been to 2 homebrew shops (yes brewcraft) just to look around and see what is available and to pick up minor but neded stuff for brewing eg Thermometers, bungs etc
I know where grain and grape is and I will go there when I get a chance.

This can be an expensive hobby so I'll build it up as I go along. I'm sourcing materials from wherever I can as cheaply as possible.
I already ahve 3 fermenters and heaps of grolsch bottles (I find them easier)
When and if I get into grain I will look into it then.
Yes I will be posting part of this on the Melb Brewers thread.
I'm going to put on a coles home brand this weekend to see how that turns out.
Hey, to me its still a novelty that you can actualy make pretty nice tasting beer at home fom a can and a kilo of sugar. And I do know that with a bit more effort you can make excellent beer at home.

Cheers to everyone

 

[Whistlingjack]

I like your style, johnno.

I came upon this thread while searching for dark ale hints.

Can you remember that brew? Did it turn out well?

My first brew was a Munich Dark lager, partial mash. Its the only one I can remember well enough to say it was excellent! I made pilsners after that, but not as memorable.

Gonna try to convert a Coopers Dark ale kit into something better than a kit and a kilo.

 

[johnno]

Hi Whistlingjack and welcome to the site.

From memory that Coopers dark ale did not turn out the best . I got a lot of gushers and a lot of sherry/port like flavours like I mentioned in the original posting.

Probably from fermenting at too high a temperature.

If I was going to make it today I would use a kilo of dry malt extract with a bit of brown sugar and maybe some dextrose in there.

Even though I do AG these days I am still reading and learning when I can.

Love the craftbrew hobby.

Pity the lovers of megaswill.

cheers
johnno

 

[Foz]

What a change Johnno from your very first few batches to where you are today (AG)! It must be good to go back and read threads like this to see how far you have progressed!

 

[johnno]

Hi Foz and welcome to AHB.

Yes it is a change. It just depends where you want to go.

I think you will find most people start with a brewing kit or similar and progress from there.


You can make great beer with kits and bits but I would not know as I went to partials and then AG within about a year.

The thing for me was when I tried my first AG beer. It just tasted so much fresher than any of the kits I had made and I immediately knew thats what I wanted to do.

Whatever level you take it to I'm sure you will enjoy it and make some great beers.

cheers
johnno