What Is This Aftertaste?

[Brent_in_Sydney]

Hi all,

I've just cracked a barely crawling, 10 day old bottle of homebrew, the bottle passed the squeeze test and cracked nicely, poured with great head great carbonation.
Thing is, it's got this aftertaste: like a cheap ("great minchinbury", "hangover in a bottle" cheap) dry champagne, a winey, dry aftertaste.

I know its not ripe yet, its a big ale and probably needs min 4 weeks bottle conditioning, but its my 3rd brew and I was curious!!

Also - I took it from 20 degree pantry temp into the freezer on its side for half an hour to chill it then poured it. It hasnt had 2-3 days in the fridge or anything.
I can't see any yeasties floating around, but whatever was in the bottom of the bottle would have been shaken into the brew by lying it down.

What am I tasting? Is it the yeast byproducts that I read about that need to be seperated out by conditioning? Or something else? Any ideas?


recipe was: (LCPA clone)
TCS Pilsner
1Kg Extra light Liquid ME
500 dextrose
250 maltodextrin
250 Dried malt extract
dry hopped 15gm amarillo and 15gm cascade
US-05 yeast
22L batch, OG 1.055, FG 1.014

3 weeks in the fermenter sitting around 18, (16 middle of the night, 19 late in the day)
bottled and carbed with coopers drops

I guess Im trying to figure out if it just needs a few days in the fridge to prepare for drinking now, or a few more weeks of bottle conditioning? Thoughts?

 

[crd0902]

I say give it a lot longer to condition, at least a few more weeks and let the sediment set in the bottom, don't shake it and should be in the fridge for like 3-4 days before drinking. It'll come good

 

[Brent_in_Sydney]

Yup - all of that's usual practice, this was just a "research peek" to see how it was coming along.

Anyone got an idea on what that after taste might be?

 

[warra48]

You are probably tasting yeast residue and other stuff which should clear and drop out in the bottle. Give it some time to mature, I'm sure it will improve.

 

[cam89brewer]

I think with a recipe like that you would have to expect a reasonable level of dryness how ever long you leave it, but if their is an off taste as said before time is the only answer with these things.

 

[yum beer]

Coopers kits need at least 3 months in the bottle before they get anywhere near their best.

Agree with warra regards yeast taste, leave your bottles upright,

yes leave in the fridge longer before drinking, I like to leave beers in the fridge at least a week, 3 weeks even better.


NO beer you make from a kit is worth a pinch of shit after 10 days, show some patience and wait, its worth it in the end.

 

[Brent_in_Sydney]

Hi guys,
Thanks for all the "let it alone, be patient" comments - I understand and have a rolling 3 week cycle working, 3 weeks in the fermenter, 3 weeks in the bottle minimum before drinking, sometimes up to 5 weeks before drinking.

This was an experiment to get more experience and develop my tasting abilities, so really just looking for info on what I might be tasting, rather than "process/method" feedback.

So any other ideas on what the taste might be? I just found this post which is an interesting read:
http://morebeer.com/content/homebrew-off-flavors
"Astringency" is what seems closest to what I'm tasting - a dryness, grape-skin related - to do with polyphenols and tannins. Perhaps over-hopped? Or the hop flavours have been stirred up by tipping the bottle

 

[Anofre]

Astringency is more like that last sip of a black tea that went cold for me. Not likely to be encountered in kit brewing without big dark grain additions.
Taste is such a subjective thing. If it didn't taste as 'awesome' as the last similar recepie beer of same age, it could be you are picking up a taint in your system. They can creep up & inhabit fermenters passing on a similar taste to each without any other infection symptoms. New fermenter cheap solution.

Also it could be your perception of the yeast taste. I don't like us-05 active & fresh. Lucky it settles quick & clean. Windsor on the other hand tastes & smells appealing to me at all stages.