What Is This Aftertaste?

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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?
 
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
 
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?
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
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.
 

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