I made up an American Ale. http://www.beertools.com/html/recipe.php?view=4539 and man does it taste like crap. I just racked it to the keg.
My idea on why it tastes so bad is because the store I got the stuff at was selling home made malt extract and I figured I would try it (since they didn't have any liquid light) All I had was a little taste but wow, I hope it gets better with age.
Anyone else ever experience this?
Lesson Learned, I think.
Moderator: slothrob
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Can you describe your harsh taste? It could be the Chinook hops you used for the flavor addition. Chinook is pretty harsh and takes time to mellow (most high alpha acid hops do). You might consider using that for your bittering addition then use Cascade for flavor and aroma.
Your specialty grain addition looks pretty heavy--it could lead to a higher than normal final gravity. Astringency harshness could come from this source if you steeped them in water over 170F.
When did you brew it? It could just be too young. It'll mellow out with time. I have a 30 day rule with my ales. I don't touch them until 30 days after pitching the yeast to allow for aging. I have a lager made in mid January that at the 60 day point still had a funk to it (maybe from the yeast or a hop addition). I still can't nail it down. But at almost the 90 day point is mellowing out quite well.
Good luck with it.
v/r
Bill
Your specialty grain addition looks pretty heavy--it could lead to a higher than normal final gravity. Astringency harshness could come from this source if you steeped them in water over 170F.
When did you brew it? It could just be too young. It'll mellow out with time. I have a 30 day rule with my ales. I don't touch them until 30 days after pitching the yeast to allow for aging. I have a lager made in mid January that at the 60 day point still had a funk to it (maybe from the yeast or a hop addition). I still can't nail it down. But at almost the 90 day point is mellowing out quite well.
Good luck with it.
v/r
Bill
Age
Yeah, I thought about the chinook hops yet all the other ingredients I have used in the past with good success, except for the home made malt extract. The brew isn't very old, going on 10 days. I am going to let it set for a few months in a corny keg.
I know the grains didn't get over 160 because I was sitting there the whole time with the thermo in it.
As for the taste, its hard to pin down because I only had a little glass when racking it from the secondary to the keg.
Has anyone else ever used liquid malt extract from a store that was home made?
Basically I just needed to get it out of a fermentor so I can use it for the Mtn Brew
Andy
I know the grains didn't get over 160 because I was sitting there the whole time with the thermo in it.
As for the taste, its hard to pin down because I only had a little glass when racking it from the secondary to the keg.
Has anyone else ever used liquid malt extract from a store that was home made?
Basically I just needed to get it out of a fermentor so I can use it for the Mtn Brew
Andy