Back from holiday and brewing again

[oldjiver]

Came back to holiday home after 2 months holiday abroad this week. (lifes hard). Yesterday was the first chance I had to get the boiler out. Nice calm day so I did the brew on the decking. Didn't try anything different just the usual bitter, lightly hopped and malty. 20 litres
4kg MO
200gms crystal
20 gms EKG for 90 minutes
20gms Fuggles last 30 minutes
10gms Fuggles to be dry hopped.
Youngs Ale yeast
Brew went quite straight forward. I usually leave it to cool in the FV, but this time I drew off 10 litres at a time into my 11litre stock pot and cooled it in the sink. Doesn't tale much water or time that way.
SG. 1048.
The beer I had left from November is drinking well!

 

[oldjiver]

Worst beer I have ever made?? Fermentation stopped at 1020? so the alcohol content aint great. Hardly any hop or malt flavour. Strangely no body either??? (what is the 1020?). Early days, but in my experience good beer gets better, bad beer gets worse. I'll stick it away for a month and hope. :wha:

 

[supersteve]

I'm fairly new to this but could it have been bad yeast?

 

[graysalchemy]

Did you not try rousing the yeast Oldjiver sounds like a classic stuck ferment. :thumb:

 

[tim_n]

I remember in how to brew of gusher infections that eat the carbohydrates and leave with no flavour or body.

But I assume your airlock wasn't going crazy...

 

[oldjiver]

Did you not try rousing the yeast Oldjiver sounds like a classic stuck ferment. :thumb:

Yes did everything as normal? I have had this problem with Youngs yeast before. But only the high FG not the lack of flavour, body etc. The actual brewday went fine, I dont have bad brews (famous last words) I am retired so I have lots of time to get it right. I can only think of one possible cause. I have been on holiday in the Med for all of Jan/Feb and my Maris Otter has been in the shed in an airtight bucket all that time. (about 10kg) uncrushed. Maybe the low temps screwed the grain up?

(P.S. never heard of "Gusher" infections?)

 

[pittsy]

I was also thinking maybe your grain is old or something like that but also you under pitched yeast . Do you hydrate your dried yeast first , if not you could be losing up to 50% of the viable yeast .
Hope this batch turns out well for you .

 

[oldjiver]

I was also thinking maybe your grain is old or something like that but also you under pitched yeast . Do you hydrate your dried yeast first , if not you could be losing up to 50% of the viable yeast .
Hope this batch turns out well for you .

This was the first time I have bought (from the malt miller) a 25kg bag of uncrushed MO. I have a problem finding somewhere to keep it. I have been in touch with Rob (the miller) and he can pack grain in any size up to 5kgs. So I think I will limit how much I buy at a time in future.
Regarding yeast, I sometimes hydrate, sometimes not. It doesn't seem to make any difference normally.

 

[pittsy]

maybe the beer got skunked , sat in the sun ? I've read it can only take 20 mins . To be honest your grain should be fine for at least 6 months and more like 12 months if kept out the sun and dry . Mystery .

 

[oldjiver]

Well its only about the second bad one in nearly 40 years of brewing. (the other one was just vastly over hopped with hallertauer) Sods law says its got to happen sometime.