Ashley
Regular.
Oh no!!!!! I'm sure it will come around though... i'm keeping everything crossed for you (and me) though...:thumb:
Bulldog Brews Bad Cat Imperial Red
- Thread starter Robert_
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Oh no!!!!! I'm sure it will come around though... i'm keeping everything crossed for you (and me) though...:thumb:
Cheers, me too. But I think there is something amiss with my kit. I've contacted Hambleton Bard to ask for their opinion on what I've experienced - it surely cannot be the norm.
Ashley
Regular.
Let me know what they say dude...
Dude, sorry to hear that this hasn't panned out. I actually only ever tried one Bulldog kit (Raja's Reward) and it had a nasty aftertaste that never really faded. I wasn't sure if I had just made a mistake or if the kit was defective.
Let us know what they say, bud. Plenty of beer kits in the sea!
Let us know what they say, bud. Plenty of beer kits in the sea!
Ashley
Regular.
It's also a new kit to the market so they are clearly concerned that if one kit is wrong... HOW MANY OF THE REST ARE WONG!?!?!
Yes I got that impression lol. We were narrowing down on the phone and the wort smelt nice, it was bad pre-hops, so most likely the yeast is to blame was what I gathered from the chap's musings. Time will tell. I'm going to bin the vessel anyway, as it smells bloody awful.
Noah
Amateur Beer Taster
I can't say I'm impressed by the three Bulldog kits I've brewed, they've all had that unpleasant artificial flavouring taste. The Easter Stout tastes like cheap cooking chocolate and the Evil Dog like Limoncello.
I had the Evil Dog last night after leaving it for 4 months and it hasn't improved much. I'd be interested in what HB's lab analysis shows.
I had the Evil Dog last night after leaving it for 4 months and it hasn't improved much. I'd be interested in what HB's lab analysis shows.
I've been really pleased with Bulldog so far. My Evil Dogs are fruity and hoppy and pretty darn potent. I'll update once there's something more to add.
Ashley
Regular.
I will be VERY interested to hear the lab report!!!
LordVauban
Active Member
So sorry to hear this - not least as I'm currently brewing a "Bad Cat" too. I recognise the smell you describe, which I would have characterised as "off-yeasty" - but smelly feet does the job better!
Im only on day 3, but it's been slower to ferment than any other kits I've done (including Bulldogs'). It seems to be labouring quite a bit! (Ambient temps are normal.) I wonder if that's related?
A shame if there's a problem - I was really looking forward to this one. Please do keep us posted - as will I.
Ha I was going for something that was easy to relate to. I've never experienced this smell before. Of your brews that have exhibited off-yeasty odours previously, did any recover? My brew had an aquarium heater set to 24 degrees as per my usual routine so temperature should not have played a part in whatever went wrong. The sample goes off this afternoon so I will keep all abreast of progress.
PS they've just launched a Yule Brew which looks rather interesting. :)
LordVauban
Active Member
I've never experienced this smell before. Every other kit - regardless - has generated very similar flavours, especially early on (I would describe them unimaginatively as "beery"!). I've had the usual homebrew twang, which I think is due to over-warm conditions when fermenting, but even then the problem wasn't so much in the aroma.
This kit has been definitely unusual in the aromas department. But I can also report that the smell is changing a bit. Still not conventionally beery - smells quite tart and light, and less yeasty - but perhaps it's beginning to get there. And the brew is still bubbling along at a fairly steady rate. So all may not yet be lost ...
LordVauban
Active Member
Thanks for that hat tip! Not sure about cinnamon and ginger though.
When I lived in the States, my US colleagues seemed to have cinnamon in everything around the autumn - sorry, Fall - time. Even Sam Adams did a cinnamon pumpkin beer!
I think anyone starting this brew now might be pushing it to get it properly ready for Xmas ...
This was my fear also; I've had flavours change and subside - but not such prominent aromas. Still, it's moot for myself now as mine is down the toilet. Like yourself I convinced myself that the smell was changing and settling - but the reality after 2+ weeks was still an unpleasant one.
What was the pumpkin ale like? I noticed some in Aldi recently - 99p a bottle! But a timid 3-something %. Random question, but what's the username all about?
LordVauban
Active Member
I quite liked the pumpkin ale - though I recall it being more cinnamon than pumpkin (ubiquitous at this time of year, as I said!). It's a bit sweet, but that's also the style. I recall it being much stronger than 3% - certainly over 5%.
I really enjoyed my time in the US for beer. Despite its (not undeserved) reputation for rubbish lager, it was great to have access to so many great microbreweries - we had the "Flying Dog" brewery and "Heavy Seas" breweries just up the road (both beers are well worth sampling - I occasionally see FD over here). My only regret is that a US pint kinda short-changes a Brit ...
Vauban is just an affectation. But when I was studying for a Masters in Military History many moons ago, I first came across this French engineer who was quite ingenious in constructing the most amazing fortifications on the basis of the latest enlightenment science. Very few people have heard of him. But I don't know if he liked beer.
Ha! I've just spent the last 2 hours reading up on him. That was a phenomenal distraction from studying.
I didn't realise the American's made a decent pint. Although my mate tried this recently http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/brooklyn-monster-ale/538/ and was quite impressed. I was quite intrigued; until it occurred to me that I can brew ten pints for the cost of one 330ml bottle.
LordVauban
Active Member
I hesitate to write this but ... I do think the smell is improving. Like Robert's, the yeast is still high in the vat six days in, but I am at least starting to smell beer. I wonder what yeast they're using for this kit: I've never seen so much thick foam for so long.
The yeast is something that they champion in the blurb. American west coast something or other IIRC. I hope you are correct in your smelling, and not to challenge your olfactory nous, but that's precisely what I kept convincing myself of. Time will tell anyway. How long are you keeping it in primary? Thanks to the courier not showing up on Monday the sample is only going back to bulldog today.
LordVauban
Active Member
Today is day seven of the brew - and it is still bubbling strongly. Aroma has definitely improved - citrus/beery notes definitely coming through, the yeasty smell has subsided, and there's quite a strong alcohol aroma to it too. I'll wait until it the action has stopped completely and the gravity has stabilised, then add the hops for a couple of days and crash cool. So realistically it's got a least a week to go before I transfer to the bottling bucket, I reckon.
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