HOMEBREW TASTES

[STEVEMO1]

hello all im a little new to hb game and have made three brews from kit john bull and 2 coopers real ale and lager problem is i kind of get the same kind of hb taste in them all not like a beer from the pub or from a bottle of real ale for eg.
i have used normal suger to brew all of these kits with and each have turned out clear and pleasant to drink though i drink them after 2 weeks in the bottle so i suppose my question is should i leave them longer or can anyone give me any tips on how to improve the hb any help would be appreciated

 

[baggyray]

If finances allow,I would always go for two can kits.I myself think that Woodfordes kits take some beating,they definately don't taste like "homebrew".
Also,two weeks in a bottle before drinking won't help,I know we all get impatient ,but an extra 3 or 4 weeks WILL make a big difference :thumb:

 

[The Goatreich]

I always suffered with homebrew tastes when brewing from kits apart from the Woodeford's Wherry kit. I used combinations of brewer's sugar and malt extracts in all of them, and they still came out a bit green tasting.

However I have nearly finished my last batch of Cooper's Mexican Cerveza which was brewed around 6 months ago, and only now has the homebrew taste started to dissipate. It's actually really quite palatable now, typical as there's only 4 left.

Not a hint of the homebrew tang from my all grain brewing though :)

 

[carl_saint]

Agreed with the two previous. I've done the Wherry, admirals reserve and Nelsons revenge and all have been excellent! Woodfordes are definitely the best kits!

 

[jonnymorris]

I know exactly what you mean. My early brews suffered from The Homebrew Taste which, in my case, could be best described as 'yeasty'.

Off the top of my head I can think of three things (which you may well be well aware of)...

1. Fermentation temperature. This is fairly critical, esp. in the early stages. Too warm and you'll introduce off favours that others more experienced than me might elaborate on. For an ale you want to be aiming for about 18degC.

2. Patience. Despite what the kit might say, leave it to ferment for a couple of weeks. I leave mine for a further week at a lower temp to clear before bottling.

3. Oxygen. Once fermented be aware that oxygen is not your friend. I used to splash mine all over the shop when barrelling which no doubt didn't help.

Finally, 2 weeks may be a little early to sample. Try and resist for 3-4 weeks.

As said, I may be teaching you to suck eggs but the three points above helped me improve my brews no end.

Hope this helps.

 

[theboytony]

Seem to remember it being called the homebrew twang or tht, I'm sure someone once posted that its something to do with the way kits are made and generally with the cheaper kits there's not a lot you can do about it

 

[pittsy]

Seem to remember it being called the homebrew twang or tht, I'm sure someone once posted that its something to do with the way kits are made and generally with the cheaper kits there's not a lot you can do about it

its also to do with the liquid extract being a bit old , always get the freshest cans you can find

 

[eggman]

Using sugar as the extra fermentable with a one can kit will make the beer taste very thin and watery :sick:
The bare minimum really for a one can kit is a 50/50 mix of malt and sugar imho, but for best results you'd have to use all malt instead of sugar and that pushes the price up to close to the cost of a two can kit :shock:
If you go for a woodfordes kit try Nelsons Revenge, it's a cracking pint :thumb:
:

 

[calumscott]

Lots of good advice there. For me:

Brew two can kits or one can kits with 100% malt extract (dried or liquid) - no sugar apart from bottling or additional flavour (treacle in stout for example).
Take your time with them. Ignore the instructions, you want two weeks in bulk (rack off the yeast once it's all but finished if you want nice clear beer for bottling).
Leave it in the bottle for at least a month before getting stuck in.
Brew enough such that if your latest isn't coming into condition in time you're not forced to drink it "green".
Watch the temperatures, don't let it get too hot.

Remember that you are dealing with a living thing. It's got a job to do but unlike us it doesn't understand the concept of working harder or more efficiently or faster. Yeast does what it does, as it does, when it does, in the way it does and if you want good beer just keep it happy and content and wait for it to do its job.

 

[zgoda]

Remember that you are dealing with a living thing. It's got a job to do but unlike us it doesn't understand the concept of working harder or more efficiently or faster. Yeast does what it does, as it does, when it does, in the way it does and if you want good beer just keep it happy and content and wait for it to do its job.

Amen.

Healthy fermentation is a key to beer quality.

 

[Popspicker]

Listen to Johnnymorris !
All the things that turned it round for me.
I nearly gave up after 2 bad first brews.

Keep going man.

The Coopers stout with extras that I now do is the most professional tasting brew I have ever made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pZmgWy-D74

Give it a try