How to get rid of the homebrew taste?

[wezil]

Hi dme tends to give a maltier flavour and gives the beer extra body.

 

[jonnymorris]

...using dried malt extract I have been able to get rid of the homebrew taste but have lost a little bit of complexity in the taste of my brews.

Have you tried steeping speciality grains?

 

[jimp2003]

Hi fubofo.

You have made reference to "that homebrew taste" a few times in this thread but have not actually described what that taste is. I am not trying to be smart here and god knows I am not the best at describing flavours, but are you able to put into words any specific flavours that you are finding displeasing? It might help identify something that is not right...

Cheers!

Jim

 

[bottler]

Cheers guys. The first Wherry I made was great, though a teeny but off (temps went a little high while at work).

The second last ( Coopers Irish Stout, with added treacle) and last (straight Wherry) had/have that slight homebrew taste.

The stout I just finished last night after around 6 months and there was still a slight lingering taste. The Wherry has been in bottles for about 6 weeks now (4 cold, 2 inside room) and not only has the taste but hasn't fully clear like the first Wherry

If the second wherry, was not as clear as the first, you should ask yourself, what did i do differently, eg lengh of time formenting, or temperature ect ect

 

[Stihler]

Have you tried steeping speciality grains?

This would definitely be my recommendation.

A bit of crystal/carmel malt really should help.

- Scott

 

[jonewer]

Hmm so is it the residual sugars that give it that taste, hence using DME gives better results?

Residual sugars shouldnt be a problem, they are essential to give body and sweetness and will be present in all beer. I think because its dried the processes that lead to THBT are arrested, or at least slowed in comparison to liquid extract.

I did have a bit of THBT from some AG's I did using some rather old malt. I assume that the enzymes had done some work over the course of many months and the resulting products had begun to deteriorate..... I'd love to know what causes it, but I'm pretty sure it down to the age of the malt/extract.

 

[fubofo]

It's hard to say what the taste is like. Nothing really compares to it, though it is the similar taste across all brews and is not evident in any other beer.

A muddy sweetness perhaps? I really don't know and I'm usually good at picking it tastes and smells lol

Again, it is present in all the batches I've done, in varying strengths regardless of priming sugar or granulated priming.

I noticed last night that the pint I was drinking did clear very nicely after sitting for a while (was playing Xbox and it sat for a good while, coming up to room temp which I prefer anyway). Though there was still a few segments in the bottom of the glass (and I intentionally left a good inch in the bottle)

 

[fubofo]

I think I'll try the second FV next time to rid as much yeast as possible.

Actually I might even taste some of the yeast cake to see if that is the taste or not.

On a side note, does anyone else have worse 'beer guts/grumbles' after drinking homebrew compared to bottled ales?

 

[wilsoa1111]

way i see it AG or extract brewing will remove that beer kit twang/taste -what exactly it is is up for discussion and finding the cause is far more timeconsuming than the switch- is what i reckoned.

as for the beer clearing at room temp is called chill haze-plenty of info on that elsewhere- fyi leaving over the winter in my garage has permanently cleared my beers in there

secondary use does seem to reduce the yeast in the bottle but i suspect so would finings etc- yeast does contribute its own flavour to a beer when in suspension-why german wheats are served funny to get the yeast etc

live yeast is also useful for constipation hence the beer rumbles

if u fancy less aggro i would try extract brewing and the steepable malts offer plenty of scope for constucting most recipes esp high abv ones

if want ultimate flexibility go AG but it does take alot more time to make a beer

also i dont think sugar in modest amounts will give that homebrew taste-got some beer recipes from a grandpa who was in the business for many years and all of them have some sugar in them

 

[fubofo]

Cheers fur the info wilsoa.

The cloudyness is still there from first poor at room temp, just takes about half hour to clear.

I am currently living in 3rd flour apartment so don't really have room for cold storage or anywhere to keep equipment of and cook by extract being/AG. For the meantime kits are my thing (until I a cooler box / mash tun) lol

 

[Festival Man]

Hi , yes a few tips for you , first don't use sugar (unless priming) in your brews , that will be the main reason why it tastes that way , using more expensive kits are best as no sugar needed . Watch out for old kits , liquid extract is great unless it is old , fresher the better. Temperature control is very important keep it constant and between 18 to 22c , too warm will risk off flavours . But if you want to improve i would chuck kits away and go for extract brewing , dried malt extract , good yeast , hops of your choice and profile of your making will make better beer .

Ye, I whole heartedly second that , go for the more expensive twin pack kits that dont use sugar,or add malt extract to a single tin choice in place of sugar.

 

[cockerhoop]

I never got rid of the Homebrew taste until I started brewing with all grain.
Everyone has an opinion on how long to leave the beer in the original fermenting vessel and Ive tried transferring to secondary after a few days and I couldn’t notice a difference. I often leave it in the original fermenter for up to three weeks and it’s absolutely fine.
I imagine keeping a constant temperature is important. I bought inkbird controllers, heating trays and belts. But Im lucky to have a cupboard under the stairs with central heating boiler in that keeps a near perfect temperature of around 20 degrees so don’t use any heating equipment.
I think all grain is definitely the way to go, but it’s a messy time consuming business!

 

[MickDundee]

It always makes me feel a bit weird when people bump a thread from more than 2 and a half years before I started brewing, like I’m not as much of an experienced brewer than I think I am or something.

 

[Kdtyke]

I've used pure brew for a while now and it's made a massive difference , it gets rid of the homebrew taste.
Also the dark rock beer enhancer kits are excellent and also include a sachet of pure brew

Also if you siphon your original brew into another fermenter, I recommend you siphon from the top so it won't pick up much of the trub at the bottom

 

[Eskimo John]

I never managed to get great results from a kit.
I moved to all grain brewing and have had great results, for me it was well worth the setup cost. The cost of a brew thereafter is dependent on the beer, at best its marginally cheaper but with complex multi hop beers it's more expensive. However the latter styles aren't available in kits. Flexibility is the greatest thing, in style and in being able to tune your brews
However the setup cost isn't cheap so it depends on your priorities

 

[Sandimas]

I never got rid of the Homebrew taste until I started brewing with all grain.

+1

Back when I did kits, there was always a bit of background homebrew taste, unless brewing one of the hop-forward kits like Tiny Rebel Cwtch or Youngs APA.

A good half-way house between kits and AG is Extract, where you do a boil using LME or DME/spraymalt and add hops, but you don't need to do a mash. I find you don't get homebrew taste using this method if you use DME, plenty of suppliers with kits out there e.g. BrewUK and you don't need a lot of kit to produce a great beer, just a large 12/15L stockpot.

 

[DavidDetroit]

I don't know what the "homebrew taste" is unless it means not using fresh ingredients.

 

[moto748]

I don't think it's as simple as just buying better kits, etc. The homebrew twang can still happen with all-grain brews.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Like most people, I started with kits. They were ok but I could always taste the twang, unless it was heavily dry hopped. The twang went as soon as I did my first AG.
Just before Christmas I did my first kit for two years, a MJ Irish Stout using 1.2kg MJ enhancer. I wondered now I had a lot more brewing experience if I could make a kit without the twang. Nope, still there.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

There is a 7 page thread about the home brew twang here -

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/the-homebrew-twang-experiment.82710/