Lingering bitter aftertaste

[BarryB]

So my first brew of Woodfordes Wherry went down a treat.

For the second I've tried their Admirals Reserve.

After the initial 7days bucket ferment, I carefully siphoned into the KingKeg four weeks ago and moved to an indoors unheated room (about 16degC). I fitted a pressure gauge (0-15psi) and watched as the pressure has climbed day after day until now it's on the endstop! so although early I thought I'd draw some off, have a sample and hopefully release a little pressure at the same time.

Had half a glass and it tasted great while drinking but then I noticed a real strong bitter aftertaste, it stayed with me all night , no matter what I ate didn't seem to take it away. This morning I have a sort of metallic taste which is pretty unpleasant.

Have I brewed poison? (ok perhaps a little dramatic) will it settle down with more time?

thanks

and Merry Xmas everyone

BB

 

[Slid]

So my first brew of Woodfordes Wherry went down a treat.

For the second I've tried their Admirals Reserve.

After the initial 7days bucket ferment, I carefully siphoned into the KingKeg four weeks ago and moved to an indoors unheated room (about 16degC). I fitted a pressure gauge (0-15psi) and watched as the pressure has climbed day after day until now it's on the endstop! so although early I thought I'd draw some off, have a sample and hopefully release a little pressure at the same time.

Had half a glass and it tasted great while drinking but then I noticed a real strong bitter aftertaste, it stayed with me all night , no matter what I ate didn't seem to take it away. This morning I have a sort of metallic taste which is pretty unpleasant.

Have I brewed poison? (ok perhaps a little dramatic) will it settle down with more time?

thanks

and Merry Xmas everyone

BB

Not done an Admiral's Reserve, but think that it is brewed shorter than 40 pints? As Wherry is not always the best after a short 5 weeks from pitching, I am going to suggest that your beer is a little bitter as yet and that this will most likely fade in time.

 

[Covrich]

I think as a general rule you should leave your brew in the fermenter a minimum of 14 days if you can..

What temp was it brewed at?

 

[BarryB]

Thanks guys, I will leave it longer.

Yes its a stronger 32 pint kit.
I'd done the initial ferment for 7 days at 20degC the instructions said between 4-6 days. The SG was 1014 after 7days so thought it was time.

Do you guys normally ferment everything for 2 weeks?

 

[dad_of_jon]

Thanks guys, I will leave it longer.

Yes its a stronger 32 pint kit.
I'd done the initial ferment for 7 days at 20degC the instructions said between 4-6 days. The SG was 1014 after 7days so thought it was time.

Do you guys normally ferment everything for 2 weeks?

yup 2 to 3 weeks at around 21degC depending on og

 

[Birkin]

So my first brew of Woodfordes Wherry went down a treat.

For the second I've tried their Admirals Reserve.

After the initial 7days bucket ferment, I carefully siphoned into the KingKeg four weeks ago and moved to an indoors unheated room (about 16degC). I fitted a pressure gauge (0-15psi) and watched as the pressure has climbed day after day until now it's on the endstop! so although early I thought I'd draw some off, have a sample and hopefully release a little pressure at the same time.

Had half a glass and it tasted great while drinking but then I noticed a real strong bitter aftertaste, it stayed with me all night , no matter what I ate didn't seem to take it away. This morning I have a sort of metallic taste which is pretty unpleasant.

Have I brewed poison? (ok perhaps a little dramatic) will it settle down with more time?

thanks

and Merry Xmas everyone

BB

I had this with my AG Hobgoblin clone, I sampled it early and it was so bitter I was worried I'd have to dump it.

I left it a couple more weeks and it now tastes amazing. The difference that leaving it a couple more weeks made was unbelievable.

 

[LarryF]

I'm thinking three weeks in the FV on everything.

 

[Slid]

Thanks guys, I will leave it longer.

Yes its a stronger 32 pint kit.
I'd done the initial ferment for 7 days at 20degC the instructions said between 4-6 days. The SG was 1014 after 7days so thought it was time.

Do you guys normally ferment everything for 2 weeks?

Two weeks in the FV will allow more time for the yeast to convert some of the not-so-pleasant by-products from the initial fermentation period into ethanol. Three weeks does no harm at all, by most accounts. I rack to a secondary FV after 2 weeks, then bottle after a further week.

Current thinking is that this practice (racking) is probably unnecessary and exposes the brew to the risks of oxidisation and infection.

Many members of the forum have observed that the kit "instructions" are there to encourage you to buy, with the promise of beer in 2-3 weeks, rather than to get the best outcome, which will be after 2-3 months (or more!).

 

[dad_of_jon]

Two weeks in the FV will allow more time for the yeast to convert some of the not-so-pleasant by-products from the initial fermentation period into ethanol. Three weeks does no harm at all, by most accounts. I rack to a secondary FV after 2 weeks, then bottle after a further week.

Current thinking is that this practice (racking) is probably unnecessary and exposes the brew to the risks of oxidisation and infection.

Many members of the forum have observed that the kit "instructions" are there to encourage you to buy, with the promise of beer in 2-3 weeks, rather than to get the best outcome, which will be after 2-3 months (or more!).

any movement of beer after primary fermentation gets this treatment:

http://www.1stgearcycles.com/m2b0s43p616/M-PART-Micro-CO2-pump-including-2-x-16-g-cartridges

 

[BarryB]

Just a quick update,

time really IS a great healer, now tastes great but it is way over carbonated no matter how careful I am I get a glass of foam. Once in the keg the pressure gauge went round to the endstop and stayed there for several days, it has now dropped back into the mid range I assume the safety release vented some off - just as well could have been messy :)

I fancied trying something different for the next brew as the weather should be warmer by the time it is ready I thought something a bit lighter, so have a Woodfordes Sundew in the Fermentation Vessel, I'll keep this batch going for 2 weeks as suggested before transferring to the keg.

thanks all for your help.

BB

 

[Dutto]

Just a quick update,

time really IS a great healer, now tastes great but it is way over carbonated no matter how careful I am I get a glass of foam. Once in the keg the pressure gauge went round to the endstop and stayed there for several days, it has now dropped back into the mid range I assume the safety release vented some off - just as well could have been messy :)

I fancied trying something different for the next brew as the weather should be warmer by the time it is ready I thought something a bit lighter, so have a Woodfordes Sundew in the Fermentation Vessel, I'll keep this batch going for 2 weeks as suggested before transferring to the keg.

thanks all for your help.

BB

I've seen a suggestion that a length of tubing (long enough to reach the bottom of the glass) on the King Keg tap will drastically reduce the foaming.

Also, if the plastic band on the CO2 injector (the pressure release system) has vented some of the pressure off it may be worth your while to just "nip" the plastic between thumb and forefinger to press it back into the holes to make sure that it has re-seated okay. :thumb:

 

[Steved53]

You could just keep venting it off a few times a day until it calms down a little.

The fact that it continued to build up pressure in the keg proves that fermentation wasn't finished. If you time the point of kegging just right, it should nicely carbonate, and you shouldn't need to add any co2 until you are over halfway through your keg.