That homebrew taste after barreling

[Smokey.]

I have recently gone back to kits and got the St James Plum Porter to try as my first one. It has been fermenting for 2 weeks now and I plan to barrel it into a corny on Sunday. I had a small taste when I did a hydrometer reading and as usual it tasted fine as in no homebrew taste. I also used RO water and then added the Harris Pure Brew as per instructions.

What I always seemed to notice when doing kits before I went onto AG was that the homebrew taste always seemed to appear after I barelled the beer. So can anyone give some advice on where in the process of barelling I might be going wrong? Neverhad the off taste with AG though?

 

[dcbrookes]

It comes from the fact that kits use malt extract. I have never tasted a kit beer that doesn't have it. I think it is particularly noticeable if you normally brew AG.

 

[MashBag]

Are you using campden tablets?

 

[clib]

It comes from the fact that kits use malt extract. I have never tasted a kit beer that doesn't have it. I think it is particularly noticeable if you normally brew AG.

I'm not sure it comes from all malt extracts. There are kits that don't have the kit flavour, and I sometimes use plain malt extract in a partial mash brew and get no off flavour.

 

[Jim Brewster]

St Peters Plum Porter? I made the kit but as you say it had twang similar to the Woodforde's kits I've made, definitely something about a lot of the can kits that has that off flavour.

I like the Plum Porter bought from the shop but the kit was nothing like it. I think it would be better to make your own AG porter and add plum flavouring before bottling.

 

[dcbrookes]

I'm not sure it comes from all malt extracts. There are kits that don't have the kit flavour, and I sometimes use plain malt extract in a partial mash brew and get no off flavour.

I have used spray dried malt occasionally and that was fine - it is the liquid stuff that seems to have the twang. Most liquid extracts seem to be made by Muntons these days: very many years ago I used DMS extract made by Edme and I don't remember that being too bad. I don't know when Edme stopped making extracts.

 

[Kit-brewer]

The 'homebrew' taste is much less pronounced than when I first made kits 30 years ago. After a break of 25 years, the difference in quality and taste of the kits is astounding.
I brew maily Woodforde kits, and no real pronounced 'taste'. Often, compared to a bottle of Wherry, family can't tell the difference.
I think part of it is being over critical as we have made it ourselves.

 

[Bernie]

The 'homebrew' taste is much less pronounced than when I first made kits 30 years ago. After a break of 25 years, the difference in quality and taste of the kits is astounding.
I brew maily Woodforde kits, and no real pronounced 'taste'. Often, compared to a bottle of Wherry, family can't tell the difference.
I think part of it is being over critical as we have made it ourselves.

Very true. I think home-brew twang means that it tastes different than that of the pub although many commercial beers are made with extract. You're right kits have improved, better malt extraction and yeast preservation, so has equipment making it easier to make a clean beer. Home brewers have also stopped fermenting in airing cupboards since lower and more stable temperatures stress the yeast less.
Many microbreweries seem hide this taste by over-hopping, which makes my tongue retreat to the back of my mouth, as it thinks that there's nearly a pint of that still to come.

 

[clib]

I have used spray dried malt occasionally and that was fine - it is the liquid stuff that seems to have the twang. Most liquid extracts seem to be made by Muntons these days: very many years ago I used DMS extract made by Edme and I don't remember that being too bad. I don't know when Edme stopped making extracts.

Not all liquid extracts have the twang nowadays in my experience. I'm a big advocate of using some grain with extract. It definitely lifts an extract brew.

 

[Birdsnestbrewery]

Obviously there are multiple things that can go wrong. What is "the homebrew taste"?
The most common undesired taste I get is a bit of yeast.

 

[Smokey.]

Kit was made as instructions with the Harris Pure Brew added which I think is like a campden tablet with added salts and then some additive for the yeast. It was left for 2 weeks to ferment then moved yesterday in a corny with a Co2 blanket inside, lid fitted purged/refilled few times to remove o2. It's now sitting being force carbed in the garage at 20 psi.

I read reviews of Pure Brew which stated it got rid of the home brew taste and there's a few videos on YouTube that say the St Peters Plum Porter kit is very good, it did smell nice.

There was no homebrew taste when I sampled the half liter or so that was left from filling the keg so if the taste is present in a few weeks time then I guess it must have happened in the keg somehow?

 

[GhostShip]

I personally think it's oxidation. When transferring from the FV to bottles, or to a barrel for batch priming and then to bottles or a keg, the beer will come into contact with the air. Then you add in dropping in hops or taking hydrometer readings and I think that's where the problems occur. I'm at the point where I'd rather leave the FV in the fridge a bit longer than lift the lid to do a reading. The less you disturb it, the better it is.

 

[Smokey.]

Small update. Just had a half pint after 3 days being force carbed and it tastes okay. Maybe, maybe a small hombrew taste but that may be the plum side of it but it's definitely better than anything I've brewed from a can before so I guess I'll see how it goes over the coming weeks.

 

[RichardM]

Are you using campden tablets?

Unlikely, he says he is using RO water plus Pure Brew

 

[Paulus]

I'm not sure what "the homebrew taste" is?

 

[MashBag]

Unlikely, he says he is using RO water plus Pure Brew

RO water eh. Missed that. Good spot.

So...

RO water is too clean for brewing unless you use it as a base and rebuild the water profile you want with additional salts/minerals.

Harris Pure Brew is mainly a nutrient. It does NOT contain sodium or potassium metabisulphite like campden tablets.

Can I ask why RO water? Is your tap water undrinkable?

 

[Mash Monster]

RO water eh. Missed that. Good spot.

So...

RO water is too clean for brewing unless you use it as a base and rebuild the water profile you want with additional salts/minerals.

Harris Pure Brew is mainly a nutrient. It does NOT contain sodium or potassium metabisulphite like campden tablets.

Can I ask why RO water? Is your tap water undrinkable?

I would agree that RO water needs brewing salts added to get the correct water profile for all grain brewing but on the odd occasion that I brew from extract kits I always use plain RO water or Tesco Ashbeck as my tap water is not the best. My thinking is that the extract has already been prepared with the correct water profile and as I have no idea what that is so I leave well alone. I might be wrong but it works for me.

FWIW
Harris pure brew Ingredients are:
Yeast Hulls, Magnesium Sulphate, Vitamin C, Diammonium Phosphate, Zinc, Vitamin B1, Calcium Pantothenate, Folic acid and Niacin.
Like you said mainly nutrient !

 

[MashBag]

prepared with the correct water profile

Yes for the mash.
And then had it removed for canning.
But fermentation needs good balanced water too. Yeasties have needs.