Whats everyone drinking?

[MEB]

Just kegged up my Andi (honey) Ale. I love kegs for their ease of use but hate them for the ***** taste compared to bottled brews. I much prefer bottle conditioned beers.

But i am drinking a few pints of lovely flat, hazy as hell A(H)A and it's rather splendid.

 

[the_duck]

I had some of my second (and last) AG beer yesterday, it's been in the cupboard for about 4 months and it's pretty minging.
horrible twang to it

 

[BrewStew]

describe the "twang" we may be able to figure out what went wrong.

i hope you dont mean last as in ever!

 

[the_duck]

describe the "twang" we may be able to figure out what went wrong.

i hope you dont mean last as in ever!

oh no, not last ever, but we're pretty tight for money at the minute and all of my expenditure is being scrutinised by the gf.

the beer itself went weird, it formed a skin during fermentation after the krausen died away (i'd never seen this before, but apparently it's the co2 rising and taking dead yeast with it ?), i thought maybe an infection but bottled it anyway. there were no weird smells when i bottled and nothing in any of the bottles apart from one where I'd disturbed the skin and there where some litlte bits of it in the bottle.

left the beer in the cupboard for a few months not really wanting to drink it but had a go and the next day i didn'tfeel ill or anything.

the twang is sour, the only thing i can compare it to is the sort of sourness you'd taste in a fruit beer, but without the nice fruit taste.

 

[BrewStew]

its funny you say that, i had a head on my latest rauchbier that was of the consistency of a pancake... looked very much the same too... and that's sour too! :wha: i put it down to my dodgy 5-step decoction, but now that you've said that i'm beginning to think i'm mistaken :hmm:

perhaps someone can shed a bit of light on the issue?

 

[the_duck]

its funny you say that, i had a head on my latest rauchbier that was of the consistency of a pancake... looked very much the same too... and that's sour too! :wha: i put it down to my dodgy 5-step decoction, but now that you've said that i'm beginning to think i'm mistaken :hmm:

perhaps someone can shed a bit of light on the issue?

I got a kit for xmas and made that a few weeks back, I had a couple of pounds of golden promise left in my cupboard so i just mashed that and added it instead of sugar. I got the same sort of skin on the beer in the fv, I find it weird it didn't happen on my first ag or on any of my previous attempts with extract kits.

I searched around on the northernbrewer forum and found a few other people describing a twang to their beer, the main culprits people suggested were
a)fermenting temp too high
b)too much chlorine in the water
c)using a bleach based sanitiser can apparently leave off flavours

I'm pretty sure in my case it's not too high temp as i keep my beer somewhere cool when it's fermenting and leave a thermostat controlled water heater in it usually set to 18-20c.
I've never had a water report so i don't know if it could be that, I do know that all my pale beers have not been great but the stout i've made was good.
the only thing I can think of that I've done the same in the two batches with skin in the fv compared to the rest of my brewing is used a Milton style steriliser as i couldn't get to a hbs for anything else.

 

[BrewStew]

mine actually fermented lower than normal... dancing around the 17-18'c mark. i always treat my water with campden for chloromines and the boil is supposed to get rid of chlorine. I use Videne to sanitise.

wonder if it's the ingredients :hmm:

 

[Wez]

Harvest Gold tonight - Beef Bourguignon in the oven - Mmmmm just the right combo for a snowy day :thumb:

 

[Wez]

More Harvest Gold for me :

 

[MEB]

some nice TC straight from the FV

 

[BrewStew]

 

[BrewStew]

i'm on the Home Wrecker and smbwo's on the RnR wine :thumb: :drink:

 

[Wez]

Yorkshire Tea :thumb:

Just got back from walking the dog, it's bloody cold out, this is just what was called for. :grin:

 

[the_duck]

hot Lava Java coffee.

 

[Wez]

Turbo Cider for me, Chinese being ordered shortly :thumb:

 

[tubby_shaw]

Lashings and lashings of Ginger beer for me tonight :

 

[BrewStew]

washing down a lovely meal c/o swmbo with some Sunrise :thumb:

 

[MEB]

a few pints of Honey Brown Ale... Very very nice indeed.

 

[BrewStew]

Rhuddles Rhubarb

WOW! :drink:

Rhubarb with Bramling Cross hops.....

WOW! :drink:

me likey!

:drink:

 

[BrewStew]

WOW!

the more i drink this... the more i love it!!!

i've got a load of rhubarb that came from last years garden of crops in the freezer.... just need some bramling cross.... judging by the colour i'd say crystal (although i cant taste it through the rhubarb)

i wonder if they boil the rhubarb for the full boil or add it elsewhere :wha: