Off-flavour

[spickup]

Hey folks, I did my first partial grain over the holidays (a cream ale from NG). We modified the recipe slightly based on the recommendation of the employee at NG. The beer was drinkable, but not fantastic. There is a bit of a bizarre flavour, and I would love to have somebody help me identify what may have gone wrong.. I'd like to correct the mistake for future brews. Would anybody in Halifax be willing to take a taste and offer feedback? I deliver!

Thanks in advance for the help!


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[GAM]

I'm game. I am sure others are too.

Can you discribe what you taste?

Sandy

[Keith]

What kit did you make? What recipe and timings did you use? How would you describe the bizarre flavor?

[spickup]

The recipe was the golden cream ale. We increased the dextrin malt from 300 to 400g and the boiling hops (cascade) from 30 to 45.

It was in the primary for 5 days and in the secondary for 10 days.

The taste is hard to describe. The best I can describe it is as bad home brewed beer. Hah. It's maybe a bit fruity?

Maybe it's just the recipe, or the changes to it. I'd like to figure it out.


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[LeafMan66_67]

What was your fermentation temperature?

[spickup]

Fermentation temp was between 20 and 22.


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[LiverDance]

Fermentation temp was between 20 and 22.


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What was the yeast?

[spickup]

Fermentation temp was between 20 and 22.


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What was the yeast?

That I'm not too sure of.. I remember it being some sort of basic ale yeast from NG.


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[spickup]

Fermentation temp was between 20 and 22.


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What was the yeast?

The recipe said it was Nottingham dried ale yeast. Not sure if that helps..


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[jtmwhyte]

Fermentation temp was between 20 and 22.


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First thing that comes to mind here is temp. If that's the temp of the room I think we found a problem as the beer could be fermenting much higher than that with yeast activity. Also a 5 day primary seems a bit short to me.

[sleepyjamie]

most people on here dont use secondary fermentation anymore. i found keeping the beer in the primary for 2-3 weeks and crash cooling is better.

also the temp like other suggested is most likely the cause.

[RubberToe]

If you go over 70F (21.1C) with Nottingham there's a chance you'll get some fruity esters. They may be more evident in a light brew like a cream ale. Hard to say though without trying the beer. It may be a good one to bring to a meeting and there's the chance some of the BJCP folk would be there too.

[spickup]

That's a good idea. Maybe I could bring it along to the meeting this week if I am able to make it.


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[chalmers]

There will be a couple BJCP folks there this meeting. Barring that, stay tuned for an announcement in the next week or so.

[dexter]

You have to remember that when the yeast are doing their thing they produce heat, so even if the room is in the low 20s the beer could be substantially warmer. I've had beer get as much as 5-7' Celsius warmer than the environment they were Fermenting in.

[Keith]

Where you say it's fruity, would you give it a sweeter taste, or a more citrusy taste? Or a mix of both? May be the higher brew temp from the yeast, the addition of the additional cascade hops, or a mix of both? On the plus side, it doesn't taste sour so I think it's safe to consume!

[CartoonCod]

Even if it taste sour it is still safe to consume!