Brewing Master

Question:

Since getting back into homebrewing (total failure from several brews 15 years ago) I have brewed four batches lately and was thrilled to find that I could indeedy, actually make good beer.  What fun! The first brew (#1), an all extract, wyeast american ale, with Cascade hops worried me at first.  I tasted it after four days in the bottle and there was a definite sourness to it.  I thought about the possibility of infection and resolved to boil myself in oil before attempting another brew, but after a week in the bottle the sourness was less noticable, and after three weeks there only remains a faint hint it (very drinkable).  I guess this was a normal process and that the beer was not infected.  None of the homebrewing texts say much about the aging process other than ‘wait two or three weeks’.  My second  brew (#2) was a brown ale according to Papazian’s recipe (using Wyeast London Ale and lots of dark extract) that has a very similar sourness that is diminishing much more slowly.  After two weeks in the bottle, I still can’t drink more than one 22 oz bottle at a time.  I am confident that in time this will improve. Good.  With two decent extract brews under my belt, I was ready for some grain recipes. (#3) My third brew used 8 lbs Edme Pale English malt, 6 lbs pale extract, Wyeast Bavarian Lager and 5 1/2 oz Saaz plug hops to make up about 8 or 9 gallons (~sg 1.044). (#4) My fourth used 8 lbs Edme Pale English malt, 2 oz cluster pellets, repitched 1 cup of Wyeast London Ale from #2 (it smelled fine and was in the fridge three days), to make 7 or 8 gallons of a light ale (sg 1.030). I brewed and fermented these last two simultaneously.  #4 was completely fermented out in 5 days and #3 after about 9 days. Now comes the character builder.  After 5 days in the bottle I sampled #4. The beer was a bit cloudy and had a light aroma.  At first it tasted decent, light as expected and with a bit of green-ness, but when I swallowed, I was hit with a terrible harsh aftertaste.  Way back on the back of my tongue was a harsh bitterness that was definitely not hops.  It was totally repulsive, and I fear that this brew may be headed for the pisser without my processing it further.  Of course I’ll keep it around and hope that it improves, I also have my local homebrew shop that will look at it as well as a microbrewery that said they might look at it under a microscope if I catch them on a slow day. Then I tested #3 after 4 days in the bottle and it was good, although it had an aftertaste identical to #4 but to a much lesser degree.  Not repulsive, just off a bit.  I’m hopeful this one will improve. How should I go about determining what I am doing wrong?  One thing I am not doing is siphoning off the trub.  According to gossip I have seen here the presence of trub should not cause this sledgehammer aftertaste I experienced.  As far as oxidation goes, the only bad thing I did is that I strained the grains out with a large strainer after mashing, while pouring into another vessel (then back into the kettle).  I cooled the 5 gallon kettle in my sink to about 70F in thirty minutes. I am not giving up this time!  Any suggestions before I embark on my next all grain brew?  Yes, I promise I will siphon off the trub next time.  I’m also inclined to switch back to Wyeast American Ale since that produced my best brew so far.  Much thanks for any help. John

Response:

How should I go about determining what I am doing wrong?  One thing I am not doing is siphoning off the trub.  According to gossip I have seen here the presence of trub should not cause this sledgehammer aftertaste I experienced.  As far as oxidation goes, the only bad thing I did is that I strained the grains out with a large strainer after mashing, while pouring into another vessel (then back into the kettle).  I cooled the 5 gallon kettle in my sink to about 70F in thirty minutes.

         Did you get a good look at the wort in the kettle? Did it have a     lot of husk flour?          I am convinced that extracting a lot of tannins, either by     allowing a lot of husk material into the kettle, or by other screw-ups     (see below) can give the effect you describe.          Why do I say tannins? Well, partially it is a conceit of mine, but     I just bottled a batch of a beer I call "Black Death" that had a     similar problem. It was a partial mash, with two pounds of grain. I was     showing a friend how I brew, and while I was talking to him, I allowed     the grains to boil in the mashout. Baaaad news.          Well, after it fermented out, I had this very unpleasant bitter     aftertaste in the back of my mouth.          Enter Polyclar AT. This stuff attracts tannins and then settles     into the bottom of the fermenter. I dumped around 150% of the     recommended dosage into the secondary, then waited a couple of days.     The harsh bitterness had diminished substantially. Unfortunately, the     character of the brew also diminished, especially the strong hop note     that I had previously noticed. Big loss, but at least the beer is     drinkable now.          I realize that the potential for a placebo effect is great, so it     may not be tannins after all. I do know that too-high fermentation     temperatures can also cause a harsh bitterness, as well. However, if     the Polyclar therapy is not a placebo, it is certainly consistent with     the idea that this aftertaste was caused by bitterness. —  I don’t speak for Fermilab, although my mouth is probably big enough…

Response:

I saw some Polyclar at the brewshop yesterday.  What is the difference between Polyclar and Polyclar AT? I noticed Papazian says to use two teaspoons of Polyclar while Miller recommends up to three tablespoons for a light lager!  Whats up? John Shepardson

Response:

I saw some Polyclar at the brewshop yesterday.  What is the difference between Polyclar and Polyclar AT?

         Um, Polyclar AT is based on the Intel 286 chip? Actually, I     doubt there is a difference, that is just what the label said. I noticed Papazian says to use two teaspoons of Polyclar while Miller recommends up to three tablespoons for a light lager!  Whats up?

         Miller says that his dosage is higher than the manufacturer’s     recommendation because homebrew needs more. I don’t know for sure,     but I’ll bet that Papazian’s dosage is what is recommended by the     manufacturer. —  I don’t speak for Fermilab, although my mouth is probably big enough…  BLOWOFF METHOD: Brewing technique in which the brewer blows off bottling  until a fermenter is needed for the next batch.    

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