that home brew taste

Discuss making up beer kits - the simplest way to brew.
gorymorph

Post by gorymorph » Thu Aug 02, 2007 7:28 pm

want to try a 1 Gallon mild recipe with DME and hops just to see if there is a difference myself. Anyone got a recipe and instructions for making it ie boiling or hat ever

delboy

Post by delboy » Thu Aug 02, 2007 8:27 pm

Ned Buckton wrote:Delboy

Do you add the campden tablets to the water or the mixed kit?

I've done two werry kit's recently, both conditioned for 6 weeks plus and both as ropey as hell with ‘that taste’. However just done a recipe out of a CAMRA book using extract and it tastes better out of the secondary fermenter than the werry.

Still looking for a 27mm hole saw to fit the tap to my cool box mash tun and then will hopefully be free of the homebrew taste

Cheers
You would treat the water before mixing it with the kit (half a crushed tablet mixed in until it dissolves). Untreated water when mixed with a kit will almost instantaneously form phenolic compounds (hence the TCP twang).

Treating the water will get rid off that off flavour at least (which is the worst IMO), by using spraymalt instead off liquid malt extract from the tins you will also take another step away from homebrew off flavours specifically associated with some of the liquid malt extract kits.

Sounds like you are finding your feet with the extract brewing, maybe it won't be long before we see you on the dark side :D

MickyD

Post by MickyD » Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:09 pm

Sorry to jump into this thread, but I have a Wherry that has that TCP flavour as an initial hit. This then subsides and the beer after taste is very good.

The colour is great and the head is strong, so I would assume the beer is ok....but for that taste.

1) Is there anything I can do now (been kegged for 4 weeks nearly) to reduce that flavour?

2) In future if I use a Campden tablet in the water I use to make the beer (Next kit as you'll see from my signature is Admirals Reserve) will the effects of the Campden affect the performance of the yeast?

The flavour is TCP verging on a treacle taste. Is that what everyone else is getting?

shedifice

Post by shedifice » Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:22 pm

I think I will have to go and buy some TCP just so that I can take a swig and compare it to the home brew! :lol:

Don't think I kniow what TCP tastes like!

MickyD

Post by MickyD » Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:28 pm

TCP is probably used as an example as it is the closest thing to the flavour.

Like I said above I am also tasting something very treacly if you really taste it....god I sound like a wine taster.

Its just very antisceptic, doesnt sit right on the pallet. Its just not there in most commercial beers, including Woodfordes brewed Wherry, as I did buy the 18 pint box from them to get an idea of what the flavour should be.

SiHoltye

Post by SiHoltye » Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:32 pm

THIS IS ALL ANECDOTAL

I found I had the TCP taste in my first kit - a wherry. But then I also had it in my subsequent 5 brews. Talk about brew fest without let up!

I needed not only to treat my water with ½ crushed campden tablet per 5G, but also rinse out anything I had cleaned in a chlorine based cleaner (VWP in my case) with a sodium metabisulphate solution.

Just as the campden tabs (similar to sod metbisul chmically) neutralized any chlorine & chloramines in my water, the sod metbisul neutralized any chlorine or chloramines in any residue of the cleaning agent or tap water that was used for rinsing after cleaning. Thus clearing the slate of anything coming into contact with the yeast as it attempts to go to work. (Fermenting yeast + chlorine or chloramines = TCP twanginess, yuk) Sod metbisul was used to final rinse at 5ml per pint of just boiled water. No need to fill fermentors just use a pint or so and swill it around. It does it's work on contact. Also do not rinse after, just pour the excess out and shake a little. Since the chemical is used as a food preservative it is harmless in this intensity.

ALL THIS INFO IS SECONDHAND, but it worked for me. I was gutted I couldn't make beer tasting beer, now I do, and all that changed was this. I have some bottles of the pre-treatment beer still. It's pants next to post treatment beers. That twang bugged me so much 'cos it doesn't let you past it's medicinal grip to taste the beer underneath. Oh and wherry is really nice by the way! It's a popular kit for a reason. Fixby Gold is lovely too!

delboy

Post by delboy » Fri Aug 03, 2007 5:15 pm

SiHoltye wrote:THIS IS ALL ANECDOTAL

I found I had the TCP taste in my first kit - a wherry. But then I also had it in my subsequent 5 brews. Talk about brew fest without let up!

I needed not only to treat my water with ½ crushed campden tablet per 5G, but also rinse out anything I had cleaned in a chlorine based cleaner (VWP in my case) with a sodium metabisulphate solution.

Just as the campden tabs (similar to sod metbisul chmically) neutralized any chlorine & chloramines in my water, the sod metbisul neutralized any chlorine or chloramines in any residue of the cleaning agent or tap water that was used for rinsing after cleaning. Thus clearing the slate of anything coming into contact with the yeast as it attempts to go to work. (Fermenting yeast + chlorine or chloramines = TCP twanginess, yuk) Sod metbisul was used to final rinse at 5ml per pint of just boiled water. No need to fill fermentors just use a pint or so and swill it around. It does it's work on contact. Also do not rinse after, just pour the excess out and shake a little. Since the chemical is used as a food preservative it is harmless in this intensity.

ALL THIS INFO IS SECONDHAND, but it worked for me. I was gutted I couldn't make beer tasting beer, now I do, and all that changed was this. I have some bottles of the pre-treatment beer still. It's pants next to post treatment beers. That twang bugged me so much 'cos it doesn't let you past it's medicinal grip to taste the beer underneath. Oh and wherry is really nice by the way! It's a popular kit for a reason. Fixby Gold is lovely too!
Ditto that everything SH says above.

delboy

Post by delboy » Fri Aug 03, 2007 5:24 pm

MickyD wrote:Sorry to jump into this thread, but I have a Wherry that has that TCP flavour as an initial hit. This then subsides and the beer after taste is very good.

The colour is great and the head is strong, so I would assume the beer is ok....but for that taste.

1) Is there anything I can do now (been kegged for 4 weeks nearly) to reduce that flavour?

2) In future if I use a Campden tablet in the water I use to make the beer (Next kit as you'll see from my signature is Admirals Reserve) will the effects of the Campden affect the performance of the yeast?

The flavour is TCP verging on a treacle taste. Is that what everyone else is getting?
MickyD
1) Unfortunately the damage is already done the phenolic compounds have been made and you can't unmake them.
2) The 1/2 a campden tablet won't affect the yeast at all, you need to use it at 10 times (1 tablet per gallon) that amount to stun commercial beer yeast.

Make the next brew up with treated water and compare it with the untreated brew i think you will be pleasantly surprised at the improvement :D

MickyD

Post by MickyD » Fri Aug 03, 2007 5:53 pm

Cheers Delboy and SiHoltye.

I thought that may be the case on the Wherry, just means I will have to drink more of it until I cant taste the TCP flavour :lol:

I shall try the new brew with treated water........might even get it going this weekend......if I am sober.

delboy

Post by delboy » Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:20 pm

[quote="MickyD"]
I thought that may be the case on the Wherry, just means I will have to drink more of it until I cant taste the TCP flavour :lol:
quote]

Its maybe not as bad as you think, i find that i am the harshest critic of my own homebrew, others i have given it to have raved about it, but i'll still be found mumbling incoherently about too many or too little hops or not enough of a particular grain or how it would have been better with a different yeast :-k

ade1865

Post by ade1865 » Fri Aug 03, 2007 9:16 pm

just like me with my cooking Delboy, and i haven't poisoned anybody yet! Yep, totally my own worst critic, but i think also most people have a very low regard for homebrew and so are really surprised when you produce something that doesn't taste of treacle and give you a splittin in the mornin.

David Edge

Post by David Edge » Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:05 pm

Personally I reckon the flavour is like Diamond White/White Lightning.
I leave cleaning the silver to the servants!

Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:21 pm

Diamond White... White Lightning... I can tell I am in with the classy folk here. Omega and Ice Dragon it was for us up the Great Western Road in old Glasgae Toon....

:lol:

And "Copperhead... Cider Made the Hard Way" Now that stuff was rank... but very, very cheap!

David Edge

Post by David Edge » Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:46 am

Great Western Road:

A spyug outside the big hotel on the corner of Byres Road that burned down about 1977:
Image


Ashton Lane before gentrification:
Image

The subway:
Image

A subway station (Bridge Street, not Kelvinbridge because the roof was open making it light enough to photohraph)
Image

Orkney_Rob

Post by Orkney_Rob » Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:54 am

That's just plain scary :lol:

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