I suppose I could do more, a few minutes, making sure everything's rinsed a bit, maybe I should do two or hree thorough rinses? Yes normal tap water but with no noticeable chlorine taste, although I have been drinking it all my life so might be time to get a water quality report, although I thought the campden should have gone some way to at least minimising any ill effect of chlorine.Andy wrote:How much rinsing of the FV / kit do you do after the 10 mins are up and do you use normal tap water for that ? Is there a noticeable chlorine smell/taste to your normal water supply ?
that home brew taste
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anomalous_result
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prodigal2
!
Would the taste be a slight metallic sweet taste, that hits the palate at the beginning of each mouthful? If thats the case its something that JP and myself kind of describe as "that kit taste" its also a flavour that tends to dissipate over time(couple or so months). If that is what you are getting and if it is annoying I believe that dried kits don't suffer from it, and trust me you dont get the kit taste with AG(though that does open up a totally different world of pedantisum!)
Sitting on yeast or "yeast bite" is something as yet I have not suffered from and some of my beers have sat in the primary for 3 weeks or so!
So the flavour your getting is it sweet, metallic, medicinal, tart????????? Or is it a mouthfeel thing?
Sitting on yeast or "yeast bite" is something as yet I have not suffered from and some of my beers have sat in the primary for 3 weeks or so!
So the flavour your getting is it sweet, metallic, medicinal, tart????????? Or is it a mouthfeel thing?
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MickyD
My first kit tasted crap, which if you have read my posts you will see I put down to the chlorine in the water.
The Admirals I used a campden tablet in the water before mixing the brew up. There is still that strange twang, which is like Prodigal2 said an almost sweet metallic taste at the beginning of each mouthful.
The Admirals has now been bottled for 4 or 5 weeks and that twang has started to back off, so hopefully with time it will disappear.
I have been tasting various shop bought beers (purely for research you understand
) and if you taste carefully its in them as well.
My conclusion is, that I need to treat the water (easy peasy) and give the beer more time to mature (not so easy peasy).
I'd give your beer a good 5/6 weeks then go back to it and taste it then. Thats what I am going to try and do with the Smugglers.
The Admirals I used a campden tablet in the water before mixing the brew up. There is still that strange twang, which is like Prodigal2 said an almost sweet metallic taste at the beginning of each mouthful.
The Admirals has now been bottled for 4 or 5 weeks and that twang has started to back off, so hopefully with time it will disappear.
I have been tasting various shop bought beers (purely for research you understand
) and if you taste carefully its in them as well.My conclusion is, that I need to treat the water (easy peasy) and give the beer more time to mature (not so easy peasy).
I'd give your beer a good 5/6 weeks then go back to it and taste it then. Thats what I am going to try and do with the Smugglers.
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anomalous_result
Will definately try to leave it longer, but I want the bottles to put more beer in for Christmas. I reckon I'll open them proper in another few weeks so that I've drunk them by the middle of November so can put in another load and leave it 6 weeks for Christmas. Here's hoping it's just my impatience 
And yes I would perhaps say it was metallic, not sure about sweet though, more bitter and sharp than anything else. Might look into a local craft brewers meeting and see about help there.
Also in the what are you drinking thread I showed you some bottles from a local micro, on the back they have 'born on' and 'bottled on' dates. Well all of them were bottled less than two weeks ago and taste fine, so it might be a kit thing that needs to age out, maybe a preservative type thing?
And yes I would perhaps say it was metallic, not sure about sweet though, more bitter and sharp than anything else. Might look into a local craft brewers meeting and see about help there.
Also in the what are you drinking thread I showed you some bottles from a local micro, on the back they have 'born on' and 'bottled on' dates. Well all of them were bottled less than two weeks ago and taste fine, so it might be a kit thing that needs to age out, maybe a preservative type thing?
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StrangeBrew
- Under the Table
- Posts: 1046
- Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2006 7:07 pm
- Location: A shed in Kent
I don't think it's anything to do with Richie's or any other good sanitiser if used and rinsed correctly.
I've never expirienced this odd taste with the kits that I have brewed although my brother-in-law says he can taste it in them.
Could it possibly be something to do with the individuals palate/taste buds?
I've never expirienced this odd taste with the kits that I have brewed although my brother-in-law says he can taste it in them.
Could it possibly be something to do with the individuals palate/taste buds?
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anomalous_result
I'm beginning to think so as what my Dad calls pretty good I'm finding not exactly hard to drink, but far from even a mass-produced common ale. The thing is that it's happened in every brew so think it's either a common ingredient in the kits or my technique, which, having followed instructions/web advice can't be too far off decent.
I've realised I've got a few bottles spare at the moment though. This means that I can brew my next batch before I've finished the current one, so can leave a few bottles for 8-10 weeks to see if it is just a case of under-conditioning.
Will update in a few weeks no doubt.
I've realised I've got a few bottles spare at the moment though. This means that I can brew my next batch before I've finished the current one, so can leave a few bottles for 8-10 weeks to see if it is just a case of under-conditioning.
Will update in a few weeks no doubt.
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delboy
I think you must have a bit of an educated palate and are picking up the 'kit taste' treating the water and not using bucket loads of sugar seem to get you about 80 % of the way from that homebrew taste but to totally eradicate it you need to move to all grain, at least thats my experience (i think i've read though that using only dried malt and your own hops etc gets you to almost no homebrew taste).
Must admit all the LME based kits I have done have had a similar background taste, but I can't for the life of me describe its character. Tonight I've got an all DME Brewer's Choice on the go (Old Ale, a very good "Old Peculiar" alike) and that 'homebrew' taste really isn't there. It's got to be something to with the way LME is made or stored.
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MickyD
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Alton_Bee
The October issue of BYO is heavily tilted towards Extract (and therefore Kit) brewing.
One thing they point out which MIGHT be a cause of "Homebrew" twang is the way the extract is made. Baically first a normal wortis made and then the WATER is evaporated or distilled off. All the salts from the original wort are left in the extract. Therefore if you add your normal tap water without any treatment you are also adding additonal minerals toyour beer. This of course depends on what your local tap water is like - but might be worth considering in your preparations.
I guess this would explain why your Smugglers lacks that "taste" MickyD !!
One thing they point out which MIGHT be a cause of "Homebrew" twang is the way the extract is made. Baically first a normal wortis made and then the WATER is evaporated or distilled off. All the salts from the original wort are left in the extract. Therefore if you add your normal tap water without any treatment you are also adding additonal minerals toyour beer. This of course depends on what your local tap water is like - but might be worth considering in your preparations.
I guess this would explain why your Smugglers lacks that "taste" MickyD !!
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anomalous_result