| What's
Wrong With My Beer ? |
| I
hear the question once or twice a week. In many cases there is nothing
wrong with the beer. The two most common characteristics which account
for thinking something is wrong are immaturity and a lack of personality.
Not you, the beer. We advise all our customers to taste the beer during
each stage of brewing. It is important to learn the flavors and aromas
and become familiar with how they develop. Beer is a living thing and it
undergoes constant change. Your best inkling of how the finished beer will
taste comes at bottling time. The beer has had time to rest in the primary
or secondary fermenter and begin the maturing process. So, why is it that
a beer tastes one way prior to bottling and completely different once packaged?
The answer is chemistry. |
| Priming
sugar is added at bottling time so that the yeast has the food necessary
to continue fermentation. This is how the beer becomes carbonated. The
sugar reactivates the yeast causing the whole fermentation process to start
over again. This second childhood gives the beer a “Green’ unripe flavor.
The only cure for immaturity is time. Time to condition and stabilize.
I have noticed in my reviews of homebrewing competitions that most of the
winning beers have been in the bottle for four to six months. If you are
drinking your beer two weeks after bottling you are certainly missing out
on all that the beer could be. |
| Lack
of personality in your beer is the result of two factors. Recipe and process.
Most extract beer kits and recipes need a little
help with character. The processing of malt into concentrate is not without
sacrifice. Some malt character is lost as well as all hop flavor and aroma.
The homebrewer can compensate for the losses by adding to the recipe. Steeping
malted
grain is the easiest way to put distinct character back into the brew.
The most common grain for steeping is crystal malt. Crystal does not require
excessive mashing because it has already undergone a mashing/roasting process
which converts the starch to sugar. The malt is then roasted until dry.
The degree of roasting determines the amount of color a given quantity
of grain will impart to the wort. |
| Other
malts which add character through steeping are black patent and chocolate
used for Porters and Stouts, Munich and Dextrin which add body without
adding color. Adjuncts such as malto-dextrin which adds body and smoothness
are also available. Process plays an important part in building character
too. If you follow the instruction on most canned beer kits you will not
make the best beer possible. Simply reconstituting extract with hot water
will make reconstituted beer. It tastes like frozen orange juice mixed
with warm water and not allowed to chill before drinking. The flavors will
not be vivid or pronounced. Boiling the extract aids in dissolving the
concentrate and making it one with the water. Even if you only boil one
gallon of water with the extract for 20 minutes, the beer will taste better. |
| The
next time you open a homebrew and taste the results of your labor, don't
just taste for what's wrong. Take the time to taste what's missing. |
| How
to Make Green Beer |
| If
you happen to be bottling a light ale or lager
or even preparing to keg one why not add a touch
of blarney. This will even work as well with white wine. Prepare a solution
of fresh water (about 1 oz) and 4-8 drops of green food coloring. If your
beer is amber to red you may need more coloring. Mix the solution in a
microwavable glass dish. Heat it in the microwave until it boils. Cool
it and then add a few drops to a six pack. |
| Once
conditioned, offer it to friends of homebrew and tell them its is the oldest
Irish Ale ever made and let them open it and pour. The results should be
a vivid green head, just like the hillsides around Patty O’Brews back porch. |
