Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

cider taste in my homebrew

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • cider taste in my homebrew

    Hello everyone,
    I'm new to the art of brewing beer, and so far, all of the beer I've brewed has a cider taste to it. Wether I go from homebrew kits (i.e. Coopers, Geordie, etc) or from using kits that don't require any sugar additions (all grain kits), the end result is either a sweet tasting or plainly cider-like beer. I even started utilizing non-hopped malt extracts, that require the boiling of hops and grain malts additions, with liquid 'Brewer's Yeast' with a better result, but still with that cider taste.

    Don't know what to do. Any advice on how I could create a blonde beer that does not taste like limonaid?

    Thanks!

    Neophyte

  • #2
    Try searching this website, it's specifically for homebrewers and there is alot of info there.

    Discussion forums covering general homebrew topics, all-grain brewing, recipe exchange, as well as wine and mead making.


    Off the cuff, I can suggest two things, sugar and water.
    1) white table sugar can cause a cidery flavor (if you're using it)
    2) Blonde beer is very difficult, as the water properties can be more noticable. You'll need to consult some homebrew books on water and compare your own water.
    Good Luck.

    Comment


    • #3
      Hello neo.
      It sounds to me like you could have an acetaldehyde problem.
      Factors that can lead to an increase in acetaldehyde:
      Temperature increase during fermentation
      Applying pressure during primary fermentation
      Insufficcient wort aeration
      Infected wort
      Any one of these factors could be responsible.
      In order to lose this flavor in your beer you will want to maintain a consistent primary fermentation temperature ( depending on the style of beer Ales vs Lagers).
      Make sure your vessels are properly vented so that the co2 can escape.
      Consider your aeration method and see if it can't be improved.
      And be sure to practice extreme cleanliness.

      Good luck

      Comment


      • #4
        kdonohue10 and vigs

        Thanks for the response guys! For the record, I only use corn sugar (liquid or powder), changed detergents, went to open primary fermentation; the only thing I haven't check is the properties of the bottled water I buy (changed supplier twice also!).

        Could it be linked with the fact that I use malt extracts? One of the all-grain kits I've tried is the Brewhouse, where you only need to add water. No better!!

        Comment


        • #5
          Hello,
          Your biggest mistake is using corn sugar. That may have been appropriate back in the day but, now you have better options. Light Dry Malt Extract would be better - but will lead to a fuller flavoured beer.
          Your yeast go in and blitz out on the corn sugar, fermenting away quickly, but not quite like they should. A brew with more fermentables derived from malt will provide a more round flavour with less off taste. Temperature control is key in the case of your beer.
          The other thing is, if you're using malt tins that are more than a year from production - which is entirely possible given the shipping distances of Geordie & Coopers - your fermentables will suffer for it. The malt extract does not like being canned - a reaction occurs that causes more and more of the malt sugars to be unfermentable while the malt sits on the shelf.
          Being formerly employed in a shop that sold Brewhouse kits, I can safely say that they're wonderful stuff. Take that with whatever grain of salt you want, but they're consistent & ferment very well due to being an All-Grain Wort. Check the Batch code on the beer style sticker before purchase. If you call the people at RJ Spagnol's, they'll arm you with the info you need to purchase those kits FRESH (as close to the packing date as possible).

          That said, corn sugar is great for bottling - you get a quick complete re-ferment in the bottle. And at 3/4 - 1 cup - you'd be hard pressed to taste it in the brew.

          Happy Brewing,
          Dave Rudge
          Head Brewer
          Bushwakker Brewing Co.

          Comment


          • #6
            I got this cider taste also, but could it be that I diddn't wash or sanitize the plastic bottles? (brand new with nothing ever in them)

            I used proper dextrose and kept the brew temp at a constant 22-24C (in range for ale yeast).

            Comment


            • #7
              When you say "I only use corn sugar " or "I used proper dextrose", do you mean in the wort itself during fermentation, or as a priming sugar for bottle conditioning? I've seen homebrew kits that specify adding non-malt sugars during fermentation, but you won't get a good result from that approach.

              As a priming sugar, it shouldn't be a problem.

              I agree with kdonohue10 and rudge75 that fresh ingredients, good aeration, sanitation and temperature control are things that'll make or break your beer.

              Cheers, Tim

              Comment


              • #8
                probrewer.com

                or

                homebrewer.com?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Well...

                  Yep, this is Probrewer.com. However, I think most if not all of us made our first batches of beer at home. You were a homebrewer first, weren't you?

                  I'm glad to be able to help anyone who wants to brew good beer, whether it be in their kitchen or in some state-of-the-art commercial brewing facility.

                  It's not like this message board is using up a ton of bandwidth!

                  Cheers, Tim

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    ok ok sorry. Just seems that there are a TON of hb related sites out there.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      And if you want quick pro. grade advice you go to the best...Probrewer.com.

                      I could understand if "neophyte" was tying up bandwidth which is not the case.

                      Hey, Hoppy Beer to all!
                      Cheers & I'm out!
                      David R. Pierce
                      NABC & Bank Street Brewhouse
                      POB 343
                      New Albany, IN 47151

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Sorry guys if this is the wrong place.
                        I will be moving to a keg system soon.

                        Anyway, thanks for the advice tarmadilo
                        I'll switch to a malt-sugar for my primary fermentation.
                        I've been using caster sugar for priming.

                        Cheers,
                        Cas

                        Comment

                        Working...
                        X