Fail Thread (Mistakes You've Made) 2019

[Spudley]

On my last brew day , all grain Robobrew messed up water calculations and over sparged a lot , pre boil gravity was like ,u know, sex on the beach, FNW , read 1012 ffs,

good thing I had some Dex on hand to get a few points back .

Live and learn HAHAHAH

[Otto Von Blotto]

That's a hell of an over sparge

[Lab Cat]

I've had a pretty good run with pales and pils - nothing has been bad, some really good and just need the experience gained to make them even better next time.

But my two dark beers have been really disappointing. My Brown ale is watery thin (used a converter, not enough malt) and has a metallic bitterness.. It's drinkable, but no ones favourite.

My Hopgobbler has a burnt coffee aroma and bitterness that isn't pleasant, but that's only based on my 1 week bottled tester. The only things common to both these brews are chocolate malt - first time I've used it. Hardly any in the brown, 100g in the gobbler.

It's a shame because they look the goods - well carbed, great heads, and great colour, especially the deep but clear ruby of the Gobbler. But that's irrelevant if they taste bad.

I'll focus on the hopgobbler, as currently it's undrinkable for me. Wondering it soften over time if I store it? Here is my recipe, any ideas where I've erred?

NZ bitter can, 1kg malt, 200g crystal grain, 100g choc malt, 50g goldings - 15g@15 15g@10 and 20g flame. MJ M42 yeast.

So my recipe is missing the amber malt extract can and 500g LDM, which is coopers recipe. Perhaps this is where the sweetness to balance the dark grain will come from? I'd really like to make a good toffee caramel style old ale and would make the gobbler again, so long as I can avoid a disaster

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

There's nothing there that really sticks out. I make a brown ale in the cooler months with 200g chocolate malt and don't get any of that kind of thing happening, at least not in high enough amounts to make it bad. A week is pretty short though, try it after a month or two and it'll probably have mellowed. 

There are also two kinds of chocolate malt, pale and regular. The regular one is somewhat darker and has a more intense flavour than the pale variety. I use the regular one in my brown though, and other dark beers like stouts and porters, it works well but like anything it's probably not to everyone's taste. 

[Smashed Crabs]

56 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

My Hopgobbler has a burnt coffee aroma and bitterness that isn't pleasant, but that's only based on my 1 week bottled tester. The only things common to both these brews are chocolate malt - first time I've used it. Hardly any in the brown, 100g in the gobbler.

I had a similar experience when I made the Hopgobbler except I had a somewhat smoky flavor which I didn't enjoy when I sampled them 1 weekish in the bottle, I let them sit for a while longer and my perceived smokiness disappeared and turned into a decent brew. I used double the chocolate malt in mine thou just cause I had it in hand and wasn't going to use it on anything else which probably contributed to the unexpected taste. 

[porschemad911]

2 hours ago, Lab Rat said:

The only things common to both these brews are chocolate malt

Which chocolate malt did you use? They vary significantly between maltsters. I am not a fan of Joe White's, but really like Simpson's, Baird's and Voyager's.

Edit: And yes, the roasted malt character will mellow significantly over time, so don't give up hope just yet. 

Cheers,

John

Edited May 28, 2019 by porschemad911

[Lab Cat]

30 minutes ago, porschemad911 said:

Which chocolate malt did you use? They vary significantly between maltsters. I am not a fan of Joe White's, but really like Simpson's, Baird's and Voyager's.

Don't know, just milled from my LHBS, I'll ask.

Thanks all - perhaps way too early for the gobbler, but the brown hasn't improved after 7 weeks bottling, so that's why I'm thinking it's not going to change noticeably.

[Beerlust]

10 hours ago, Lab Rat said:

...My Hopgobbler has a burnt coffee aroma and bitterness that isn't pleasant, but that's only based on my 1 week bottled tester.

Did you hot steep or cold steep the roasted grain? I'm hinging my bets you hot steeped them.

Cold steeping overnight is supposed to minimize that acrid/bitter tone that typically presents from roasted grains in a mash or hot steep.

Coopers recommend the practice in a number of their dark DIY recipes. Perhaps give it a go next time. 

The Amber malt extract is a key component of the recipe as this is where the sweetness comes from. By not using it you've opened up the doorway for that bitter character from the roasted grains to present more obviously.

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Lab Cat]

I hot steeped the gobbler and then boiled after removing the grains. I cold steeped the grain for the Brown, and got much the same bitter result, only less prominent as much less choc malt was used.

[Beerlust]

10 hours ago, Lab Rat said:

I hot steeped the gobbler and then boiled after removing the grains. I cold steeped the grain for the Brown, and got much the same bitter result, only less prominent as much less choc malt was used.

As I mentioned in my earlier post Lab Rat, not using the Amber malt extract has heightened the roasted malt character due to not having a sweeter malt base created by it's inclusion.

The DIY recipes are well constructed & what is listed in them is important for very specific reasons. If you stray from them in any way, don't expect the same outcome.

Some people just don't get that. Don't expect your dog to shit on the lawn if you never let it out of the house.

Commonsense on outcomes is always there as an option but many seem to think that doesn't matter, then complain about the outcome(s).

Cutting corners on the Coopers DIY recipes has been the downfall of many a home brewer.

Just my 2 cents,

Lusty.

[Lab Cat]

Make your mind up lusty - is the steeping of the lack of extra malt? I pointed out that steeping method didn't seem to make a difference here.

I hardly skimped on the malt here. I might not have used amber, but I did use 1kg malt, so all up, I'm only missing 500g sugar from an amber addition. I don't see that reeling in this level of bitterness. But I may try it.

But feel free to throw in another 2c of patronising, smartarse responses and call them advice. I'm sure it's a terrific way for some people to learn, and probably keeps them coming back to hear your wisdom.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Lab Rat

[Lab Cat]

Not only that - I canvassed this recipe to the forum, and someone else had brewed it similar to how I was going to do it - but they used 150g choc and added dex instead of amber. No reports of burnt flavours with this, but i decided to hold off on that much choc malt.

I don't just make stuff up and wing it - I weigh up what certain ingredients do, and then choose to add more or less. Every brew has provided a learning expereince, with a change of approach for the next one, if I thought it was worth doing again.

[Beerlust]

You're taking it all the wrong way mate.

15 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

Make your mind up lusty - is the steeping of the lack of extra malt? I pointed out that steeping method didn't seem to make a difference here.

It possibly has else you wouldn't be complaining about the end result. Fair call for me to at least ask about the method you used?

19 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

...I hardly skimped on the malt here. I might not have used amber, but I did use 1kg malt, so all up, I'm only missing 500g sugar from an amber addition. I don't see that reeling in this level of bitterness. But I may try it.

The amber malt extract comprises a good whack of crystal malts that provide a sweeter malt character. Your belief that 1kg of light malt extract combined with 500gms of dextrose would in any way resemble the sweet malt character of crystal malt grains included in the amber malt extract is a mistake on your part, so don't blame me for that.

24 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

...But feel free to throw in another 2c of patronising, smartarse responses and call them advice.

There's nothing patronising in anything I said to you in my last post, just honesty. How you perceive that is completely up to you.

27 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

...I'm sure it's a terrific way for some people to learn, and probably keeps them coming back to hear your wisdom.

My wisdom doesn't even come into what I've said to you here. In this instance it's just a simple case of NOT straying from the outlined Coopers DIY recipe if you wish to achieve the desired outcome.

35 minutes ago, Lab Rat said:

...But I may try it.

I hope you do. 

Cheers,

Lusty.

[Pezzza]

FAIL FAIL FAIL..... ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH

My most precious precious All Grain No. 2 that I worked so hard on Sunday afternoon... let it cool overnight... decanted into the FANCY SCHMANCY Stainless Fermenter...

then attempt to insert the thermometer into the thermowell this morning ten minutes before having to hare off to work.... and  voilà... LEAKAGE !?!

via dodgy seal around thermowell.. that I had probs with before - and had only tested and which had worked perfectly under test the day prior...  NIGHTMARE.

Fortunately the ever faithful Coopers Plazzi was pretty clean - did a quick sterilization - and poured it across... FAR OUT.  Hopefully no contam in the rushed process... 

 

Massive unhappy fail... might see if I can change up to Silicon flat seals...  any suggestions most welcome.

 

 

 

[drewbert]

My first beer just over a week ago was massive fail for the ages. 

My instruction reading went full derp, and thought i should be shooting for 28 degrees, so when i hit 21 degrees and 23 litres (yes i know), i filled up to around 28 litres with hot water to get to temp. then drained it back to 23l.

I had not heated the can to get all the juice out, and had the biggest ever clumps of DME were in the wort. They got whisked back to manageable state. But still.

 

Then the last part of the calamity, when it came time to bottling, the drain straw thingie went missing. so filling was an absolute nightmare. 

 

Here is hoping that the next one goes a bit better. (FYI initial flat and warm taste test went kinda well)

[Gag.Halfrunt]

Decided to check brew this arvo, lid on fermenter stuck tight so in my wisdom i thought wacking it with a hammer to loosen it was a good idea.

Now massive chunk of lid in brew due to miss hit.

Fortunately its now  beer no longer wort and ready to be kegged so contamination shouldn't be a big problem.

A bit pissed of with my stupidity though.

Chilling it as fast as i can now prior to kegging. 

[Beer Baron]

1 minute ago, Gag.Halfrunt said:

Decided to check brew this arvo, lid on fermenter stuck tight so in my wisdom i thought wacking it with a hammer to loosen it was a good idea.

Now massive chunk of lid in brew due to miss hit.

Fortunately its now  beer no longer wort and ready to be kegged so contamination shouldn't be a big problem.

A bit pissed of with my stupidity though.

Chilling it as fast as i can now prior to kegging. 

Were you aiming for that spot??

[Gag.Halfrunt]

Na.  was trying to whack the handle in a sort of rotary motion but must have underestimated how brittle my 3 year old fermenter lid is.

How embarrassing.

[Gag.Halfrunt]

As an upside I can now smell how good my brew will be.

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

A soft mallet might be better in that situation than a hammer

[Beer Baron]

Or a gym membership instead of Thor’s hammer!!

[PaddyBrew2]

Or some jazz mags

[RepSpec]

not a brew fail but beer related...

Was pouring out a "Bridge road Nitro larger" for a fancy photo for here as it cascades similar to guiness...

Poured it out and went to sit the can on the top of my glass like it was still pouring.....

It fell and in the process of it falling i tried to grab it, then knocked over the glass i was pouring into. Ended up with maybe 1/4 of a can in the glass...

Wife thought it was funny...even helped clean up with me hahaha

Sadly...no photo

[Smashed Crabs]

Was excited to pour some of the RIS I was ageing ... Approx 9 months .. found the threshold for my PET bottles picked them all up and the bottles have gone from firm and carbonated to soft and a flat beer. Kinda glad I only saved a handful of them as it was a great beer, but was really looking forward to these. Lesson learner next time I'll use glass for them.

[Shamus O'Sean]

3 hours ago, Smashed Crabs said:

Was excited to pour some of the RIS I was ageing ... Approx 9 months .. found the threshold for my PET bottles picked them all up and the bottles have gone from firm and carbonated to soft and a flat beer. Kinda glad I only saved a handful of them as it was a great beer, but was really looking forward to these. Lesson learner next time I'll use glass for them.

Hi SC

Maybe think about a black and tan.  Mix the RIS with a fresher well carbonated ale.  Could make them drinkable.