MattC10 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Hi all. I have been having so much fun brewing from extract kits for the past year! I have begun infusing them with ingredients of my own to enhance the already great flavors (my latest batch is a dark ale with cinnamon which is getting very good reviews from friends). QUESTION: despite the variety of brews that I have made, I still detect what I assume to be a yeast aftertaste... while I assume this is a characteristic of a bottle conditioned beer, I wonder if there is any way to cut or diminish this flavor? As always, I appreciate any insights you are willing to share! THANKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 hi matt, i would say three things will improve/change the taste. 1 keep the temp around 16-22C 2 be pateint and let the beer age 3 try another yeast. maybe you prefer the taste of another. chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Kits have always had a slight "twang" to them. However, I know a lot of people who have been fairly successful using hops to disguise this. Some people have also been successful brewing at different temps to change the flavour of the beer by way the yeast reacts. Different strains of yeast at different temps give different results. Some are good, alot are woeful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattC10 Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my post! It's such a pleasure to connect to fellow brewers from around the globe, and I always learn something from every response I receive! Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattC10 Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 I am really intrigued by the idea of using hops to mask the yeast flavor! Would you mind expanding on this? I recall reading that a person can enhance an extract kit by the use of hops...can you give me an idea of how to do this? I'm excited about this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Hops are a great way to improve kits Matt. There are various methods such as making a hop tea to add when mixing your brew (Just like a cup of tea the hops are steeped for a while in water just off the boil and the liquid is strained and added) or you can dry hop by adding hops dry into the fermentor for enhanced flavour and aroma. What styles of beer do you like? We can probably give you some info more specific to what you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Yeah what Muddy said [cool] You may also find THIS helpful. It indicates some of the common hops for different styles. Check the Recipe Resource on this site and you should find some easy basic recipes to start with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 if you are fermenting in a fridge and have temp control, then Cold Conditioning at 1-4'c for 4-5 days can help reduce the amount of yeast in suspension. at cooler temps (as above) yeast will go to sleep and fall out of the beer and collect in the base along with all the trub. I use this procedure with every brew now and you will find you get much clearer beer. Note: there will still always still be enough yeast in suspension to carb up in the bottle. The Majority of the yeast will drop out but unless you filter there will be enough yeast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I let my biers sit in primary for at least a week after FG is reached. This gives the bier more time to clean up after itself,& settle out/clear up to a slight haze. Then prime & bottle. Let the bottles sit for at least 3 weeks on average (for average gravity biers) To properly carbonate,as well as condition. Some times,4 weeks plus is needed for the best flavor. That's up to your tastes, ultimately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattC10 Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Thank you all for posting these great responses\u2014and apologies for taking so long to get reply! I am learning SO much and I am really looking forward to putting into practice what you have shared! I appreciate all of your help! So, my wheat beer kit just arrived. Would you recommend dry hopping or adding a \u201chop tea\u201d to it? If so, I would love to know what you recommend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattC10 Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Forgot to ask... do you recommend using a wheat beer yeast? I have read that they give a more authentic flavor and my local brew supply shop has many varieties, such as: Belgian Wheat 3942 Belgian Witbier 3944 Bavarian Wheat Blend 3056 Weihenstephan Wheat 3068 German Wheat 3333 Bavarian Wheat 3638 Does anyone recommend I use any of these over the yeast that came with the Cooper's kit? I appreciate your help! \u2014Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Hi Matt Wheat beers tend to not have an overly strong hop flavour and the flavour comes from the yeast used and the temperature of fermentation. But then again, it comes down to your taste and if you want to add hops then go for it. The yeast that comes with the Coopers kit is an Ale yeast, so if you are trying to produce a Belgian or Bavarian wheat beer you will have to get yourself a wheat beer yeast. Someone on the forum more knowledgeable than me will be able to recommend the yeast to use and the types of flavours produced at different temperatures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattC10 Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 Hi, and thanks for your reply! I appreciate your advice! \u2014Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Your choice here is really dependant on your own taste. You want a Belgium or German? The Weihenstephaner Heffeweizen is a great wheat from the oldest brewery. Weihenstephan yeast is the one most used around the world, it is easily manipulated through ferment temps to increase or decrease the esters (banana) and phenolics (clove). It leaves a lot of yeast in suspension so true to the heffeweizen style. Use the German if you prefer a clearer wheat (krystalweizen) with the same balance of banana and clove. The Bavarian Wheat Blend has less of the phenolics and esters (softer) and is the one if you are after a milder tasting wheat. Haven't used it, but have tasted the results of the Bavarian Wheat - very complex. The banana and clove was there but so was some apple/pear and even a hint of vanilla. The brewer swears nothing was added and these are characters of the yeast. I believe him but the jury is still out as to whether it is to my taste. Can't help with the Belgians... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattC10 Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 Wow! Very cool info \u2014 thank you for sharing with me! It's pretty amazing to me that the yeast can add so much flavor ( I never thought). I am getting very excited and feel that I could experiment with wheat beers quite happily for some time! Can you recommend a temp that I should try to maintain in order to get the banana and clove flavors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 It's a pleasure. There is an entire world of beer that is yeast driven! Belgian Ale is a great example! So, go with the Wiehenstephan. Here your choice is either ester (banana) or phenols (cloves). The balance is reliant mainly upon ferment temp but also on wort gravity and pitching rate. You wont have to be concerned about the latter two. 22-24C for more ester 17-20C for less ester (more noticeable phenols). Yes. You could experiment with different styles of wheat for a very long time. Even this recipe as your base to try the different yeast strains. Also, try dropping berries in a heffeweizen. I love a tart, Blueberry Heffe in summer. Also, note that this strain can be quite active at the higher temp Watch your headspace[rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I have a wheat beer down on my ever expanding list of beers to brew. I was planning on making it as we head back into summer (still a while away). What wheat style of yeast is WB-06? Is it Bavarian, German or other? I was just going to use a Coopers Wheat kit, a can of Coopers wheat malt and the WB-06 yeast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Nice base but I would add 500g dried wheat malt with ferment volume of 20 litres, OG should be approx 1.050 The ester and phenol are more subtle in the WB-06 so prob German rather then Bavarian. I have used it twice, pretty much the same recipe, same ferment temp but different OG's. The lighter one was, from memory, 1.035 to 1.040 and very low esters - banana barely perceptable. The first higher gravity (1.052) one was very high in ester. heffeweizen are great for brewing in late spring. They condition quickly and are perfect for summer[love] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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