First timer, be gentle

[Classic Brewing Co]

30 minutes ago, dangerpinky said:

Hi all, completely new to this brewing business.

Got gifted a Keg King kegerator and thought I would give brewing a go.  Well... I attempted a Coopers Pale Ale with the store bought ingredients plus brew enhancer and kept fermentation at 20-22 the entire time. 

Wow, what a sh**t taste I created! initially it's got the standard Pale Ale taste but it's after taste is something different, rather chemically.  Not sure entirely what has gone wrong but probably many things.  Hydrometer said it had finished fermentation after 7 days and then I racked it into a keg.

Everything keg related was sanitized but the fermenter and like was only washed out as per instruction for first use.

Any thoughts or pointers before I attempt the next brew.

Cheers all. 

For a start 7 days is far too early to keg a brew, it needs time to totally ferment out & the yeast to settle as well as the overall wort to clean up.

I personally leave my brews for 14 days although some experienced brewers choose to keg/bottle after 10 days or so.

I would suggest re-think the next brew & follow the instructions more carefully. 

Good luck with your next brew.

Cheers Phil. 

[Triple B Brewing]

27 minutes ago, dangerpinky said:

Hi all, completely new to this brewing business.

Got gifted a Keg King kegerator and thought I would give brewing a go.  Well... I attempted a Coopers Pale Ale with the store bought ingredients plus brew enhancer and kept fermentation at 20-22 the entire time. 

Wow, what a sh**t taste I created! initially it's got the standard Pale Ale taste but it's after taste is something different, rather chemically.  Not sure entirely what has gone wrong but probably many things.  Hydrometer said it had finished fermentation after 7 days and then I racked it into a keg.

Everything keg related was sanitized but the fermenter and like was only washed out as per instruction for first use.

Any thoughts or pointers before I attempt the next brew.

Cheers all. 

Welcome @dangerpinky to wonderful world of  home brewing - WOOHOO  

Sorry to hear your first attempt has gone a little sideways, but hey, that can happen. The trick is to learn from it and move forward. 
As @Kegory has alluded to, the cause can sometimes be a little bit different to pinpoint. 
I’m sure there will be lots of members providing you with areas to consider, but for me I would simply suggest;

• Stick to (another) simple recipe 
• Ensure all equipment and is thoroughly cleaned and sterilised 
• Have a look at the Coopers instructional videos 
• Follow all directions accurately.
• Keep search for and asking questions on this forum. 

Wishing you a successful second brew cobber. 

Cheers n cold beers

[dangerpinky]

Thanks for the replies.

I did use water through my filter tap but I wouldn't have a clue what the chlorine level is/was.  I know from looking at SA Water, the water from the tap in my area has the following mix.

I'll admit, I followed instruction from YouTubers who said fermentation could be done in 6days and racking straight after.  I'll take more care with the next attempt and following the instruction on the label.

Do you think I need to do anything to the water based on the below.

Cheers all.

 

[ozdevil]

2 minutes ago, dangerpinky said:

Thanks for the replies.

I did use water through my filter tap but I wouldn't have a clue what the chlorine level is/was.  I know from looking at SA Water, the water from the tap in my area has the following mix.

I'll admit, I followed instruction from YouTubers who said fermentation could be done in 6days and racking straight after.  I'll take more care with the next attempt and following the instruction on the label.

Do you think I need to do anything to the water based on the below.

Cheers all.

 

your looking at your second brew  don't add  complications that are not necessary as an extract brewer

water chemistry can come down the path a bit later .

as @Kegory  stated i would just look at removing the chlorine and chloromine  buy using a 1/2 cambden tabelet .

another way you could do this is by obtaining a caravan filter  i have been using puretec cr20 1 micron filter easy to use and can be run in either direction.

but most people do not add salts or remove salts until they start all grain brewing and even for beginner all grain brewer   the basics should come 1st.

on another note   not many use those water reports   you are showing  , alot of people get there water tested  to what their water report is  
as   the water can vary  a bit   from when the water company in your state tests yor drinking water .

at your 2nd brew of extract  i dont think its necessarory  to go down this rabbithole .   just follow the instructions  and allow the yeast to  do its thing and to clean up afterwards asnd try to maintain the  same temp  .   

with in time your good beer will become great beers 

 

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 hour ago, dangerpinky said:

Thanks for the replies.

I did use water through my filter tap but I wouldn't have a clue what the chlorine level is/was.  I know from looking at SA Water, the water from the tap in my area has the following mix.

I'll admit, I followed instruction from YouTubers who said fermentation could be done in 6days and racking straight after.  I'll take more care with the next attempt and following the instruction on the label.

Do you think I need to do anything to the water based on the below.

Cheers all.

 

Wow, that's a bit too much to take on with this early stage in extract brewing,  I wouldn't worry about that at least until you venture into AG brewing.

[Aussiekraut]

12 hours ago, dangerpinky said:

Hi all, completely new to this brewing business.

Got gifted a Keg King kegerator and thought I would give brewing a go.  Well... I attempted a Coopers Pale Ale with the store bought ingredients plus brew enhancer and kept fermentation at 20-22 the entire time. 

Wow, what a sh**t taste I created! initially it's got the standard Pale Ale taste but it's after taste is something different, rather chemically.  Not sure entirely what has gone wrong but probably many things.  Hydrometer said it had finished fermentation after 7 days and then I racked it into a keg.

Everything keg related was sanitized but the fermenter and like was only washed out as per instruction for first use.

Any thoughts or pointers before I attempt the next brew.

Cheers all. 

The temperature seems fine, so no dramas here.

If the beer was in the fermenter for 7 days and then went straight into the keg, I am not surprised it doesn't taste particularly well. While not strictly necessary, I'd leave the beer in the fermenter for a week after it finished. That gives the yeast time to drop out and clean up after itself. If you don't do that, a lot of the sediment that would drop out in the FV ends up in the keg and then in your glass.

How long was the beer in the keg for when you tried it? If connected to serving pressure, the beer may be gassed up after a week but it should still be given some time to mature. Two weeks in the keg is adequate. I know it is hard to wait, especially if it is the first brew but patience is key. 

Pointers for the next brew? Don't overcomplicate things. Don't think about water chemistry just yet. You're learning the basics, so stick to your guns. Once you have a few brews under your belt, then you can think about changing things, experimenting etc. It is important to establish a baseline and to get your process straight.

 

[Marty_G]

13 hours ago, dangerpinky said:

Hi all, completely new to this brewing business.

Got gifted a Keg King kegerator and thought I would give brewing a go.  Well... I attempted a Coopers Pale Ale with the store bought ingredients plus brew enhancer and kept fermentation at 20-22 the entire time. 

Wow, what a sh**t taste I created! initially it's got the standard Pale Ale taste but it's after taste is something different, rather chemically.  Not sure entirely what has gone wrong but probably many things.  Hydrometer said it had finished fermentation after 7 days and then I racked it into a keg.

Everything keg related was sanitized but the fermenter and like was only washed out as per instruction for first use.

Any thoughts or pointers before I attempt the next brew.

Cheers all. 

Welcome, 1st thing just rest assured that the brews will get better. All the advice so far is great.  The best way to improve your brews is temp control. If you have a spare fridge or can get one super cheap or free off MarketPlace invest in a  temp controller. It will override the thermostat on the fridge and control the ferment temp for you. If you can keep the temp at around 18-20C you will see a huge improvement in quality.     

[NBillett09]

@dangerpinky a lot of brand new home brewers need what Paul Crewe in The longest Yard calls a "Tune up game", basically you need a simple easy win to get your confidence up and a good result to get you keen to keep going. I think most people here have already suggested, but would agree that you need a simple recipe, and to get a few basics right so that you get a nice simple brew done and dusted so you can enjoy and plan the next one.

A tin of Coopers APA + a box of BE2 like you tried is a great start!

Before you begin any making, go through all your equipment and bottles and wash it all SUPER thoroughly with a soft cloth,  and the bottles with a brush.

Once its all sparkly clean thoroughly sanitize everything, the instructions in the Coopers FAQ section are a great place to start: 

https://www.diybeer.com/au/brewing-support/

Once your sure everything is cleaned and sanitized as best as possible, then you can begin the brewing again! Your filtered water would be absolutely fine for extract kit brewing. Sounds like you know what to do with the actual mixing/making of it.

Keep it at 20-22 as you did last time, only change would be like the other Gurus here said, try and leave it for 14 days in the fermentation vessel. This is probably best practice for a beginner as its an easy guide to stick to that pretty much guarantees fermentation is complete and the yeast has cleaned up after its self (makes for a much nicer result).

I gather you're kegging your brews rather than bottling but I believe the guidance to leave it to mature for 2 weeks is sound advice for either method. Should taste pretty great after all this!

Let us know how you go with brew no. 2, we love hearing about/seeing the photos of the improvements you get!

[Oldbloke]

Hi dangerpinky,

7 days is not ideal but if hydrometer said bottle, then its good to go. I doubt that's the problem. 

Is it possible you sanitised and left some of the sanitiser in the keg?

Personally I don't have "chemical" flavours in my beer and can't taste or smell chlorine.  I just use chlorinated tap water like most do.

However,  many years ago I had 2 brews that when ready to bottle had a "white skin/film" floating on the top of the beer. 

After bottling and maturing it was sh1t with a "chemical " flavour. So went on the garden. Did you notice a white skin". 

 

 

https://www.diybeer.com/au/faqs/#FAQ_7_01

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by Oldbloke

[Classic Brewing Co]

23 hours ago, Aussiekraut said:

Hydrometer said it had finished fermentation after 7 days and then I racked it into a keg.

I totally agree with @Aussiekraut 7 days is far too early to keg/bottle your beer even if the hydrometer tells you otherwise, it could be faulty or need calibrating.

Once the beer is fermented it still needs to settle, have time for the yeast to clean up & generally condition your beer. I for one leave mine for 14 days before kegging.

As it has been suggested there are many other factors to cause the off taste you encountered from the age/condition of the yeast used to the temperature fluctuations etc.

Stick to the basics, follow each step until you perfect it, it is a good idea to keep records/brewing notes so you can reflect on & also improve on past brews.

Once you start producing an acceptable beer that tastes good with head retention & mouth feel you are on the way to make great beers.

I would experiment with the other brews available, Real Ale, Dark Ale, Stout but the Coopers Pale Ale would be one of the best & most popular in the range.

There are many ways to improve your beer from specialty yeasts, malts, hops etc. but just keep it simple to start with.

Good Luck.

Phil

[Oldbloke]

Yes,  that's the interesting thing about HB. Some think it needs to be in the FV for ummm,,, 12-14 days or the roof will fall in. Yes,  dad always bottled on day 6. Because of work, I bottled on the 7th day, for perhaps 25years. God help me,  my beer was great, roof didn't fall and I'm still making HB that all my mates and family love.

 

Go figure. 

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by Oldbloke

[Back Brewing]

10 minutes ago, Oldbloke said:

Yes,  that's the interesting thing about HB. Some think it needs to be in the FV for ummm,,, 12-14 days or the roof will fall in. Yes,  dad always bottled on day 6. Because of work, I bottled on the 7th day, for perhaps 25years. God help me,  my beer was great, roof didn't fall and I'm still making HB that all my mates and family love.

 

Go figure. 

 

Yeah different methods for different people as long as it works and your happy with the beer my last brew I kegged and bottled on day 9 and its tasting good

Edited December 12, 2023 by Back Brewing

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

28 minutes ago, Oldbloke said:

Yes,  that's the interesting thing about HB. Some think it needs to be in the FV for ummm,,, 12-14 days or the roof will fall in. Yes,  dad always bottled on day 6. Because of work, I bottled on the 7th day, for perhaps 25years. God help me,  my beer was great, roof didn't fall and I'm still making HB that all my mates and family love.

 

Go figure. 

 

Yeah everyone has their own ways but the standard recepie he gave plus the temp he gave tells me was finished in 3 or 4 days.  Plus my own experience the Coopers yeast ripped through the brews especially over 20. 

The only thing I can say us you're beers sit for a while in the bottle before drinking. If he has kegged on day 7 and tried to drink straight away it would still be green it could have done with more days or a cc.

[Oldbloke]

Yep, day 9 or 10 is my usual these days too.

[Oldbloke]

Personally I think BE3 is the go to for beginners.  It's about 30% LDME and that makes a big difference.  

 

There are literally 100s of recipes out there. But any of the coopers cans plus BE3 left in the FV for 9 or more days will produce the goods.  (Temp abt 20c)

Not sure about kegging but time in the bottle can make a huge difference too.

Edited December 12, 2023 by Oldbloke

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

7 minutes ago, Oldbloke said:

Personally I think BE3 is the go to for beginners.  It's about 30% LDME and that makes a big difference.  

 

There are literally 100s of recipes out there. But any of the coopers cans plus BE3 left in the FV for 9 or more days will produce the goods.  (Temp abt 20c)

Not sure about kegging but time in the bottle can make a huge difference too.

50%  LDM I think mate

[Oldbloke]

Here they are. Yep 50%

 

 

 

[Moul I mean]

Waiting, and anticipation rising. Sunday bottling hopefully, makes 14 days in FV. Two + weeks the till bottles go I fridge.

On the topic of fridges, nice tie in there, have an opportunity for a fridge for nothing, large, it works etc, as I live in a very hot climate at the moment, 45 last week on some days, would a temp controller to be bought plus the fridge be beneficial. 
 

probably over stepping since this will be the first of hopefully many from now on. 

 

thoughts?

[Back Brewing]

2 minutes ago, Moul I mean said:

Waiting, and anticipation rising. Sunday bottling hopefully, makes 14 days in FV. Two + weeks the till bottles go I fridge.

On the topic of fridges, nice tie in there, have an opportunity for a fridge for nothing, large, it works etc, as I live in a very hot climate at the moment, 45 last week on some days, would a temp controller to be bought plus the fridge be beneficial. 
 

probably over stepping since this will be the first of hopefully many from now on. 

 

thoughts?

Absolutely 

[jennyss]

11 minutes ago, Moul I mean said:

have an opportunity for a fridge

Grab it with gusto and gratitude - a great opportunity!

[Oldbloke]

9 minutes ago, Moul I mean said:

Waiting, and anticipation rising. Sunday bottling hopefully, makes 14 days in FV. Two + weeks the till bottles go I fridge.

On the topic of fridges, nice tie in there, have an opportunity for a fridge for nothing, large, it works etc, as I live in a very hot climate at the moment, 45 last week on some days, would a temp controller to be bought plus the fridge be beneficial.? 
 

probably over stepping since this will be the first of hopefully many from now on. 

 

thoughts?

Yes, there is no doubt good temp control helps.  Like many I bought an Inkbird controller. It has both heating and cooling control. Put your FV in the fridge & If it gets too hot, fridge turns on, too cold your heater turns on. 

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/265358050138?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=AkES-Q4jTrK&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=a0ITO8wDTFO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

I bought one from this bloke. Excellent service regarding warranty. 

[Kegory]

1 hour ago, Moul I mean said:

Waiting, and anticipation rising. Sunday bottling hopefully, makes 14 days in FV. Two + weeks the till bottles go I fridge.

On the topic of fridges, nice tie in there, have an opportunity for a fridge for nothing, large, it works etc, as I live in a very hot climate at the moment, 45 last week on some days, would a temp controller to be bought plus the fridge be beneficial. 
 

probably over stepping since this will be the first of hopefully many from now on. 

 

thoughts?

Nice, new year, first beer. Be aware that it can still improve over a number of weeks or months, depending on the style, after conditioning.

Defintitely get the fridge, and inkbird, and a heatbelt. You won't regret it.

[Pale Man]

On 12/12/2023 at 8:18 AM, Classic Brewing Co said:

I totally agree with @Aussiekraut 7 days is far too early to keg/bottle your beer even if the hydrometer tells you otherwise, it could be faulty or need calibrating.

Once the beer is fermented it still needs to settle, have time for the yeast to clean up & generally condition your beer. I for one leave mine for 14 days before kegging.

As it has been suggested there are many other factors to cause the off taste you encountered from the age/condition of the yeast used to the temperature fluctuations etc.

Stick to the basics, follow each step until you perfect it, it is a good idea to keep records/brewing notes so you can reflect on & also improve on past brews.

Once you start producing an acceptable beer that tastes good with head retention & mouth feel you are on the way to make great beers.

I would experiment with the other brews available, Real Ale, Dark Ale, Stout but the Coopers Pale Ale would be one of the best & most popular in the range.

There are many ways to improve your beer from specialty yeasts, malts, hops etc. but just keep it simple to start with.

Good Luck.

Phil

Around 8 - 9 days for my beers. Always ready to cold crash for 2 days then keg or bottle. So I have a 10 day turn around. 14 days in the fermenter to me is far too long. Those last 4 days give anything a chance. These days modern yeasts do their job pretty quickly.

[Pale Man]

On 12/12/2023 at 8:18 AM, Classic Brewing Co said:

Once the beer is fermented it still needs to settle, have time for the yeast to clean up & generally condition your beer. I for one leave mine for 14 days before kegging.

 

 

Beers condition in the keg or bottle Phil. As soon as that FG has stabilized in the fermenter, get it out of there.

[Moul I mean]

Pale Man, newbie here:) , Cold crash? Ok will do research on that ,