Bratwurst Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 I recently brewed my first from the the Thomas Cooper Premium Selection, the Traditional Draught. I've just had my first taste and it's horrible. I brewed it as recommended using 1.5kg of light malt extract, all use-by dates were OK. It had an OG of 1054 and an FG of 1018. The airlock bubbled rapidly for a bit over two days before coming to a complete stop on day 3. The brew temp stayed between 22 and 24. I bottled it on day 5 as there was no change in hydrometer readings. I am confident that everything was properly sanitised. I bottled as I always have, I am very particular when it comes to bottle hygiene. It actually tasted pretty good at bottling. The end result is a flat, lifeless beer with an unusual aroma and a sugary taste, (tastes a bit like the wort before adding yeast). It had a good head when poured, kept a slight head but there was no evidence of any bubble (bead?) in the beer itself. It's undrinkable the way it is. I've been home brewing for a while now but I've never had a result like this. Does anyone know what may have gone wrong? Cheers. Bratwurst :? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 A few questions - You say that it was within date but what was the Best Before date on the can (so I can look back at the brewing record)? Did you use the yeast supplied? Even though your ferment temp is a bit high for this style of beer it should still take about 7 days to achieve FG. So I am wondering about the health of the yeast. How long has it been in bottle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwurst Posted October 23, 2005 Author Share Posted October 23, 2005 The use-by date on the can said 28 Jan 06. I used the yeast supplied, the yeast sachet had a code rather than a use-by, the code was 008 06. It had been in the bottle for 2 weeks before I had a taste. I always taste one at about the 2 week mark and usually leave it for about 4 weeks before getting stuck right into them. I tried another out of curiosity and it was slightly better, still lacking a bead and still had the sweet aftertaste. As you said - the fermentation process was completed rather quickly but I thought that it tasted OK at bottling. Could the sweet taste be a result of poor yeast and a lack of secondary fermentation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 I find the FG for Traditional Draught usually gets down to around 1010-1012. However, if you didn't detect a sweet taste out of primary and you are getting a sweet taste and very little carbonation out of secondary you can assume that secondary fermentation has not worked effectively. Try shaking each bottle to help get all live yeast cells back into suspension and leave for a couple more weeks. Let us know how you get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kai Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 What temperature have your bottles been stored at? By the sounds of it I'd wait another couple weeks before worrying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwurst Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 At this time of the year the bottles would be stored at around 18 - 20 degrees. I've done what Paul suggested - given them a bit of a shake - and I'll sample another in a couple of weeks to see if there's any change. I'll let you know what happens. Cheers. Bratwurst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bratwurst Posted November 10, 2005 Author Share Posted November 10, 2005 After a couple more weeks on the shelf here's how it is. Quite cloudy. Head quickly fizzes away to nothing. It's rather flat - no noticeable bubble. The flavour has changed slightly - it doesn't taste as "herbal" as it did two weeks ago. It still has the sweet taste to it though. I don't think I'll be drinking much more of this batch - it's not very nice at all. Not to worry, I'll mark this one down to experience. :) I'm no expert but I think the yeast may have died during primary fermentation, (since it was over rather quickly), and secondary fermentation never took place. What do you think? Oh well, I'll just knock the top off a bottle of Coopers Bitter and lament my loss. Cheers Bratwurst :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 It appears that your brew is not infected. So, if you can spare the bottles, you may as well leave it a while longer...like a few months and give it another try. Many a time this can do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.