10 replies to this topic

[Deerslyr]

Hot and humid summer + too many other things going on = not a lot of brewing

 

I really need to be better about it.  I also let my Hefe sit in the primary for a couple of months.  Yeah... that's how lazy I was!  Anyways, I kegged it and put it on gas.  After a week I tasted it and it was not like my standard Hefe.  I chalked it up to sitting for too long.  Took another draw tonight (after a few weeks... I had a 2 week cold between the time I kegged it and now) just to see.  Well... not as bad as I thought.  It tastes more like a sour beer.  Not what I was shooting for, but I like sours, so I don't think I'll be dumping it.

 

Standard German Hefe recipe.  Any ideas what happened?  If a wheat sits for too long, is it typical for it to go sour?

[Big Nake]

I've had life get in the way and left beers in primary for 5-6 weeks thinking for sure that the beer would suffer. But not only were they fine but they were clear too. I don't think you would get "sour" from extra time on the yeast. If it were truly autolysis, I think it would be funky, rubbery and more problematic than you describe. Now that the fall is here, you should get an ale yeast up and running and make some back-to-back batches with the same yeast. Get some 1056 and make a pale ale, a red ale, an amber ale and a blonde or something. Use different hops so that they have a different character and just crank them out.

Ps. I don't think that "wheat" in general would do anything different than any other brewing grain.

[Deerslyr]

You are probably right.  It might have picked up a little bug or something sitting for so long.  I did notice that there was a small crack in the lid.  I've got new fermenters, so that should help now.

 

I do have a small amount of equipment maintenance that I need to do before I brew...  But yeah... I should either do a back to back, or maybe crank out a 10 gallon batch and use two different yeasts.

[Big Nake]

You are probably right.  It might have picked up a little bug or something sitting for so long.  I did notice that there was a small crack in the lid.  I've got new fermenters, so that should help now.
 
I do have a small amount of equipment maintenance that I need to do before I brew...  But yeah... I should either do a back to back, or maybe crank out a 10 gallon batch and use two different yeasts.

Boom, there you go. You gasta have beer available!

[Deerslyr]

Boom, there you go. You gasta have beer available!

I say that now... but I'll probably be back here in December talking about how I let time pass me by and now it's too cold to brew outside.

I should just break down and get a Picobrew Zymatic... sell all my old equipment.

[HVB]

I say that now... but I'll probably be back here in December talking about how I let time pass me by and now it's too cold to brew outside.

I should just break down and get a Picobrew Zymatic... sell all my old equipment.

 

So debatable

[Deerslyr]

So debatable

I know... but at this point, I'm having problems with "process", leading to beer that is just "ok".  I wouldn't mind focusing on recipe building so I get consistent product every time.

[MakeMeHoppy]

My local homebrew shop owner got a picobrew and loves it. Makes if so much easier to squeeze a brew day in and like you mention allows you to concentrate on things like your recipe formulation instead of your brewing process.

[positiveContact]

I say that now... but I'll probably be back here in December talking about how I let time pass me by and now it's too cold to brew outside.

I should just break down and get a Picobrew Zymatic... sell all my old equipment.

 

none of those systems will fix the problem you likely seem to have had since they don't have anything to do with the process beyond the point of chilling the wort.  sanitation, fermentation, racking, etc. is still all on the brewer (and our single celled friends).

Edited by Evil_Morty, 02 October 2016 - 05:02 AM.

[Deerslyr]

none of those systems will fix the problem you likely seem to have had since they don't have anything to do with the process beyond the point of chilling the wort.  sanitation, fermentation, racking, etc. is still all on the brewer (and our single celled friends).

I think I'd actually be more on top of it.  Since my last brew, I've picked up a couple of Vittle Vaults that I've converted into fermenters.  Part of the reason I've become so lazy about it is that I really detest how the process of a brew day has gone.  I can't say that since leaving California in 2011 that I've had an enjoyable brew day, or that any of my brews have been particularly noteworthy...  which happened quite frequently out there.  It kind of affects my mindset with all the stuff to follow.  Eliminate some brewday "process" issues and I'll be more inclined to fully engage in the rest.

[neddles]

I think I'd actually be more on top of it. Since my last brew, I've picked up a couple of Vittle Vaults that I've converted into fermenters. Part of the reason I've become so lazy about it is that I really detest how the process of a brew day has gone. I can't say that since leaving California in 2011 that I've had an enjoyable brew day, or that any of my brews have been particularly noteworthy... which happened quite frequently out there. It kind of affects my mindset with all the stuff to follow. Eliminate some brewday "process" issues and I'll be more inclined to fully engage in the rest.

Have you ever investigated your water content? Maybe that changed quite a bit from what you were using in Cali.?