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Author Topic: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine  (Read 11324 times)

Offline jkmetz

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My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« on: September 05, 2010, 02:19:50 pm »
I have been fermenting a Wheat Ale for about 3 weeks now and I took a sip of it and it tasted like dry wine. This is my first batch and i was wondering if anyone else has had the same problem and if it corrects itself?

Thanks

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2010, 02:35:42 pm »
Can you post your recipe and fermentation conditions?  That will help diagnose what's going on.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline majorvices

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2010, 02:43:44 pm »
Is it carbonated yet? Carbonation will drastically change the flavor of the beer. As Tom said, though, we need more info. Recipe, what yeast you used, what temp you fermented and what temp you pitched your yeast.

Offline jkmetz

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2010, 02:48:32 pm »
5lb wheat dry malt extract
bittering hop pellets (4-5 AAU's)
1/2 Oz hallertauer hop pellets (aroma)
Safale WB-06 Ale Yeast

Stored in dark room with the temperature at 71 degrees. I had beer in primary for 3 days then transferred over to secondary glass carboy. Been in secondary for 14 days.

Offline jkmetz

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2010, 02:53:27 pm »
Is it carbonated yet? Carbonation will drastically change the flavor of the beer. As Tom said, though, we need more info. Recipe, what yeast you used, what temp you fermented and what temp you pitched your yeast.


I have not carbonated my beer yet... the directions of my kit tells me to right before i bottle. The temp of the wort before yeast was around 65 degrees.

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2010, 02:57:06 pm »
Do you have a hydrometer to check the gravity?  I think you pulled it off of the yeast too fast, there's really no need to do a secondary with this beer, although it is a low floccer so maybe it's ok.  Your fermentation temp was a little high too, but not ridiculously so.

No offense, but you know that is a bavarian yeast strain and you can expect to get banana and clove flavors from it?

When you say it tastes like dry wine, what do you mean?  In what way?
Tom Schmidlin

Offline majorvices

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2010, 02:58:47 pm »
Well, for starters, believe it or not 72 degrees is a good bit too warm for fermentation temp. You need to find a way to get the fermentation a bit cooler. Never pitch your yeast over 68 degrees and, for most ales, you want the fermentation temp - which will be 6-8+ degrees over ambient - to be in the low to high 60s (depending on what you are trying to do). There are not many ale yeasts that you would want to ferment much warmer than 70 degrees. You can use a cheap "swamp cooler" - basically just a tub of water in which you cycle out frozen water bottles - to keep your fermenattion temp under control. Or even a wet T-shirt over the femrenter will help shave off a few points. Look into geting a stick on "Fermometer" so you can get an accurate idea what teh temp of the fermentation actually is. Fermentation temp is critical to making great beer.

Also, I would not have bothered using a secondary for a wheat beer. Few ales really need secondary fermentations anyway. But that  would not cause your problem.

I also think that part of your problem is simply that you are not used to tasting flat, young beer. Bottle that sucker up, carbonate it and see what you think. It will taste more like beer, I assure you.

The last thing I will add is that WB-06 is a German Wheat strain and it will have some typical banana esters and clove phenolics. If you are not used to those characteristics you may be somewhat surpised. And the warmer fermentation temp like you mention will enhance the banana esters.

Offline jkmetz

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2010, 03:14:36 pm »
Do you have a hydrometer to check the gravity?  I think you pulled it off of the yeast too fast, there's really no need to do a secondary with this beer, although it is a low floccer so maybe it's ok.  Your fermentation temp was a little high too, but not ridiculously so.

No offense, but you know that is a bavarian yeast strain and you can expect to get banana and clove flavors from it?

When you say it tastes like dry wine, what do you mean?  In what way?

The gravity is at 1.011. Being my first time i never took the SG, but my instructions say it should be around 1.045.

I could smell the banana when fermentation was at its strongest, not so much now.

When i took a sip of the beer it had a very song alcoholic taste, not really bad, but dried my mouth out. It reminded me of a dry red wine. The beer smelled like beer though.

GOD I LOVE BREWING!

Thanks for all the help!

Offline jkmetz

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #8 on: September 05, 2010, 03:17:57 pm »
Well, for starters, believe it or not 72 degrees is a good bit too warm for fermentation temp. You need to find a way to get the fermentation a bit cooler. Never pitch your yeast over 68 degrees and, for most ales, you want the fermentation temp - which will be 6-8+ degrees over ambient - to be in the low to high 60s (depending on what you are trying to do). There are not many ale yeasts that you would want to ferment much warmer than 70 degrees. You can use a cheap "swamp cooler" - basically just a tub of water in which you cycle out frozen water bottles - to keep your fermenattion temp under control. Or even a wet T-shirt over the femrenter will help shave off a few points. Look into geting a stick on "Fermometer" so you can get an accurate idea what teh temp of the fermentation actually is. Fermentation temp is critical to making great beer.

Also, I would not have bothered using a secondary for a wheat beer. Few ales really need secondary fermentations anyway. But that  would not cause your problem.

I also think that part of your problem is simply that you are not used to tasting flat, young beer. Bottle that sucker up, carbonate it and see what you think. It will taste more like beer, I assure you.

The last thing I will add is that WB-06 is a German Wheat strain and it will have some typical banana esters and clove phenolics. If you are not used to those characteristics you may be somewhat surpised. And the warmer fermentation temp like you mention will enhance the banana esters.

You made my mind at ease! thanks! The next time I brew i will try the frozen water bottles to keep the temp down. I don't feel like spending money on a freezer chest. And i can smell the bananas!lol


Thanks Again,

New Homebrewer, john

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2010, 03:38:26 pm »
After you've got it bottled, carbed, and chilled, let us know how it is.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline jkmetz

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #10 on: September 05, 2010, 03:51:30 pm »
After you've got it bottled, carbed, and chilled, let us know how it is.


alright ill let you know in about 2 weeks!

Offline jkmetz

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #11 on: September 20, 2010, 08:33:28 pm »
Well,, i tried my beer and it still taste really funky.... i think my problem was i didn't clean my equipment properly... so i have a new batch on the way and hopefully i got it right this time!

thanks for all the help!

john

Offline enso

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #12 on: September 21, 2010, 07:18:20 am »
The strong alcohol taste you mention that dried your mouth out makes me think fusel alcohols.  You get these harsher hot alcohols from fermenting too warm.  Making sure your equipment is clean is also a mandatory issue though too.   ;)

Sanitation and temperature control are 2 of the most important factors in making consistent quality beer.  Healthy and happy yeast is part of that.
Dave Brush

Offline ryang

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #13 on: September 21, 2010, 08:03:23 am »
I had a hefeweizen (fermented with wyeast3068) that finished blazing fast -- 2 days.  Fermented at about 63-64.  I took it off after 5 days thinking that would be a good idea.  Not sure what I was thinking there.  Hindsight's always 20/20 huh?

It had a dry white wine finish.  I attributed it to taking it off the yeast too soon.

Offline enso

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Re: My Beer Taste like Dry Wine
« Reply #14 on: September 21, 2010, 09:21:15 am »
I had a hefeweizen (fermented with wyeast3068) that finished blazing fast -- 2 days.  Fermented at about 63-64.  I took it off after 5 days thinking that would be a good idea.  Not sure what I was thinking there.  Hindsight's always 20/20 huh?

It had a dry white wine finish.  I attributed it to taking it off the yeast too soon.

Taking it off the yeast too soon can be problematic as the yeast have not had the opportunity to clean up (metabolize) some of the undesirable flavors they create early on in the fermentation
Dave Brush