I have only made a few beer brews so far (I'm in love with making cider) and everything I have done, be it ale or larger is a little too sweet for my liking.
I've been thinking of what to try to counter this, bittering hops? Dry enzime? More time ageing?
I noticed that a lot of beers I tried at Beertopia a few weeks ago also had a sweetness to them, so maybe it's just a sign of a quality brew, hehe.
Do you guys have any tips for cutting down sweetness?
My beers are a bit too sweet
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Keleidoscope
- Posts: 24
- Joined: Monday Mar 27, 2006 5:16 pm
- Location: Melbourne
Its all depending on what ingredients you use KS.
If your using over, say 300 grams of pure malt, along with your kit can, wether that be powdered or liquid. Then you would have to bitter that malt to some degree.
The bitterness in a kit can really only covers what is in that can.
Lets say for instance you make up a kit with 500 grams of dry powdered malt, and 300 grams of dextrose.
Try boiling the malt and dextrose, with a nice 10 - 20 grams of hops for 20 - 30 mins. Then add another 10 grams for the last 5 minutes of the boil, just for some flavour and aroma. Again dependending on what beer you are making as to which hops.
Lets say Amarillo or Cascade for a Pale Ale, or Fuggles...Goldings for a Stout or Darker Ale.
These are not exact figures for any beer, but you get the drift. The more malt you use, the more bittering and finishing hops you may need to balance out the sweetness.
If your using over, say 300 grams of pure malt, along with your kit can, wether that be powdered or liquid. Then you would have to bitter that malt to some degree.
The bitterness in a kit can really only covers what is in that can.
Lets say for instance you make up a kit with 500 grams of dry powdered malt, and 300 grams of dextrose.
Try boiling the malt and dextrose, with a nice 10 - 20 grams of hops for 20 - 30 mins. Then add another 10 grams for the last 5 minutes of the boil, just for some flavour and aroma. Again dependending on what beer you are making as to which hops.
Lets say Amarillo or Cascade for a Pale Ale, or Fuggles...Goldings for a Stout or Darker Ale.
These are not exact figures for any beer, but you get the drift. The more malt you use, the more bittering and finishing hops you may need to balance out the sweetness.
" White Wine with Roast Beef ! how dare you ? "..... " I dare because I like it ! " ....Dogger on the meaning of life.
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two headed brewer
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Saturday Feb 19, 2005 6:44 pm
- Location: Sydney
Good post Two Headed Brewer ,
Sounds as if youve got a few things worked out.
It's a good thing to use some good ingrediants, other than white sugar, or dextrose with your brews. Like malts. Light or dark, dry or liquid.
But you need to understand that, these malts need to be balanced out with hops. This is what makes a great beer. A great homebrewed beer anyway.
This is where the personel taste comes in to the equation.
Another good thing to remember is not just balancing, or bittering hops......but also finishing hops. Those that add some great flavour to your malty, bitter beer.
Learn how to mould these in, and your on the track to a truly fantastic homebrew.
Sounds as if youve got a few things worked out.
It's a good thing to use some good ingrediants, other than white sugar, or dextrose with your brews. Like malts. Light or dark, dry or liquid.
But you need to understand that, these malts need to be balanced out with hops. This is what makes a great beer. A great homebrewed beer anyway.
This is where the personel taste comes in to the equation.
Another good thing to remember is not just balancing, or bittering hops......but also finishing hops. Those that add some great flavour to your malty, bitter beer.
Learn how to mould these in, and your on the track to a truly fantastic homebrew.
" White Wine with Roast Beef ! how dare you ? "..... " I dare because I like it ! " ....Dogger on the meaning of life.
Sir, I doth protest - Amarillo and Cascade for an American Pale Ale perhaps, but Goldings are the only choice for a proper English Pale AlePaleman wrote: Lets say Amarillo or Cascade for a Pale Ale, or Fuggles...Goldings for a Stout or Darker Ale.
Its Fuggles, Styrian Goldings and Willamette that find their place amongst the darker ales
Het Witte Konijn
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The Carbonator
- Posts: 363
- Joined: Tuesday Oct 18, 2005 12:58 pm
- Location: Baulkham Hills, Sydney
Some of you guys are just showing off, I reckon! But seriously, I'm just about to put down my third evr brew, and they are improving with experimentation (i.e. malt, dex & maltodex rather than the castor sugar I used the first time!) and some hops (tea bag from HB shop) - I can't wait to crack one of these in about a week. This time, with winter coming on I'm going for a Coopers Dark Ale (I like em a bit dark but not a huge strong stout drinker), and I lashed out and got a 1kg can of Morgans liquid Dark Crystal Malt. I was just going to do the Coopers can and can of malt with no extra sugars or hops. Now I know it's personal preference, but I'll be peeved if the liquid malt makes it too sweet with no bitterring hops to counter.
A penny for your thoughts, and what sort of hops could I add (and any other dex or sugars?) to get a bit more balance.
A penny for your thoughts, and what sort of hops could I add (and any other dex or sugars?) to get a bit more balance.
Thirsty Boy
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two headed brewer
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Saturday Feb 19, 2005 6:44 pm
- Location: Sydney
Thirsty,
try this:
refer to the hop list in http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/ingredients.html
Get some choc or black grain and steep (150g). Coffee plunger is good for this quantity.
Boil/ liquid malt with water and 20g of hop (about the volume of the malt can) for about 30 min. At the last five or so minutes add the grain water and rinsed with hot water to get the most out of it. Turn off and add a further 10g of hop - a different one to the 20g if you dare! Cool in sink of water - the rest is easy.
Above is only a thought, but does produce the goods.
Others may have preferences for a particular hop, but I reckon you should look for this and decide yourself
Bally
try this:
refer to the hop list in http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/ingredients.html
Get some choc or black grain and steep (150g). Coffee plunger is good for this quantity.
Boil/ liquid malt with water and 20g of hop (about the volume of the malt can) for about 30 min. At the last five or so minutes add the grain water and rinsed with hot water to get the most out of it. Turn off and add a further 10g of hop - a different one to the 20g if you dare! Cool in sink of water - the rest is easy.
Above is only a thought, but does produce the goods.
Others may have preferences for a particular hop, but I reckon you should look for this and decide yourself
Bally
Thanks Two Headed Brewer (from Tasmania!?$#) - your advice has me feeling adventurous. This website (thanks Oliver & Geoff) including this forum, Q & A's etc has been absolutely marvellous. I only started brewing recently to get cheap beer, but I am literally chomping at the bit to bottle my current batch (a freebie Wander Lager can with some LDM, Dex & Maltodex & all-purpose hop tea bag from HBS), particularly so I can put down the Dark Ale trying Two Head's suggestion of adding steeped dark grain, and specific hops for bitterness and possibly different ones for aroma - holy duly man, this is getting really interesting!
Ok, so I checked out the link with all the hop varieties, characteristics etc and for now I've decided to try an allrounder for bitterring and aroma, with the same hop added at the end of the boil for some aromatics. To me, Fuggles looks good (and I've seen a lot of contributors mention it) for a darker ale, but the list says it's for aroma only. The American varieties Columbia and Willamette look good for a dark ale for both bitterring and aroma. I looked at Eroica also but it says it's only for bitterring. Have you (or any readers) used these hops with a dark ale and if so, what do you reckon? Do the yanks have it for an all-round hop for a dark ale? Are they readily available from HBS or wherever?
Bloody HBS bloke knows I'm excited and reckons (I'm sure) that he'll be able to flog me all sorts of new and exciting (and sometimes moderately expensive!) ingredients and gadgets whenever I pop in. He's probably right!
Ok, so I checked out the link with all the hop varieties, characteristics etc and for now I've decided to try an allrounder for bitterring and aroma, with the same hop added at the end of the boil for some aromatics. To me, Fuggles looks good (and I've seen a lot of contributors mention it) for a darker ale, but the list says it's for aroma only. The American varieties Columbia and Willamette look good for a dark ale for both bitterring and aroma. I looked at Eroica also but it says it's only for bitterring. Have you (or any readers) used these hops with a dark ale and if so, what do you reckon? Do the yanks have it for an all-round hop for a dark ale? Are they readily available from HBS or wherever?
Bloody HBS bloke knows I'm excited and reckons (I'm sure) that he'll be able to flog me all sorts of new and exciting (and sometimes moderately expensive!) ingredients and gadgets whenever I pop in. He's probably right!
Chris, I just came home with about 200g barley from organic shop whilst shopping with the Mrs - it was only 70c and I thought I might roast it (to pretty dark), crack it and steep it to add to the boil for my Coopers Dark Ale. Will this be okay, as at this stage I don't really want to pay $7 or $8 for cracked dark crystal from HBS on top of $8.50 for liquid dark malt, $10 for can and $4 for dex/mono & $4 or so for hops. I know brewing is an art, but I'm in between jobs at present and have to keep it a bit simple, value-wise.
What do you reckon?
What do you reckon?
NT, how dare i counter protest.NTRabbit wrote:Sir, I doth protest - Amarillo and Cascade for an American Pale Ale perhaps, but Goldings are the only choice for a proper English Pale AlePaleman wrote: Lets say Amarillo or Cascade for a Pale Ale, or Fuggles...Goldings for a Stout or Darker Ale.
Its Fuggles, Styrian Goldings and Willamette that find their place amongst the darker ales
A proper English Pale i have never made or tasted.
Surely you cant be talking about an Indian ? An English Pale........Enlighten me oh wise Rabbit. I am your student.
" White Wine with Roast Beef ! how dare you ? "..... " I dare because I like it ! " ....Dogger on the meaning of life.
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Iron-Haggis
- Posts: 337
- Joined: Sunday Jan 15, 2006 9:34 pm
- Location: Sydney
That is a bit of a minefield.
You first need to get the barley to begin malting before you roast it.
Soak the grain in a bit of water, and keep warm.
After a few days you'll notice that this 'layer' that's a different colour will start to move up the grains. When it gets 3/4 the way up, then roast it in the oven.
Once you have done this, run it through a grain mill (if you have one), or put it in a teatowel, and crush it with a rolling pin on a hard surface.
THEN, feel free to steep and use.
You first need to get the barley to begin malting before you roast it.
Soak the grain in a bit of water, and keep warm.
After a few days you'll notice that this 'layer' that's a different colour will start to move up the grains. When it gets 3/4 the way up, then roast it in the oven.
Once you have done this, run it through a grain mill (if you have one), or put it in a teatowel, and crush it with a rolling pin on a hard surface.
THEN, feel free to steep and use.
An India Pale Ale is not just heavily hopped it has Fuggles, on top of Fuggles on top of Fuggles. you can taste the Fuggles as you open the bottle.
Apart from that it has a high alcohol content (above 6%) as the alcohol and the high hopping kept the ale from going off over the long journey by sea and the high tropical temperatures. It was made becasue the average red coats drink of choice was ale and at the high temperatures in the sub continent you could not brew decent ale.
Not like here in the Antipodes what!!!!!!!!
Apart from that it has a high alcohol content (above 6%) as the alcohol and the high hopping kept the ale from going off over the long journey by sea and the high tropical temperatures. It was made becasue the average red coats drink of choice was ale and at the high temperatures in the sub continent you could not brew decent ale.
Not like here in the Antipodes what!!!!!!!!
The liver is Evil and must be punished!!