Poor mans, garbage can beer #2

[Libertytree]

Test 2- 5 days later- day 13. Much better improvement on the carbonation! Still not where I want it but it's gettin there. I like that it's not as sweet as B1 so at least I didn't bottle it too early. The head on this batch is slowly developing itself but as of right now it's a huge improvement over the last, the bubbles are frothier and smaller but the beer is richer and no where as sweet, as stated before. The head of the beer stays a lot longer and doesn't just fizzle out, to be honest I don't know what this means but it's my observation.

1-10...give it a 6. If it makes it to an 8 I'll be tickled.

[BrewTech]

Test 2- 5 days later- day 13. Much better improvement on the carbonation! Still not where I want it but it's gettin there. I like that it's not as sweet as B1 so at least I didn't bottle it too early. The head on this batch is slowly developing itself but as of right now it's a huge improvement over the last, the bubbles are frothier and smaller but the beer is richer and no where as sweet, as stated before. The head of the beer stays a lot longer and doesn't just fizzle out, to be honest I don't know what this means but it's my observation.

1-10...give it a 6. If it makes it to an 8 I'll be tickled.

Head retention and quality (small bubbles) is a prime indicator of overall beer quality. Collapsing foam is bad.

American bartenders (generally) are trained to pour a beer with as little foam as possible, because the consumer may feel like they are getting ripped off because "foam ain't beer!"

German/ English bartenders may spend up to 5 minutes pouring a beer in order to form the perfect head, as they understand that foam is an engineered part of the product.

Don't take it from me, here's my friend Charlie to tell you all about it:

[Libertytree]

Wow! He's a friend of yours? Seems like a very knowledgeable fella and a hoot to be around.

[BrewTech]

Wow! He's a friend of yours? Seems like a very knowledgeable fella and a hoot to be around.

I was lucky enough to get funded to take the Intensive Brewing Science for Practical Brewing course at UC Davis, which he teaches with two other instructors.

He is a total hoot... peppers his lectures with stories and anecdotes from brewing in England and Europe. Got to sit next to him at both dinners during the course. I would love to take a couple more of his courses if I can get the money.

He has a really good lecture series known as Brewmaster's Art: the History and Science of Beermaking.

I checked it out from a local library as it is a bit expensive. Great series... check it out if you can.

[Libertytree]

Well, here it is day 18 and there has been absolutely very little improvement in carbonation level. I'm a bit bummed but not totally surprised either, so my rating of this batch remains at a 6. In my very limited knowledge I'm putting the blame squarely on the yeast, a yeast I didn't want to use in the 1st place and that never responded as it should have. (thanks local brew shop, grrrrr)

The good news is, is that it's not total swill that needs to be dumped out and is drinkable but it really falls short of even my standards. It probably isn't the last time a batch will peter out but such is the life and times of a homebrewer I reckon. I will say that it is the last time I use ingredients, in this case yeast, that I don't specifically want, lesson learned.

Now it's onto batch #3, the quest continues.

[Glass]

Hey LT, I think that is the key to the dreaded 1.020's. The Yeast. I was watching someone yesterday, Northwest Brewers or something and even the pro's get stung now and again. Had the 1.020's from a yeast they harvested and did a starter with. The guy dumped in about 2 - 3 cups of yeast and still didn't make it.

I'll be looking for some alternatives to try. I've found some better equipped HBS but they are not local.

[Libertytree]

Hey LT, I think that is the key to the dreaded 1.020's. The Yeast. I was watching someone yesterday, Northwest Brewers or something and even the pro's get stung now and again. Had the 1.020's from a yeast they harvested and did a starter with. The guy dumped in about 2 - 3 cups of yeast and still didn't make it.

I'll be looking for some alternatives to try. I've found some better equipped HBS but they are not local.

I'd never heard about the dreaded 1.020's until you mentioned it.(gotta link?) Mine though went to 1.006 and it turned out the way it did. For us it's hard to discern what actually went wrong, we can only guess based on what we see/tast and use the process of elimination to try and correct it. I think yours will turn out fine though, you got it down from the 1.020 and should be good to go.

I used the safale against my better judgement because I was taking whatever the brewshop thought was best in lieu of the Coopers. I didn't feel good about it then, I didn't feel good about it during the ferment and I feel worse about it now, hindsight is 20/20.

[Glass]

yeah sorry, I was just saying that my 1.020 issue and others seems to be yeast. And yes as you point out and I didn't think of I'm below 1.0.20 now. But I will look closely at it for the next one. Either more yeast or different/better next time OR run the ferment on regular temps with the kit yeast but probably a different yeast plus a lot more aeration at the get go.

[Libertytree]

NP. Even though I'm pitchin Coopers next time I'm still gonna ramp it up as BT suggests and the dude that he respects calculates. Aeration is really at the bottom of the list in my mind, my 1st 2 batches fermented like a mofo with no aeration besides the initial swirl.

[Glass]

yep. I never heard of the aeration aspect before. I figured to do it like I have seen, dump it all in and give it a good stir. Get a cold one and wait.

There sure are a lot of factors. I'm more sort of picking your brains for my next batch. Flying a few things up the pole to see as it were. thanks.