I am curious what leads to a more notable ‘alcoholic’ taste. It seems to be pretty apparent in one of my most recent beers. I am more curious than worried. Is it a byproduct of fermentation? Will it fade with time?
47% Two row
47% Red X
4% crystal
2% special b
Mashed at 150 for 75 min
OG 1.070
FG 1.011
7.8% abv
US05
I didn’t think it has a high enough ABV for it to be as noticeable as it is. Please educate me.
Alcoholic taste certainly is a byproduct of fermentation.
You’ll get it from the brew being out of balance. Some sweetness is needed to counter the alcohol bite.
In a beer looking like this…
OG 1.070
FG 1.011
7.8% abv
…you’re very likely to taste some alcohol.
It should mellow a bit with age. Fermentation temperatures are also a factor. Cooler fermentations (low 60s) will generally produce less fusel alcohols than higher temperatures (upper 60s, 70s, etc.).
Thanks!
Makes sense. I am usually more concerned with balancing malt and hops versus alcohol. I rarely brew anything higher than 5.5% so I have limited experience.
Sounds like since it finished reasonably dry for that OG, the alcohol is more apparent than if it had a higher FG. To correct it, I would need a higher OG and a higher FG if I wanted the same ABV?
According to my notes, fermentation stayed in the mid 60s.
was mid 60’s the beer temp or the air temp? if air temp it could easily have peaked in the low to mid 70’s which could produce a touch of hot alcohol flavor. how is the head retention?
Head retention is great. That is one thing that I noted during the tasting last night. This one is in the bottle which I rarely do anymore.
Looks like I pitched at 63, it peaked at 67, and dropped back to 63 over 3 weeks. Temperature readings taken from strip on plastic bucket. For my normal beers, I can get up to 72 with US05 without noticing any differences.
Is this from repeated tastings or one drinking session? Sometimes my pallet is extremely sensitive to alcoholic taste (especially if I have gone a few days without a beer) other times I barely notice it.
This is after about 2 tastings however I will admit the beer may need some additional aging. Right now it is at 3 weeks in the bottle. I popped a couple more to test carb in order to see if I can age some cold. I wouldn’t say it is an off-putting taste but it gives the impression of a higher ABV beer for sure.
If you stayed within that temp range, I don’t really see fusels being an issue. I think some aging will mellow it out a good bit. If you brewed a few standard OG beers in a row (~ 1.050), the alcohol in this one might have seemed more up front than normal. I think it’ll be good.
How much yeast? Did you rehydrate? If this is a 5 gal batch, even rehydrated that would be under-pitching. If the yeast was pitched dry it would be substantially under-pitched.
This was for a 3.5 gallon batch. According to yeast calculators, one 11.5 g packet was enough.
I think dmtaylor’s advice for it to mellow is your best option and required anyway. Three weeks in the bottle and most likely 5-6 total age. Something around 8% might need to sit awhile. It may not really fade but change a little and become more pleasing.
You never mentioned your bu’s.
And… be careful with that caliber of beer. 
Thanks! I assumed it might need more time but again I just don’t have much experience brewing higher OG beers…
It is 52 IBUs for a bitterness ratio of 0.743. Bittered with columbus, and added simcoe and centennial at 20, 10, and flameout. I think it is reasonably balanced in that way. I was going for something malty but with some noticeable hop character. I think I achieved that.
Sounds pretty good to me - sort of American Strong Ale (ish). You’ll have to post your impressions of the Red X malt.
If you didn’t rehydrate the yeast before pitching you can lose about 50% of the yeast according to Chris White. You pitched enough yeast to ferment the batch, but maybe not enough to produce a clean fermentation. Did you rehydrate the yeast with water?
I cannot argue against that.
I don’t rehydrate US-05 and have never had any issues. I just aerate really well, pitch the yeast, let sit for a few, and give it a good stir to mix it evenly. I realize that my process may be bad but it has worked well up to this point for me.
Yeah this is holiday(ish) ale test batch. I added a spruce needle/orange zest vodka tincture to half of the bottles. Not detectable as far as I can tell…
It is hard for me to gain any real conclusions from the red x right now. I used a small amount of special b (1.6%) and that is what my palate seems to be drawn toward at this point.
We will see how the flavors change as it ages…
+100. I don’t rehydrate. I too am a small batch brewer, so I might just pitch a higher proportion of the packet to compensate for dead yeast. Always see signs of fermentation within 24 hours pitching it dry. I love dry yeast. The easiest way to do something is always what I do as long as it always produces excellent results… and this does.