homebrew flaws and their causes

Anything and everything about beer and brewing it.

What is the most common cause of flaws found in homebrewed beer?

1. Poor ingredient selection/balance issues
2
11%
2. Poor handling (oxidation during packaging etc)
3
17%
3. Water treatment or lack of
0
No votes
4. Fermentation/yeast issues
7
39%
5. Combination of 2 and 4
1
6%
6. Combination of 3 and 4
1
6%
7. All of the above
0
No votes
8. Other (please specify by replying below)
0
No votes
9. Wild yeast or bacterial infection
4
22%
 
Total votes: 18

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I_used_to_brew
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Re: homebrew flaws and their causes

Post by I_used_to_brew »

I can nail a recipe (that I like) pretty much 100% of the time, I do sometimes fail on pleasing other people but I consider it a massive fail when I get an infection. I could be trendy and call it a "Brett inoculated beer" but I choose to pour the beer down the drain. I've had a few of those recently and I've not definitively identified the cause which is most worrying. I've scrubbed out and repainted the beer area so hopefully....

I am lucky in that I just do not have a fermentation temperature problem, others will have to make use of a brew fridge or similar, but, if you are keen to make good beer then you should get one.

Depends on how keen you are....

Read this and see how committed http://news.nextglass.co/beer/beware-ho ... ery-slope/ :-)
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I_used_to_brew
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Re: homebrew flaws and their causes

Post by I_used_to_brew »

Bimster wrote: From my recent beer lottery that I've been partaking in (this involves drinking random beers picked up at the national) the main issue seems to be adhering to the style. Seems the Brewers focus on being too extreme in one area and missing the balance elements, presumably to give their beer an edge.
I am going to have to totally disagree with this. Fuck styles and fuck the BJCP (apart from competitions). If you only brew to style then you are missing out. However you can go too mad and make Lavender wheat beer and that sort of stuff is just sad and wanky.

I'll just chuck up one other major problem. The drinker. Sometimes it's too easy to get too analytical about beer, to the point that some people seem to be no longer enjoying the simple pleasure of drinking beer.
Capn Ahab
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Re: homebrew flaws and their causes

Post by Capn Ahab »

RogerP wrote:I am going to have to totally disagree with this. Fuck styles and fuck the BJCP (apart from competitions). If you only brew to style then you are missing out. However you can go too mad and make Lavender wheat beer and that sort of stuff is just sad and wanky
I agree, but brewing to style is no the issue, making decent beer is.
RogerP wrote:I'll just chuck up one other major problem. The drinker. Sometimes it's too easy to get too analytical about beer, to the point that some people seem to be no longer enjoying the simple pleasure of drinking beer.
Again agree with this up to a point. But I'm interested in what causes major off flavours and how to fix them. Not minute analysis of intricateflavours etc, but the problems that stop a healthy percentage of homebrew from being drinkable.
RogerP wrote:I am lucky in that I just do not have a fermentation temperature problem, others will have to make use of a brew fridge or similar, but, if you are keen to make good beer then you should get one.

Depends on how keen you are....
Not necessarily; plenty of yeasts are pretty happy at a range of temperatures in certain styles.
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I_used_to_brew
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Re: homebrew flaws and their causes

Post by I_used_to_brew »

Agreed. The mauribrew yeasts that are popular in Australia are perfect in our summer months when other yeasts crap out.

Not putting fermenters in airing cupboards or in front of central heating radiators would be a great improvement :-)
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Bimster
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Re: homebrew flaws and their causes

Post by Bimster »

RogerP wrote:
Bimster wrote: From my recent beer lottery that I've been partaking in (this involves drinking random beers picked up at the national) the main issue seems to be adhering to the style. Seems the Brewers focus on being too extreme in one area and missing the balance elements, presumably to give their beer an edge.
I am going to have to totally disagree with this. Fuck styles and fuck the BJCP (apart from competitions).
Er, that was the point, these were from the NHC so ideally, the brewer should have thought.... these are being judged against these guidelines, I should brew my beer in line with them.

I do agree that sticking to guidelines outside of this is not a good thing and is not something I do. however, I do ask that......please, please, please no more beer with citrus hops and mint. It does not work!
James

BJCP Certified Judge
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I_used_to_brew
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Re: homebrew flaws and their causes

Post by I_used_to_brew »

Citra and mint, for the love of baby jesus, just say no!

Nobody should have issues creating fairly balanced recipes, read some books, take some advice.

Nailing bloody infections is a bugger though. Why do we have so many as home brewers, it doesn't seem to happen to commercial brewers.
Capn Ahab
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Re: homebrew flaws and their causes

Post by Capn Ahab »

RogerP wrote:Citra and mint, for the love of baby jesus, just say no!

Nobody should have issues creating fairly balanced recipes, read some books, take some advice.

Nailing bloody infections is a bugger though. Why do we have so many as home brewers, it doesn't seem to happen to commercial brewers.
I don't think homebrewers do have so many infections. Modern sanitisers and half decent practice should see you right - as long as your yeast is healthy and pitched in sufficient quantity.
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Glo-ro_Bob
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Re: homebrew flaws and their causes

Post by Glo-ro_Bob »

I would say it's much easier for an infection to take hold in 25 litres than in 2500.
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Capn Ahab
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Re: homebrew flaws and their causes

Post by Capn Ahab »

Glo-ro_Bob wrote:I would say it's much easier for an infection to take hold in 25 litres than in 2500.
Up to a point maybe, but aren't pros more likely to ensure they pitch the right amount of healthy yeast? An underpitch or poor quality yeast leaves you wide open whatever quantity you brew.
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PMowdes
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Re: homebrew flaws and their causes

Post by PMowdes »

Capn Ahab wrote:
Glo-ro_Bob wrote:I would say it's much easier for an infection to take hold in 25 litres than in 2500.
Up to a point maybe, but aren't pros more likely to ensure they pitch the right amount of healthy yeast? An underpitch or poor quality yeast leaves you wide open whatever quantity you brew.
I think Bob has a point, the levels of infection required to screw a 10bbl batch would need to be high to begin with, especially if the bugs have to compete with an amount of yeast which is pitched to ferment a batch of that size.

I suspect that many commercial brews are infected to some extent, it's just whether or not the size of the infection is detectable in such a large volume.
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