Cream Ale (Question about Fermentation)

Hello everyone!

On April 3rd I brewed a cream ale that was created by my local homebrew store owner. I asked him for a nice summer/spring beer and he gave me his own recipe. Any way its been fermenting for 21 days, I took a SG reading today and its down to about 1.014. I figure thats about where I would want it (since there wasnt a FG reading on the instructions he gave me). I tasted it and it tastes a little sweet... Is this how cream ales are supposed to taste or is it due that fermentation is not all the way complete?

I also read that people cold crash cream ales to get weaken the fruity flavor, I dont have the space for cold crashing.

Here are the ingredients that may explain the fruity flavor:

Alexander LME - Pale
Flaked Corn (Maze)
Muntons Ex Light DME
Vienna Malt
Munich Malt (2-row)
Crystal 10L

60 min 1oz Libtery
5 min 1oz Liberty

Any suggestions/comments before I bottle it?

Thanks

A cream ale usually has a lower finishing gravity. But if its extract that might be the reason. The one I made bier munchers cream of three crops tastes like almost nothing before carbonation. I'm sure your beer will be fine, I'd bottle it now. Let it "lager" in the bottles in the fridge. Until the yeast drops out you will have some harshness. Oh. And it tastes as close as an ale can tastes to an American light lager.

And your final gravity may also be due to the crystal malts too. Should be a good beer.

reinstone said:

A cream ale usually has a lower finishing gravity. But if its extract that might be the reason. The one I made bier munchers cream of three crops tastes like almost nothing before carbonation. I'm sure your beer will be fine, I'd bottle it now. Let it "lager" in the bottles in the fridge. Until the yeast drops out you will have some harshness. Oh. And it tastes as close as an ale can tastes to an American light lager.

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Thanks for the quick response! I appreciate it!

By the way, these forums are awesome! I have gotten a lot of my questions answered on here without even posting them.

I recommend leaving it for 3 days. Then take another SG reading. If it is the same it is ready to bottle. My cream ales taste a little sweet, especially if you are comparing to a lager. However, they finnish a lot lower than 1.014. Could be a difference in the hydrometers. I also do all grain. I get the impression that an extract batch will finish a little higher.

Ok. How long should I leave it in the bottles before I put it in the fridge, the standard week or sooner? Does the carbonation process stop once it drops to a certain temp? ...still learning how all this works

A lot of times ......a beer can be great and not be right on "style". I don't worry about style unless I'm entering a competition. American light lagers like BMc are very dry, your beer will just have more flavor and may be a little sweet. May I ask what temp you've had it fermenting at.? I would imagine the gravity is a s low as its gonna get after 3 weeks. If the temp has been low, you might benefit from raising the temp a few degrees for a few days....fermentation may pick up again. If the sweetness bothers you, you could try some amaylase enzyme but that's a last resort to me. Tasting still beer is hard to judge....the carbonation will cover up some of the sweetness. That fg is a little high but it's hard to get an extract beer dry as the extract making process makes some non fermentable sugars.

Personally.....you will add sugar to the beer and then bottle, I would give it a week and then test a bottle. If it needs more carb give it another week. Then lager. See my above post though before bottling.

And no matter what....don't lager in the fridge until your beers are carbonated......the low temps will shock the yeast into dormancy.

I believe the temp is at 70F. I dont have much control over temp in my house. Im a college student whos poor. The OG was 1.050. Im not too worried about the fruitiness of it. I think it will be perfect for a nice day (hopefully soon, in Western Illinois where its cold and rainy and floody). I also have an IPA im gonna brew up probably after the 1st of May, so this will probably hold me over til then.

That is what I thought happened when you put it in the fridge. Thanks for your help on this one.

You go to western? Always glad to help.

And I too have been dealing with the flooding.