Fixing a tasteless beer

[Olive Drab]

So I made the AK-47 kit from Northern brewer and Im not too happy with the results. The OG/FG were on target with 1.036/1.012 but it tastes on par with miller lite. Id like to pull 2 gallons and make a small 2 gal batch and possibly a dry hop to blend with 3 gallons of this to recover it. Does anyone have a suggestion to make this a better flavored ESB instead of an extremely mild pale ale? Im open to suggestions and the the recipe is as follows:
- 0.5 lbs Simpsons Caramalt
- 1 oz Fawcett Pale Chocolate
- 3 lbs Munton’s Light DME (60 min)
- 1 lb corn sugar late addition (0 min)
HOPS & FLAVORINGS
- 0.75 oz UK Kent Goldings (60 min)
- 0.25 oz UK Kent Goldings (15 min)

 

[E-Mursed]

My suggestion...and you probably won't like it.

Keep your Pale Ale as it is, and enjoy it during this heat wave.
Then make the Porter that you are dreaming of the way you envision.

I pulled out beers for this week, and the first ones I grabbed were Lagers and Pale Ales.

 

[Natethebrewer]

Fruit beer?
Mosher's Radical Brewing has a recipe for a tangerine porter.
Raspberries or cherries seem to cut through most beers.

 

[SledgeH]

Wow. I made something like this on purpose for beer pong, so that we wouldn't get blasted. Short of that, I don't see any other use to make something this low ABV. Have you had a skip n go naked? It's beer, vodka, and lemonade concentrate. Pretty powerful, big crowd pleaser. That's am option. I've never blended a beer, so the best I can come up with is beer mixers.

 

[homebrewdad]

Gotta agree with the crowd. You brewed a beer barely over 3% ABV, knowing it would be barely over 3% ABV - and now you're unhappy because it is weak beer?

Live with this one, use it as a lawnmower beer, give it to your BMC buddies, and just plan on brewing a more flavorful beer for the next batch. You've got what youve got; it will likely be less trouble (and a better chance of success) to just brew again.

 

[jonmohno]

You can fix it buy brewing a torpedo clone Its a pale mild.Sorry you dont like the style. Sometimes when your steady on a 6+% abv beer you tend to think everything milder is water and tastless if thats the case.

 

[two_one_seven]

You can't do much with this now. Dry hopping will only and aroma and do nothing to the overall flavor profile of the beer. Look at it like this, you learned that you don't like lightly hopped beers, since you're the brewer you can easily solve this problem in future beers.

 

[codycodycody]

Get 10 people and play flippy cup.

 

[edecambra]

I think the problem lies in the extract recipe, when you do such low grav beers the control on mash temps is crucial which you don't get with extract. I did an ordinary bitter least year that was awesome at only 3.8 abv, high mash temp with a complex grain bill and damn tasty.

If you have some hops throw them in. it couldn't hurt

 

[Olive Drab]

Gotta agree with the crowd. You brewed a beer barely over 3% ABV, knowing it would be barely over 3% ABV - and now you're unhappy because it is weak beer?

I brew Belgians 75% of the time with a mix of German ales and APA mixed in. This kit was like $20 so I added it but am not a fan. I didnt think it would lack depth or I wouldnt have made it.

You can fix it buy brewing a torpedo clone Its a pale mild.Sorry you dont like the style. Sometimes when your steady on a 6+% abv beer you tend to think everything milder is water and tastless if thats the case.

I guess that makes sense. Most of my beers are in the 5-6.5% range with the occasional 8-9%. I usually only drink 1 beer maybe a 2nd in a day if I drink at all.

I think the problem lies in the extract recipe, when you do such low grav beers the control on mash temps is crucial which you don't get with extract. I did an ordinary bitter least year that was awesome at only 3.8 abv, high mash temp with a complex grain bill and damn tasty.

If you have some hops throw them in. it couldn't hurt

I have cascade, perle, saaz, tett, and hallertau on hand. Im thinking the tett or hallertau in lieu of the others or I can run out and get an ounce of something.

 

[two_one_seven]

If you have some hops throw them in. it couldn't hurt

Don't waste the hops, again, they will not affect the flavor profile. The only way you could possibly do anything is try to may a hop tea and even this usually fails because there isn't the interaction of the malt and hops that is needed to create the flavor.

 

[MisterTipsy]

Send the beer back to Northern Brewer and demand a refund!

 

[bdgrizzle]

@edecambra is right on the low grav beers. stay away from kits...there is nowhere to hide in those beers. you'll get all of the extract oxidation tastes if the ME isn't super fresh, and you'll loose the high mash temp notes. leave them for all grain once you change your equipment. only option with your current beer is to a) lawn mower beer it as suggested, or b) make a higher grav english pale (stay with EKG hopping) and blend the two. given those options, I'd go A)

 

[heferly]

The only light kit I made was a cream ale...bad...terrible...dumper...

You could dry hop with .25 oz just to kick it a little, but it will still be low abv and thin...just chug a bottle or two on a hot day til it's gone!

 

[Olive Drab]

@edecambra is right on the low grav beers. stay away from kits...there is nowhere to hide in those beers. you'll get all of the extract oxidation tastes if the ME isn't super fresh, and you'll loose the high mash temp notes. leave them for all grain once you change your equipment. only option with your current beer is to a) lawn mower beer it as suggested, or b) make a higher grav english pale (stay with EKG hopping) and blend the two. given those options, I'd go A)

Ive decided the best way to get rid of it is to smoke some meat this weekend and invite over a dozen people. The keg should be tapped by 4pm Saturday

 

[homebrewdad]

Ive decided the best way to get rid of it is to smoke some meat this weekend and invite over a dozen people. The keg should be tapped by 4pm Saturday

Not a terrible idea.

 

[rwinzing]

Hoprocket!

 

[Sevenal]

Make a half and half with a good strong porter or stout from your next brew.

 

[dfc]

A 3.1% beer during summer. I can see that as being a decent refreshing beer.

 

[Pilznholtz]

Do what they do at the Mountain Brauhaus Restaurant (German) in New Paltz, NY...in a large margarita type glass pour the light beer over fresh frozen raspberries. I'm in no way fruity beer fan, but it's not bad during the Dog Days of Summer.....

 

[ALCUL8R]

I've had a few that my wife did not like and was able to 'fix' them. These are individual suggestions, don't use them all on one beer...
1. Add a little less than 1 packet of unsweetened lemonade mix per gallon for a summer beer. About 4 packets per 5 gallon.
2. Add about a half inch ring of jalapeno per bottle. Not for everyone, but several people really liked this.
3. Add about 1 tsp liquid smoke per gallon. Test this, as it varies by taste. Wife says goes with campfires and barbecue.
Many suggestions in "Alaskan Bootlegger" book.

 

[huge1s]

I had a hefe that was WAY low on the OG and just tasted watery. I boiled up some wheat DME and added it to the fermenter a couple days later (calculated how much I needed to boil up of course). Wife said it was one of my best beers she had tasted.

 

[travis123]

May I suggest, put the beer in a barrel & put it in corner somewhere for a few months, then try it again? Hopefully you may be supprised.

Regards Travis