Sup brew fam i'm new and scared...

[homefarmadam]

Hello! Adam from Brooklyn here. Worked at a couple breweries in different capacities over the years and got bite by the bug. Last two home batches were pretty bad so....HERE FOR HELP!!

Focusing on IPAs and Ciders for now

 

[myndflyte]

Welcome! There's tons of info here and we can always try and help.

 

[NGD]

They’re all oxidized or infected. J/k, welcome to Home Brew Talk

 

[khannon]

What was bad about them? What style of brewing? What sort of equipment do you have at your disposal?

There is plenty of info here, and you mentioned working in some breweries.. Do you have the relationship with a brewer to hand them something and ask how to fix it?

 

[homefarmadam]

Thanks all! Feeling the love

@khannon - Here are some answers to your kind Q's.

What was bad about them?:

Taste. That was the number one issue for both. For my first batch, I also had some issues with carbonation, muted aroma and a significant amount of sediment on the bottom of each bottle.

On my second batch, it was mostly taste. Carbonation and color were pretty great but each bottle had a pretty intolerable yeasty finish.

What style of brewing?:

My first was an IPA. The Kama Citra Session IPA by Northern Brewer to be exact. I attached some pics of sad final product.



For my second. I did a basic Cider using organic apple cider juice with SafCider Dry Yeast (dumped that whole sucker in there - prob a bad move) and back sweetened with apple juice considerate.

Again for the cider, color and carbonation were ideal but for some reason had a strong yeasty after taste. I asked a local cider maker my farmers market it and he was also pretty confused lol

What sort of equipment do you have at your disposal?

For better or for worse, I'm rocking the Craft Beer Making Kit With Siphonless Fermenter - 1 Gallon. I'll prob stick with this puppy until I get a couple drinkable batches.

Do you have the relationship with a brewer to hand them something and ask how to fix it?

One of my first real gigs was as a little marketing guy at a major craft brewer in Boston. My other was bar backing at great brewery here in Brooklyn. Both amazing experiences but unfortunately did have enough time to cozy up to any of the brewers. So it's HomebrewTalk or bust!

Would love your thoughts!! and thanks for asking btw

 

[Sammy86]

Welcome to the community!

 

[khannon]

Awesome,
First, I'm not a cider guy, but I guess the cider we did for my daughter's 21st birthday came out pretty good in that her friend's parents who own a cidery contacted me to ask some questions. The one they love was actually done with S04(a beer yeast), so have some fun playing with some different yeasts.

First thing about yeasty might be that you didn't wait long enough. Yeast will be done when it is done. You can coax it with temp and feeding the right kind of sugars, but mainly it does not care about your schedule. likewise, excessive sediment and carb issues are probably a timing issue.
Muted aromas could be O2 exposure, timing issues(when you added hops etc..) or leaving the beer too long, but with only a gallon this is probably not the issue.

Temp control and choosing yeast that like the temps you can ferment at are probably great starters.. Patience may also be your friend.

Doing the whole Boston thing there is a chance we met at something.. Amherst is not that far away, and I did quite a few things with the Sheltons.

Otherwise, welcome to the forums, have fun, ask questions, and enjoy some beer/cider etc..

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from Colorado

Try to break down your issues one by one, then figure out each. Also, if you can find a Local experienced homebrewer, that can be invaluable.