Tequilla

[ChelisHubby]

My first all grain was a scottish 60 shilling kit from More beer. I was wanting a stronger beer so I made it a 4 gallon batch and then added a lb of dme light and the brew went ok for a beginner then I checked my original gravity it was 10.82 which was 20 + points more than I wanted., I am ok with that, Now after being in the bottle for 5 weeks at 68 degree I have tried my second bottle and while the flavor is not bad it does have a Tequilla nose and taste. Why? 2 packs of us-o4 yeast fermented in a water bath at 65 for two weeks. The alcohols content is 8.2 by hydrometer. Will this age out? or do I need to dump as I am not a tequila fan, or do I use this to chase shots of tequila? I have done a dozen Lme kits and haven't ran into this, so I am stumped!

 

[Hello]

It's probably fusel alcohol. It should out, mostly.

 

[ChelisHubby]

Bump any body else

 

[kh54s10]

It sounds like fusel alcohols from fermenting too warm. What was the temperature of the fermentation? The wort temperature not the temperature of the room the fermenter was in.

It was also high gravity after adding the extra dme. It sounds like at 1.082 your 60 shilling turned into a 120 shilling.

If it is fusels they may mellow a bit but likely will stay harsh.

BTW, the alcohol scale on a hydrometer is potential alcohol in wine. It does not give you the alcohol level in beer. Look up an online calculator for ABV.

 

[BigJack]

Two things come immediately to mind.

First, at over 8%, some alcohol heat is to be expected. If you didn't want it that strong, you need to get some brewing software and be more specific in your calculations. Lots of choices out there- do a search in the forum for options.

The temp inside the fermenter can be much higher than the temp of the water bath. You've got a dense liquid and a massive and growing colony of yeast at work in there. For a high gravity beer, 65 in the water bath is too warm. Try 55 next time, at least for the first few days, and then work up to 60 degrees.

 

[ChelisHubby]

I took a beer of this batch to More Beer and the guy said there is no fusels or infections. He said that the beer is still green and needs a couple more months to condition. The flavors that I perceived was the caramels and warmth. I am releived , I need to not fly by the seat of my pants when brewing.

 

[Psylocide]

Since no one asked... what was your FG?

 

[ChelisHubby]

I just rechecked my records Start was 1.078 finish was 10.15