tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post7968365678780286087..comments2024-02-23T15:34:32.816-05:00Comments on The Mad Fermentationist - Homebrewing Blog: Failed Beer RecipesThe Mad Fermentationist (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-79888711838427117612011-12-28T07:12:28.053-05:002011-12-28T07:12:28.053-05:00My first attempt at all grain was a recipe I dream...My first attempt at all grain was a recipe I dreamed up that was suppposed to be like a stout without the bitterness. Brew day went exceptionally well, and the beer even tasted good at bottling time. My impatience got the best of me and I opened a bottle after 1 week. It tasted like a lacquer thinner spiked with alcohol. Every week for about 5 weeks I would open a bottle, taste it and then dump it. Then I forgot about it for about a month. When I came back to it a month later, it was delicious!! Unfortunately, there wasn't much left by that time! Looking back, I think I used way to much chocolate malt. Lesssons learned: craft your recipes carefully and be patient.whitetomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712566297153052192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-43515320119508179812011-11-22T17:32:00.211-05:002011-11-22T17:32:00.211-05:00My worst FAIL involved our club's bourbon barr...My worst FAIL involved our club's bourbon barrel barleywine project started in 2006 and now a living solera of barleywine that needs topping off from time to time. I brewed up a nice 10 gal batch of bw, and hit all the numbers. Tasted great. When racking into kegs, I came to the top of the keg pretty quickly and had to grab some bottles to fill. Turns out to fill 4-5 more wine bottles. Somewhere I managed to miscalculate the volume, but hit the gravity, and it tasted great, so I figured I must have made a "good" mistake... Until my fellow brewer tasted it before going into the barrel. Good thing. It smelled and tasted like old sink water after washing dishes!<br /><br />Turns out, I used Starsan in the first keg, then racked it to the second. And in the process I forgot to dump it from the second keg before racking all that beautiful beer onto it. The 2 gal of Starsan has a weird effect on 3 gal of beer. I haven't lived that one down... <br /><br />Thanks for sharing. We all make mistakes, it's what we do after them that determine their worth.Rogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17450554225357029012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-30551107346783416442010-09-06T00:26:59.276-04:002010-09-06T00:26:59.276-04:00Interesting. Thank you for the great information ...Interesting. Thank you for the great information as I try to brew my own beer myself.basilhttp://www.howtogrowbasil.com/types-of-basil/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-40589534207687103132010-04-03T18:51:37.922-04:002010-04-03T18:51:37.922-04:00I tried to make a "licorice bullet" beer...I tried to make a "licorice bullet" beer once...<br /><br />I used about 30ml of licorice extract and a stack of chocolate malt on a base of an Irish stout (from a can).<br /><br />It just ended up tasting like wine. The concept was good... but the execution terrible. Too many flavours!Adhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12589478407246470329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-2605690963122694202010-03-12T21:34:08.016-05:002010-03-12T21:34:08.016-05:00According to the internet: 100g of chestnuts conta...According to the internet: 100g of chestnuts contain 2.7g fat, walnuts contain 65.21 g. No surprise walnuts aren't a popular choice in beer.<br /><br />Thanks for the Brooklyn link. I recently had that beer, and it was good, but it wasn't particularly oatmeal cookie-like.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-39907129718671979612010-03-12T20:02:11.952-05:002010-03-12T20:02:11.952-05:00Just a couple of comments about your oatmeal cooki...Just a couple of comments about your oatmeal cookie beer.<br /><br />First, I've never used any 'fatty' stuff in my homebrews, so I have no personal experience, but I seem to recall that there is a beer style in Italy which is made from chestnuts. However, I don't know how they would compare with the oil content of walnuts.<br /><br />Second, you might find it interesting to view this video which -- about 60% of the way thru -- discusses the Brooklyn Brewery's recipe simulating oatmeal cookies -- http://tinyurl.com/ydxv84q<br /><br />Always enjoy reading the emails I receive from you, although I think this might be the first comment that I'm posting.<br /><br />Just racked two 5-gallon batches to secondary and plan to brew again on Sunday. :-)<br /><br />Cheers.<br /><br />Bill VelekBill Velekhttp://www.tinyurl.com/BVELEKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-37599661282982761072010-03-12T12:25:06.039-05:002010-03-12T12:25:06.039-05:00Good post.
I'm surprised by the walnut thing ...Good post.<br /><br />I'm surprised by the walnut thing though. I brewed a Coconut Milk Stout with 2 lbs of coconut in it and have had no issues with head retention. Are walnuts substantially oiler than coconuts?<br /><br />Ray Grace - Perhaps this will be helpful with your coconut stout you're planning<br /><br />http://half-assed-dan.blogspot.com/2010/02/tasting-three-hour-tour-clone.html<br /><br />I just added the coconut at flamout and have had no problems with head retention. the only thing that I don't like at this point is that the coconut was nice upon bottling but as it carbonated the coconut is slowly fading and turning into a more hazelnut like flavor. Definitely still tasty, just different than what I was aiming for.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07881030287617201616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-3030112225366480832010-03-11T15:38:54.078-05:002010-03-11T15:38:54.078-05:00During a day of brewing/drinking beer I also made ...During a day of brewing/drinking beer I also made an applewein and thought it might be a good idea to dispose of leftover hops in the cider. Bad idea. I ended up adding a ton of citric acid to mask the flavor and I now have a very-very tart cider that looks and tastes like Tang but the hop flavor/aroma is gone. It was a bad idea, and a bad fix but it is now drinkable. My gluten free girlfriend finds it delicious but I get heart burn just thinking about it. Lesson? Don't hop cider.WyoBrewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10879088403040646875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-76889187211536660112010-03-11T14:35:39.445-05:002010-03-11T14:35:39.445-05:00I haven't tried it yet but I thought about a c...I haven't tried it yet but I thought about a coconut milk stout or bacon raichbier that I would then chill close to freezing and see how much fat would congeal on the surface that could be skimmed off. See article below on fat washing<br /><br />http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/secrets-of-a-cocktail-masterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-88554145080637550332010-03-11T09:07:59.284-05:002010-03-11T09:07:59.284-05:00On fatty ingredients: I recently made a pecan bro...On fatty ingredients: I recently made a pecan brown ale with 8 oz of pecans. For using ingredients such as this it's generally recommended that you crush them, roast them, and then store in a paper bag for a period of time to allow the oils to seep out. I imagine this might help reduce the oils in coconut as well.<br /><br />In addition, I used wheat and other specialty grains known to have a head-building effect. The beer looks normal to appearances, including a head. The pecan flavor is present, but subtle.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216468312506242354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-16910708118963326162010-03-11T08:58:26.531-05:002010-03-11T08:58:26.531-05:00Never used coconut. The issue with fat is that it...Never used coconut. The issue with fat is that it can deflate just about any head known to beer. You might have better luck adding the coconut to cold beer since the fat might stay solid. I really enjoyed Maui's Coconut Porter, so I'll be interested to hear if you get it to work.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-31649389569306976362010-03-10T20:17:09.298-05:002010-03-10T20:17:09.298-05:00I finished my last Ginger over Thanksgiving I thin...I finished my last Ginger over Thanksgiving I think? It had definitely mellowed a bit, but was still pretty offensive.<br /><br />You know who might have some CRAZY old stuff? Eric - in that basement fridge of his down in Dartmouth. I'm seeing him next week, so I'll bug him about that. I can't even IMAGINE what he's got in there. Probably everything from '05-'07.Jason Lylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14799202793611930935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-77203308464511654142010-03-09T19:34:59.619-05:002010-03-09T19:34:59.619-05:00It's interesting that you post this now since ...It's interesting that you post this now since I'm in the process of designing a recipe for a stout with coconut in it and I'm still wondering how to impart the coconut flavor without impacting head retention. I'm thinking along the lines of adding toasted coconut at knockout and maybe a little extra carapils to counteract.Ray Gracenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-3456837449102946202010-03-09T15:16:47.741-05:002010-03-09T15:16:47.741-05:00Do you have any bottles of Ginger left? I could h...Do you have any bottles of Ginger left? I could have sworn I did, but I must have opened the last one a year or so back. I still have a couple Dodgy Hampshire 2.0. I couldn't believe Mat still had some of the "historic" beers from 4 years back.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-31410490243306169632010-03-09T14:59:35.561-05:002010-03-09T14:59:35.561-05:00Glad to have been there for two out of three of th...Glad to have been there for two out of three of these epic FAILS.<br /><br />All things considered, I think our first attempts were mighty fine showings. Compared to some of the 'first tries' I've tasted, Old Chalky Hampshire and Gingerpocalypse were veritable rockstars.<br /><br />And the lessons learned speak for themselves. Cheers to MANY more failures, and equally as much knowledge gained.<br /><br />...Gingerpocalypse ain't a bad name for a v2.0, eh?Jason Lylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14799202793611930935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-77022696416312100822010-03-09T11:47:13.316-05:002010-03-09T11:47:13.316-05:00I bred my first spiced beer, a witbier. I put in ...I bred my first spiced beer, a witbier. I put in so much orange zest the thing tasted like orangina. I brewed it for my girlfriend who won't even drink it. I made it palattable with a bit of lactic addition, but I've brewed a lot of much, much better beers. I need to learn a light hand with spices.Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18373862712031162057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-77573556306870502622010-03-09T10:26:11.620-05:002010-03-09T10:26:11.620-05:00Oh my first batch of lager went badly, but this wa...Oh my first batch of lager went badly, but this was because I didn't get the memo that there really is a severe tempeture gradient inside and outside a beer. I thought the tempeture was much lower than it was because I didn't get the probe into the middle of the stack, I just IR gunned the carboy.<br /><br />But there's an even older beer which went much, much worse. I tried to clone sam adams back in the day and not having the mysterious "grains of paradise" (which I now know is basically pepper and mint), I decided apples might be good in the beer. I sliced up a bag of apples, tossed them in there and forgot about the mess for two weeks. <br /><br />After two weeks, I opened the fermenter, and there was an awesome layer of fur on top. Figuring this was natural, I scooped the fur into the trash and bottled the rest.<br /><br />Two more weeks pass and... OH GOD IT TASTES LIKE CARDBOARD. I ended up letting it sit behind the sofa for a month and that taste was replaced by rampant gushing and fruityness. Still, being one of my first batches, I couldn't bear to toss it. I put them in the fridge and they calmed down in another month. Still being a stubborn jerk I choked these down, but it was never beer.<br /><br />Weirdly enough one of them ended up in the bottom of the fridge, so when we were cleaning it out to move out of the apartment to the house, I found it. Figuring "what the hell", I opened it. Now, something magical happened. This beer was about three years old at this point, and the fruityness has turned into a wonderful boquet, and the cardboard had turned into some kind of funk.<br /><br />I wouldn't call it good - it's not a good funk, but being a much more experienced drinker I thought it was a vast improvement. I almost wish I could do it all again.Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16187478308938410696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-12829368125513392632010-03-09T10:21:26.069-05:002010-03-09T10:21:26.069-05:00I had some friends that wanted to see how to brew,...I had some friends that wanted to see how to brew, so I picked a Saison recipe and we were all going to brew together and add some home grown hops to make it a bit more of our own. I spent a long time in promash tweaking the Chicago water into Flanders water. It to a lot salts. The brew went into the primary tasting great, bottled it with a good taste. After it had carbonated, it tasted like feet soaking in Epsom salts. For the record I have never tasted feet soaking in epsom salts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-53491270162173947582010-03-08T23:31:33.679-05:002010-03-08T23:31:33.679-05:00I tried making a split batch of stout with lemon p...I tried making a split batch of stout with lemon peel in one gallon and orange peel in the other. It's strongly reminiscent of furniture polish. :-(Saint Aardvark the Carpetedhttp://saintaardvarkthecarpeted.com/beernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-82484759405927624212010-03-08T23:18:22.938-05:002010-03-08T23:18:22.938-05:00This is a great post! Way to open up the kimono, ...This is a great post! Way to open up the kimono, Mike.<br /><br />My most effed up beer recently was the smoked RIS, which I followed John Palmer's water spreadsheet on the water additions, leading me to add massive amounts of chalk and baking soda to reach the recommended Residual Alkalinity. It tastes kind of like soy sauce at the end. Maybe it will pull together at a later date, it's only a couple of months old at this point.Seanywontonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06142253930096998849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-80707937594074635052010-03-08T23:02:10.129-05:002010-03-08T23:02:10.129-05:00My first wassail was beautiful, base recipe was a ...My first wassail was beautiful, base recipe was a british old ale I started it 8 months ahead of time. Right out of the primary it tasted like winner, I made infused a bottle of vodka with a variety of spices and managed to make that drinkable by itself without anything too predominant. Early test with an eye dropper and a sample tasted great. Then I added spruce essence to try to emulate Anchor Holiday Ale and turned the entire batch into green foamed Pinesol. *shudder*Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18389709777704328047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-38782655098450923202010-03-08T22:32:38.469-05:002010-03-08T22:32:38.469-05:00I've had a gusher infection send a wonderful E...I've had a gusher infection send a wonderful ESB to an early grave... it was my second batch, and I still think one of my best beers.<br /><br />I brewed a Watermelon Wheat using white wheat that tastes skunked even though it isn't... not sure if it's the white wheat or the watermelon rind I decided to add a bit of.<br /><br />I just brewed a Rye Wit that I fully believe will be a catastrophic failure, although I half thought it might be before I brewed it and just wanted to see.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04347652143983499635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-23594899265998504532010-03-08T22:31:34.191-05:002010-03-08T22:31:34.191-05:00I brewed my first high gravity beer with an all gr...I brewed my first high gravity beer with an all grain process, and because I like to try something new every time I decided to try partigyle brewing (mashing / sparging the grains again to make a weak beer from the later runnings). I had read about small beers before, and knew that some capping specialty grains were typical to avoid a completely insipid brew. I used a quarter pound of medium crystal and two ounces of roasted malt in a 2.5 gallon brew. Well, either the water got too hot as I tried to juggle starting a boil while running a second mash, or the small amount of roasted grain wasn't enough to acidify my water and I got a tannic beer. It's drinkable and I'm hoping some of the polyphenols drop out in the fridge, but it's certainly not a brew I will hand to a guest.<br /><br />On the upside, I now have a very clear idea of what the "astringent" beer flaw is, and will no longer confuse it with the kind of bitter/sour/whaddya call it that roasted grains can impart.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216468312506242354noreply@blogger.com