bottled first batch, learned all the mistakes possible

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by monkeybeerbelly, Mar 9, 2015.

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  1. monkeybeerbelly

    monkeybeerbelly Initiate (0) Dec 6, 2012 New York

    ok so i bottled my first batch last night.
    it was a french saison with a basic recipe:

    10lbs 2row
    1lb caramel 40

    1oz tettnang
    2oz saaz
    the recipe called for wyeast 3724 but i used 3711 as per advice from this amazing forum.

    the recipe i was following had an OG of 1057 and a FG of 1017
    my actual starting gravity was about 1058 and FG was 1004!
    the beer smelled mighty boozy at bottling and was obviously very dry, could that be attributed to the yeast being different than the recipe called for? or some other user error? perhaps the high temp of fermentation, but that is why i used 3711 in the first place? is this something that might be balanced out with bottle conditioning?

    i did learn all of the things that could have gone wrong and definitely what TO do and what NOT to for my next batch. did take a lot of notes about my setup and its flaws and improvements that need to be done(most notably; keeping a lid on the bottling bucket and not figuring out till i filled the first case with a lot of work, that some air will help gravity. lots of bubbling during filling, will the extra oxygen during filling do a lot of damage?)

    Thanks for all of your help, O Kind beer(brewing)advocates, and cheers to the future of good beer!
     
    #1 monkeybeerbelly, Mar 9, 2015
  2. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    First, even if you had used 3724 as the recipe called for, this batch would have finished well below 1.017. The recipe writer is either a bad typist or hasn't actually made the recipe.

    Switching to 3711 ensured an even lower FG. 3711 is the most attenuative Sacch strain there is. More attenuation = more alcohol. And more dryness. You say boozy... does it just taste like a ~ 7% ABV? Or does it taste particularly solventy?

    How hot did it get? If the "boozy" you describe is fusel alcohols, that may diminish with time.
     
    #2 VikeMan, Mar 9, 2015
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  3. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,995) Jul 5, 2010 Virginia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    You'll be surprised by how many more mistakes you'll make (and hopefully learn from!) if you keep at this hobby.
     
    #3 MrOH, Mar 9, 2015
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  4. MCBanjoMike

    MCBanjoMike Initiate (0) Aug 7, 2014 Canada (QC)

    Extra oxygen is definitely not a thing you want, but whether or not it was a problem is for your taste buds to decide. Oxidation takes some time to show up, so consider drinking this batch in the near future rather than keeping it around for a long time. On the bright side, this is not a particularly hoppy beer - those will lose a lot of flavor if you oxidize them (as I learned first-hand last year).
     
    #4 MCBanjoMike, Mar 9, 2015
  5. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Congrats on your first batch. The name of this game is to learn from your mistakes, but I didn't see any glaring examples from your description. I say, a job well done. :slight_smile:
     
    #5 PapaGoose03, Mar 9, 2015
  6. monkeybeerbelly

    monkeybeerbelly Initiate (0) Dec 6, 2012 New York

    thanks for all the kind replies. it was definitely fun and slightly stressful :astonished:

    slightly more solventy than a regular 7% beer

    low to mid 80s
     
    #6 monkeybeerbelly, Mar 9, 2015
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