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I make beer and do a few other things.
Showing posts with label mistake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mistake. Show all posts

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Dubbel is half good

My Belgian dubbel turned out kind of weird. The smack pack yeast didn't work and after two days I had to pitch a different yeast - a Nottingham English ale yeast. It fermented but I didn't know at the time that the bell on the bubbler had a crack in it, likely allowing oxygen and bacteria into the car boy. I bottled the beer and after two weeks began trying the beer. In a 22-ounce bottle, the first pour off the beer is solid. It has a nice Amber color and the yeast made it a bit fruity, with definite banana smell and flavor. It's not what I planned, but not bad. Then comes the second-half of the bottle. It's a yeasty cloud. The beer is alright, but there is so much yeast sludge in suspension that it is almost undrinkable. I didn't do secondary fermentation with this batch, and that was a big mistake.

This beer isn't a total loss, but I likely won't be drinking the whole bottle on these bad boys. Today, I am transferring my Cuvee into the secondary fermenter. I am hoping to prevent a screw up like the one that nearly ruined this dubbel.