Hello Everyone:
I have not posted here for a long time. The primary reason is that, in
total frustration, I had just about given up home brewing all
together. However, in the last six months, I have tentatively tried to
brew again but have obtained the same inexplicable results. This post
is an attempt to enlist the aid of you experts. I appeal to you for
help - I feel that this is my =93last-ditch=94 effort to save my indulgent
hobby from abandonment.
Background:
I have been an inexpert, but dedicated, home brewer since the early
1980's. For the most part, I was an extract brewer, but slowly
progressed to the point of partial-mashes. At that time I lived in
Central Ohio. During my twenty-three years there, I brewed regularly -
say 20 gallons a year. It was so easy that I never much thought about
problems - just boil the mash, ferment the wort, age the brew and
drink up. I don=92t remember =93 ruining=94 a single batch in that
two-plus
decades.
Switch to present:
In 2003, we retired and changed domicile to the grand canyon desert
region of the western US. Of course, I brought all of my brewing
paraphernalia along with me and set up shop in the basement of our new
home. Unexpectedly, and mysteriously my first batch was undrinkable.
Surprisingly, my second batch was worse. Moreover, the story continued
to be the same through the 3rd, 4th, ..... batches. I just kept
brewing them, tasting them and pouring them down the drain. Then, a
year or so ago, I just gave up.
I have, of course, paid meticulous attention to cleanliness and
sterilization, completely disassembling all the components, scrubbing
the nooks and crannies, etc. And I have changed equipment, replacing
plastic bucket primaries with new ones, changing primaries to corny
kegs, replacing the cornies with conical vats (in an attempt to reduce
any exposure of the wort to contamination). I have tried municipal
water, reverse-osmosis water, distilled water. I even had the water
municipal water tested at a commercial lab with no significant clues
to the problem. I even bought new stainless-steel boiling pots as a
desperate attempt to make the problem go away. The point of this long
harangue is that I don=92t think a simple, obvious explanation is going
to suffice in explaining or in fixing my brewing problem(s).
So - to my proposal:
I have just tasted my latest batch. It is a partial mash version of an
sweet imperial stout; it was brewed in 11/2007 and has been aging in a
corny since. I just tasted it last night. I can choke the first sip
down (actually, the first sip tastes pretty good), but, at the end of
half a glass, a distasteful bitterness develops to the point that I
pour the remaining half glass down the drain. (I am aware that a stout
may take a long time to properly condition, but, after about 6 months,
it should be noticeably tasty). This pretty well sums up the results
of nearly every batch that I have tried since moving. As I indicated
above, I am an amateur and have not developed the palate and the
jargon to adequately describe the cacophony of tastes, aromas, and
impressions developed in imbibing a glass of beer, but I certainly
know a =93bad =91un=94 when I taste it.
What I would like to propose is that I send a bottle (I have to do
some research to determine if and how indeed a glass container can be
safely posted through the mail system) to as many of you that requests
one (with the obvious limitation of supply) for the purpose of
critiquing the product and suggesting ways to correct my brewing
methods.
Awaiting anxiously any constructive feedback, Thanks - Mashbrain
If I knew what I was doing, it wouldn=92t be research.
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