The 1 brewing ingredient you won't use again.

Belma hops! The only time I’ve ever made a beer so terrible. Might not have had anything to do with it but I’m scarred for life. The batch was like chewing on aspirin only worse.

Interesting about the hate for Kveik. I’ve had crap luck with Voss Kveik. I haven’t had a batch finish yet that I started with it but after co pitching S05 as the Kveik started to stall, the combo has made some stellar IPAs. I’ll put it in the love to hate category right next to crazy x girl friends and abusive relationships. o_O
 
Craigerrr said:
I can't actually think of an ingredient that I said "never again" to. Maybe I need to be more adventurous in order to find something I don't like... for me so far everything I have used has been used in the appropriate brew. As close as I came was using VOSS in a coffee porter, it wasn't good at first, but after aging it mellowed and the "VOSS" tang disappeared, and the brew was as it should have been.
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Patience helps with everything, in my opinion. Given that we are rapidly approaching summer here in sunny Southern California, I’m sure that there is a place in my brewery for the use of Voss. It won’t be for the speed of fermentation, but for the lack of temperature control. I want to keep working with it, and find the niche where it works for the fermentation of my ales.
 
Dornbox said:
Belma hops! The only time I’ve ever made a beer so terrible. Might not have had anything to do with it but I’m scarred for life. The batch was like chewing on aspirin only worse.

Interesting about the hate for Kveik. I’ve had crap luck with Voss Kveik. I haven’t had a batch finish yet that I started with it but after co pitching S05 as the Kveik started to stall, the combo has made some stellar IPAs. I’ll put it in the love to hate category right next to crazy x girl friends and abusive relationships. o_O
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Maltotrios is the cause I believe.
What? Well kviek yeast smash out the simple sugars sucrose -maltose then turn to Maltotrios they struggle to ferment this more complex (Alpa Amylase) sugar.
Therefore a co pitch with let's say a Chico strain will achieve complete attenuation.
Ah all them podcasts I've been listening to lol!

Or target Beta Amylase in the mash to create a "more" fermentable wort beta around 60-64c.
 
For me Voss kveik works 'cause of high temperatures and no control. The speed is not really important.
Once I get my other set of solar panels up, I can start running my fermentation fridge. Maybe then I change my mind :rolleyes:
 
Megary said:
Shamelessly, when I started this thread, I was kinda hoping someone would dump on an ingredient that someone else loves! Maybe start a rational, level-headed discussion into the merits of said ingredient. Or a fracas. ;)

I've never used Kveik yeast strains, but I do believe that they have their time and place. For many brewers, figuring out what niche it can serve might be more experimenting than it is worth. Especially when there are so many fantastic, clearly defined strains of yeast already available.
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Special B is getting beat up a bit. I use Special B in my bride's English Brown with Chocolate #350, Caramel #40, and Biscuit. These 4 steeping grains seem to work together. A little bit of Victory in place of the Biscuit works, too. Otherwise, only a small amount of Special B seems to be advisable or it will most certainly dominate the flavor profile.
 
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Daniel Parshley said:
Special B is getting beat up a bit. I use Special B in my bride's English Brown with Chocolate #350, Caramel #40, and Biscuit. These 4 steeping grains seem to work together. A little bit of Victory in place of the Biscuit works, too. Otherwise, only a small amount of Special B seems to be advisable or it will most certainly dominate the flavor profile.
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I've not had a winner with Special B yet, but like I said, I'm willing to take blame for that. So I haven't ruled it out forever.

I've only used it twice and between 2-3% of the total grist. What I got was hard to describe, but "heavy" comes to mind. It was like a super-rich-malty-concentrated flavor that had incredible depth for how little got used. I can see it working for sure, I just haven't figured out how yet.
 
BE-256 and WB-06 dry yeasts for abbey and hefeweizen styles. Never made anything even close to what I wanted with either. After switching to liquid alternatives? Great beers right away. I'm sure there's some way to make great beers with those two, but I'm not going to waste any more time and ingredients while trying.
 
_Stephen_ said:
No fermentation temp control? Try Kveik they said. Summer weather. Try Kveik they said. Want to make beer fast. Try Kveik they said. Want beer that tastes horrible? ..... ya try Kveik. lol.
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I used it twice and was dissatisfied with the results.
I was doing a build out and can't guarantee I didn't expose the wort to airborne construction dust, so I'll have to try it again at some point.
But, I will say, both beers had an unusual bite to them.
 
The Brew Mentor said:
But, I will say, both beers had an unusual bite to them.
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Yeah...it's like an off flavor that you can't quite put your finger on. I had a blond ale at a local brewery that I knew the brewers were quite proud of and when they asked me how I liked it I just couldn't be enthusiastic and told them that I just didn't really like it. When they mentioned it was a Kveik beer, it all made sense. I realized that it was a "clean" beer with no brewing faults but the yeast flavor was out of place and unpleasant.
That being said, I had a "summer lager" from a brewery I like in Tacoma, Washington and thought that it was quite good and pretty properly flavored. I suspect that they filtered or actually lagered for a reasonable length of time to lose the yeast flavor.
 
What I've noticed so far (in my limited experience) is that kveik voss improves with longer fermentation, carbonation and cooling than normally said for this yeast.
I would say it does well by high temperatures and close to "standard" times. 1-2 weeks fermentation, 7-10 days carbonation and an absolute minimum of 3 days in the fridge, but preferably longer
 
Actually an ingredient came to mind: WB06 yeast. I thought I'd try a new wheat beer yeast, since I love Hefeweitzens, and did not realize this one was a diastaticus strain.

The beer was mediocre, and I had to sterilize everything that touched the yeast. Worse beer and extra effort, what fun :rolleyes:
 
ttsalo said:
BE-256 and WB-06 dry yeasts for abbey and hefeweizen styles. Never made anything even close to what I wanted with either. After switching to liquid alternatives? Great beers right away. I'm sure there's some way to make great beers with those two, but I'm not going to waste any more time and ingredients while trying.
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Uh oh my next batch will be with BE-256 :eek::).
I hope I don't get tarnished with the same brush.
 
Maybe I'm not discerning enough to dislike any one thing to not use it ever again. I have a Voss Citra Session on tap now that is pretty good. Misuse of Rye malt will create a drain dumper. I learned to be very careful with rye. I still use it.
 
Dornbox said:
Belma hops! The only time I’ve ever made a beer so terrible. Might not have had anything to do with it but I’m scarred for life. The batch was like chewing on aspirin only worse.

Interesting about the hate for Kveik. I’ve had crap luck with Voss Kveik. I haven’t had a batch finish yet that I started with it but after co pitching S05 as the Kveik started to stall, the combo has made some stellar IPAs. I’ll put it in the love to hate category right next to crazy x girl friends and abusive relationships. o_O
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Crazy ex girlfriends for sure. I threw one in the brew kettle once and it was a disaster.
 
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