40 replies to this topic

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

APA

sounds like a fair test candidate as long as the hoppiness wasn't over the top.

[denny]

sounds like a fair test candidate as long as the hoppiness wasn't over the top.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't see why that would matter.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't see why that would matter.

if a beer had a very strong flavor/aroma it might hide potential differences.

[denny]

if a beer had a very strong flavor/aroma it might hide potential differences.

Well, I guess maybe, but I'm still having a hard time grokking that.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Well, I guess maybe, but I'm still having a hard time grokking that.

sort of the equivalent to putting lots of spices on a meat can hide that meats taste, I just had to look up grok. Is that a common term out your way?

[Thirsty]

All were allowed to sit for 2 months for the CO2 to be fully dissolved into the beer.

This brings up a really good point. In the other thread about keg purging, most say there kegs dont last 2 months to worry about long term oxidation. So for those who bottle, I would think the majority probably do not wait 2 months to begin consumption.As a matter of fact, how many threads do we read that start saying "I bottled a week ago and my beer______" insert question there. Now some may wait a nice 3-4 weeks, but I bet most are drinking, trading, or entering into competition beers that have not fully matured. Again I am not saying this is everyone, but I bet there is a high % where it applies.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

This brings up a really good point. In the other thread about keg purging, most say there kegs dont last 2 months to worry about long term oxidation. So for those who bottle, I would think the majority probably do not wait 2 months to begin consumption.As a matter of fact, how many threads do we read that start saying "I bottled a week ago and my beer______" insert question there. Now some may wait a nice 3-4 weeks, but I bet most are drinking, trading, or entering into competition beers that have not fully matured. Again I am not saying this is everyone, but I bet there is a high % where it applies.

I occasionally sample one from 1-6 weeks of aging but after that I may just dive right in. If I happen to have plenty of other beer most of them probably make it to 2 months or more though. I rarely bottle however.

[denny]

sort of the equivalent to putting lots of spices on a meat can hide that meats taste, I just had to look up grok. Is that a common term out your way?

Grok comes from a Heinlein novel. Guess I'm showing my age!I still don't grok your analogy, though! To me, carbonation will affect mouthfeel, not flavor.

[Big Nake]

Between the green beer flavor of young, sugar-primed bottles and the slight sweetness I used to detect from my primed beers, I prefer force-carbonated keg beer. I think they taste cleaner to me. The comment about bubble-size is so funny, because I have also noticed that beers primed with corn sugar have larger bubbles than beers primed with DME or force-carbonated. That may just be the mind tricking me (or you), but I have noticed it. For the record, when I used to bottle with priming solution, I wouldn't touch those bottles unless they were at least 4 weeks in the bottle, preferably 6. I always tasted the green beer flavor early on and decided to just leave them to do their thing so the entire batch would be smooth and drinkable to my palate. I still haven't primed a keg... maybe I should, just to see if I taste something different. Cheers.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Grok comes from a Heinlein novel. Guess I'm showing my age!I still don't grok your analogy, though! To me, carbonation will affect mouthfeel, not flavor.

good point - I guess I was thinking about flavor b/c I had already discounted the carbonation being different

[3rd party JKor]

Don't know, don't care. I can't see myself ever naturally carbing my beer, regardless of whether it tastes better or not. Kegging = .

[jammer]

I dont think that Id be able to tell them apart.

[Stout_fan]

Well, my .02 here guys:When I first got started kegging, I would naturally carbonate the beer with a post fermentation sugar charge in the keg. I really do believe the bubbles were smaller than when force carbing. I also did feel it had increased mouthfeel and creaminess, somewhat in keeping with the champagne article.HOWEVER, when I let kegs cold stabilize for an extended period, the bubbles were now smaller and other sensations were similar to naturally carbonated beers. So what gives thought I? It certainly is cleaner, and all I have to do is wait for great beer. Not a problem, just brew more!So we know that tanins and particles floating around in beer cause, besides the obvious tannic sensations, larger bubbles and shorter foam stand. This is one of the reasons lagers are so great in this respect: No Schmutz (original yiddish, no ™ required) floating around in the beers to disrupt the head.So why does natural carbing do this? My guess is the process of yeast flocculation entraps these tanins and particles and in short order forces them to be part of the sediment. When we rack beer,we stir some of the schmutz up and put it back into solution.Well, that's my less than educated guess on the topic. What say y'all?

Edited by Stout_fan, 23 December 2009 - 07:59 AM.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Well, my .02 here guys:When I first got started kegging, I would naturally carbonate the beer with a post fermentation sugar charge in the keg. I really do believe the bubbles were smaller than when force carbing. I also did feel it had increased mouthfeel and creaminess, somewhat in keeping with the champagne article.HOWEVER, when I let kegs cold stabilize for an extended period, the bubbles were now smaller and other sensations were similar to naturally carbonated beers. So what gives thought I? It certainly is cleaner, and all I have to do is wait for great beer. Not a problem, just brew more!So we know that tanins and particles floating around in beer cause, besides the obvious tannic sensations, larger bubbles and shorter foam stand. This is one of the reasons lagers are so great in this respect: No Schmutz (original yiddish, no ™ required) floating around in the beers to disrupt the head.So why does natural carbing do this? My guess is the process of yeast flocculation entraps these tanins and particles and in short order forces them to be part of the sediment. When we rack beer,we stir some of the schmutz up and put it back into solution.Well, that's my less than educated guess on the topic. What say y'all?

I think letting the force carbing stabilize is the difference as well.

[stellarbrew]

Well, my .02 here guys:When I first got started kegging, I would naturally carbonate the beer with a post fermentation sugar charge in the keg. I really do believe the bubbles were smaller than when force carbing. I also did feel it had increased mouthfeel and creaminess, somewhat in keeping with the champagne article.HOWEVER, when I let kegs cold stabilize for an extended period, the bubbles were now smaller and other sensations were similar to naturally carbonated beers. So what gives thought I? It certainly is cleaner, and all I have to do is wait for great beer. Not a problem, just brew more!So we know that tanins and particles floating around in beer cause, besides the obvious tannic sensations, larger bubbles and shorter foam stand. This is one of the reasons lagers are so great in this respect: No Schmutz (original yiddish, no ™ required) floating around in the beers to disrupt the head.So why does natural carbing do this? My guess is the process of yeast flocculation entraps these tanins and particles and in short order forces them to be part of the sediment. When we rack beer,we stir some of the schmutz up and put it back into solution.Well, that's my less than educated guess on the topic. What say y'all?

You may be on to something there. I have also noticed that sometimes when I bottle beer from the keg, after a week of cold storage in the bottle, the bottled beer is clearer and tastes smoother than a pint straight from the keg. I assumed it was because the tannins feel out faster in a that short bottle than they do in the big, tall keg.

[denny]

I think letting the force carbing stabilize is the difference as well.

Which is why I did the 2 month wait in my experiment.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Which is why I did the 2 month wait in my experiment.

brilliant!

[Stout_fan]

brilliant!

Denny, now there's a guy who knows where his towel is!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Denny, now there's a guy who knows where his towel is!

say wha?