California Common tastes like Molasses

rvannools · Post by **rvannools** » Fri Nov 27, 2015 1:52 am

Brewed a California Common 5 gallon batch and it has an overwhelming (gross) flavour of molasses. You can't really get past it, might have to be dumped.

9% Munich
14% Caramel/Crystal Malt
77% Canadian 2-Row
25g Centennial 60min
20g Cascade 30min
20g Cascade 30 min

1 California Lager wyeast smack pack

I thought I had broken the smack pack (smacked it like ten times) but when I went to pitch I realized it hadn't properly broken the yeast nutrients. I looked on Wyeast's website and it looked like it would be OK to pitch anyways.
So I pitched maybe at around 22C and then brought down temperature down to 16C. Nothing happened for about 3-4 days so I brought the temperature back up to 20C and gave it a good shake and left it there. Once it started to ferment I brought the temp back down to 16C. Racked and conditioned at 10C for about three weeks.

Fermentation chamber is a deepfreeze with a ceramic reptile heat lamp if the temp drops too low. The temperature probe was taped to the carboy insulated with paper towel and tape and a cloth outside of that. The conditioning process, the temperature probe was taped on the side of one of the bottles with same insulation at 10C.

Tasted it tonight, to my displeasure it was some sort of combination of molasses and phenlos or alcohol. It's pretty bad. Any ideas? Tried to give as much info as I could

Thanks

jason.loxton · Post by **jason.loxton** » Fri Nov 27, 2015 1:55 am

What's your final gravity? Was the fermentation complete?

jacinthebox · Post by **jacinthebox** » Fri Nov 27, 2015 2:00 am

What was your og? Did you pitch a proper amount of yeast?

McGruff · Post by **McGruff** » Fri Nov 27, 2015 9:15 am

Seems like a lot of crystal malt. What was the colour of it?

Post by **mr x** » Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:21 am

What was the crystal color

rvannools · Post by **rvannools** » Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:56 pm

0.75kg of 60

Developed recipe based on Ray Daniel's chapter on the beer style.

OG was under my target about 1.042 but fg was 1.010 so I think it fermented all the way. Unless I needed more yeast so it wouldn't have to work as hard/produce off flavours? I'm not sure

jacinthebox · Post by **jacinthebox** » Tue Dec 01, 2015 1:24 pm

You should share a bottle at the next brewnosers meeting...lots of help at the meetings

rvannools · Post by **rvannools** » Thu Dec 03, 2015 1:44 am

Good call, part of me is hoping it will taste better after a week lol

California Common tastes like Molasses

California Common tastes like Molasses

Re: California Common tastes like Molasses

Re: California Common tastes like Molasses

Re: California Common tastes like Molasses

Re: California Common tastes like Molasses

Re: California Common tastes like Molasses

Re: California Common tastes like Molasses

Re: California Common tastes like Molasses

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