Anyone remember the first time the actually got it right? I'm on my 8th batch of assorted beer styles. Although all my other beers tasted ok, and had plenty of alcohol content, there was always the high yeast content (even though I let it age for an extra month), dry aftertaste, or the extreme hangover/fart factor the day after.
Well, I just tapped an American style IPA I made last month, and it turned out INCREDIBLE! Great taste, good clarity, refreshing (not dry), no hangover/farts, and it clocks in at 5.5%...perfect!
What did I do different?
#1-A 4 gal boil rather than 3 gal
#2-steeped grains @165deg. in a 3qt pan rather than full pot.
#3-dropped temp faster before putting into fermenter
#4-once I was ready to keg, I dropped the temp to get remaining yeast to fall out.
I'm thinking about getting a turkey fryer for full boils for my next batch.
What techniques improved your beer the most?