Beer Forum

Hi there! I'm about as new as they come, and am in the middle of my first batch ever. I used the Brewer's Best Dunkelweizen kit for my first batch, which I started on 12/4. I decided to take a gravity reading tonight (12/13) in hopes of bottling by the end of the week. When tasting, I noticed that it was very watery and cloudy. Is that normal at this stage, or should it have more body/clarity? Thanks for any replies!!

Welcome to the hobby and the site!
I'm not sure about the instructions on your particular kit, but many kit beers say to add corn sugar (or table sugar) to the wort to boost the alcohol content. This definitely does accomplish that, but results in watery beer.

Tell us more about the kit itself -- what style, what kind of ingredients were in it and whether you had to add anything (besides water) to it.

Without knowing more about the kit, it's hard to tell you when to expect the beer to be finished. Stronger beers in general take longer than lighter (alcohol level -- not color) beers.

Sorry I can't be of more help, but with more specifics, we can figure this out.

It should be cloudy, it's a dunkleweizen!

It might just taste a little watery since it's not carbed. Keep testing all your brews at the different stages, and you'll get an idea of how everything should be. Good luck, and welcome to the obcession that is homebrewing!

Welcome to the hobby. I would not worry too much unless it tasted sour or something. It is your first batch, you need to start someplace.

Thank you for the feedback. I had some family stuff pop up, so I haven't had a chance to respond until now. Yesterday marked 14 days. This evening I noticed that the batch tasted strong (almost wine-ish) and smelled about the same. I'm thinking I may need toss it due to contamination. I'm sure something went wrong during my fumbling with this batch. On a positive note, my next batch will run smoother since I've had a go at it once. Oh well, I guess I'm buying my New Year beer

Oh, and BDog...it called for the addition of maltodextrine. Is that frowned upon?

Maltodextrine is not the same as corn or table sugar. Maltodextrine is a complex sugar which will add body, and potently a little sweetness, but it will not ferment. The problem with simple sugars is the yeast will eat them up.

About your current beer, what temperature did you ferment at? Fermenting too high can cause alcohol taste and and smell.