Frustrated Brewer!!!

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Categories: Homebrew Beer

Question:

heh – scary, cuz I *do* have a rabbit cage.

Response:

I guess I’m going to have to declare it wabbit season in my neighborhood! Rethinking my process and location(s) of bottling might be in order. Me thinks a total scrubbing, soaking and renewal of equipment might help. If not, I don’t know what to do. I recently finished a major kitchen renovation, maybe that could be the source of dust, although I have an area hepafilter system with new filters in use for my wife’s allergies. —–ActiveX

| How is your environment? Do you have a "musty" problem elsewhere in | the house, perhaps? Maybe you’re picking up some spores or dust | via ventilator fans or something? | | If you can’t clean it out of glass carboys, it’s might be because it’s | not | in them in the first place. | | Could there be a fungal "bloom" in the neighborhood? | Construction project? Recently plowed field? | Rabbit hutch? |

Response:

Do you recommend replacement of the lauter tun, mash tun and sparge hoses OR just the racking cane/siphon and bottle filler hoses? I was under the impression since the wort is boiled after contact with the mashing equipment sanitation should not be as "anal" as cooled wort/beer contact equipment. Don’t get me wrong, I do sanitize my mashing equipment, just not as vigorously. —–ActiveX

| The last few batches of my brew have been infected. I really can’t | describe the off flavor except it is an herbal spicy aroma and flavor. | When I taste the hydrometer sample prior to bottling it is not | noticeable at all. As the brew carbonates, 7 days or so it is still | not there. At day 10 in the bottles it appears as strong as ever. | What’s strange is all of batch 34 was infected, batch 35 only a few | bottles were infected, batch 36 none were infected, 37 & 38 all were | infected and batch 39 is perfectly fine. What’s the deal? Batches | 34 – 39 all are relatively equal in alcohol strength and OG. | | The sanitation of my bottles was my first thought, but now I am not so | sure. When I pour a brew I immediately rinse the bottle four times | with HOT water and let drip dry. Prior to reuse via bottling, the | bottles are soaked over night in PBW and scrubbed with a bottle brush, | rinsed three times then soaked in 12-15ppm solution of Iodophor for 30 | minutes and dripped dried for a few minutes top side down, then filled | with potentially wonderful brew. The bottle caps are boiled and I | also boil the priming sugar solution. | | It’s very frustrating to pinpoint where it’s coming from and as you | all know, the time and effort that goes into crafting homebrew is | sometimes hard to come by when you balance work and a family. Any and | all help is much appreciated. | | —–ActiveX | | | |

Response:

How is your environment? Do you have a "musty" problem elsewhere in the house, perhaps? Maybe you’re picking up some spores or dust via ventilator fans or something? If you can’t clean it out of glass carboys, it’s might be because it’s not in them in the first place. Could there be a fungal "bloom" in the neighborhood? Construction project? Recently plowed field? Rabbit hutch? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes that would be an accurate description. I’m going to retire a lot of my equipment and buy new. Even fermenting in glass carboys does not cure this problem. If you find out what it is and where it’s comng from, please post your findings. —–ActiveX | | | | I’m not sure if this is it or not since I have never tasted aldehydes | or hexanal to my knowledge. I try my best not to splash the beer | after the yeast is pitched. I even tip the receiving vessels to | ensure the hose or filler is completely submerged to reduce oxidation. | | | Just curious- is it sort of a sharp/moldy almost acrid kind of taste? | I’ve got that in about 1/3 of my bottles in my latest english brown ale.

change g.com to k.net to e-mail me.

Response:

Yes that would be an accurate description. I’m going to retire a lot of my equipment and buy new. Even fermenting in glass carboys does not cure this problem. If you find out what it is and where it’s comng from, please post your findings. —–ActiveX

| | | | I’m not sure if this is it or not since I have never tasted aldehydes | or hexanal to my knowledge. I try my best not to splash the beer | after the yeast is pitched. I even tip the receiving vessels to | ensure the hose or filler is completely submerged to reduce oxidation. | | | Just curious- is it sort of a sharp/moldy almost acrid kind of taste? | I’ve got that in about 1/3 of my bottles in my latest english brown ale. | |

Response:

I’m not sure if this is it or not since I have never tasted aldehydes or hexanal to my knowledge. I try my best not to splash the beer after the yeast is pitched. I even tip the receiving vessels to ensure the hose or filler is completely submerged to reduce oxidation.

Just curious- is it sort of a sharp/moldy almost acrid kind of taste? I’ve got that in about 1/3 of my bottles in my latest english brown ale.

Response:

Take a look at your bottle filler? — Dan Listermann Check out our E-tail site at http://www.listermann.com Take a look at the anti-telemarketer forum. It is my new hobby!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have soaked my hoses in bleach for long periods of time, but I guess it’s time for me to stop being such a tight ass and buy some 0.20/ft hoses. Lesson learned…if this is the problem. What really baffles me is why would the flavor only appear shortly after bottling and not before? I use the same hose to rack from the kettle, primary, secondary and fill the bottles. —–ActiveX | Just post boil hoses. A good long soak in bleach works as well, but will | turn the hose white. This is not really a problem. | | — | Dan Listermann | | Check out our E-tail site at http://www.listermann.com | | Take a look at the anti-telemarketer forum. It is my new hobby! | | Do you recommend replacement of the lauter tun, mash tun and sparge | hoses OR just the racking cane/siphon and bottle filler hoses? I was | under the impression since the wort is boiled after contact with the | mashing equipment sanitation should not be as "anal" as cooled | wort/beer contact equipment. Don’t get me wrong, I do sanitize my | mashing equipment, just not as vigorously. | | —–ActiveX | | | Consider replacing your hoses. | | | | — | | Dan Listermann | | | | Check out our E-tail site at http://www.listermann.com | | | | Take a look at the anti-telemarketer forum. It is my new hobby! | | | | The last few batches of my brew have been infected. I really | can’t | | describe the off flavor except it is an herbal spicy aroma and | flavor. | | When I taste the hydrometer sample prior to bottling it is not | | noticeable at all. As the brew carbonates, 7 days or so it is | still | | not there. At day 10 in the bottles it appears as strong as ever. | | What’s strange is all of batch 34 was infected, batch 35 only a | few | | bottles were infected, batch 36 none were infected, 37 & 38 all | were | | infected and batch 39 is perfectly fine. What’s the deal? | Batches | | 34 – 39 all are relatively equal in alcohol strength and OG. | | | | The sanitation of my bottles was my first thought, but now I am | not so | | sure. When I pour a brew I immediately rinse the bottle four | times | | with HOT water and let drip dry. Prior to reuse via bottling, the | | bottles are soaked over night in PBW and scrubbed with a bottle | brush, | | rinsed three times then soaked in 12-15ppm solution of Iodophor | for 30 | | minutes and dripped dried for a few minutes top side down, then | filled | | with potentially wonderful brew. The bottle caps are boiled and I | | also boil the priming sugar solution. | | | | It’s very frustrating to pinpoint where it’s coming from and as | you | | all know, the time and effort that goes into crafting homebrew is | | sometimes hard to come by when you balance work and a family. Any | and | | all help is much appreciated. | | | | —–ActiveX | | | | | | | | | | | |

Response:

I have soaked my hoses in bleach for long periods of time, but I guess it’s time for me to stop being such a tight ass and buy some 0.20/ft hoses. Lesson learned…if this is the problem. What really baffles me is why would the flavor only appear shortly after bottling and not before? I use the same hose to rack from the kettle, primary, secondary and fill the bottles. —–ActiveX

| Just post boil hoses. A good long soak in bleach works as well, but will | turn the hose white. This is not really a problem. | | — | Dan Listermann | | Check out our E-tail site at http://www.listermann.com | | Take a look at the anti-telemarketer forum. It is my new hobby! |

Response:

No I am not rinsing, although I do drip dry for 15 minutes prior to use as recommended by BTF. 0.1 oz per gallon is the concentration I use (12 ppm). —–ActiveX

Response:

| As the brew carbonates, 7 days or so it is still | not there. At day 10 in the bottles it appears as strong as ever. | | Could be a problem with your bottling procedures and oxidation. Does it taste | grassy? Herbal? if so the responsible compounds are the aldehydes hexanal and | heptanol which are produced by the oxidation of alcohol. Avoid splashing the | beer at bottling time and make sure you use tubing that reaches the bottom of | the bottling bucket as well a bottle filler that reached the bottom of each | bottle. Good Luck.

Response:

I would say that any tube which contacts the beer post boil should be replaced. You could try soaking them in a strong bleach solution overnight. I don’t know what it would do to the hose, but it shuld kill any nasties.

Response:

Have you considered that it may be a hopping flavor characteristic rather than an infection? Just a thought. Was there a common hop among the "infected" brews? one that wasn’t present in those that weren’t affected. Probably not, but a shot in the dark. — –DAsh Favorite bumper stickers: "Beer with body = body by beer" —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–== Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

Just post boil hoses. A good long soak in bleach works as well, but will turn the hose white. This is not really a problem. — Dan Listermann Check out our E-tail site at http://www.listermann.com Take a look at the anti-telemarketer forum. It is my new hobby!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Do you recommend replacement of the lauter tun, mash tun and sparge hoses OR just the racking cane/siphon and bottle filler hoses? I was under the impression since the wort is boiled after contact with the mashing equipment sanitation should not be as "anal" as cooled wort/beer contact equipment. Don’t get me wrong, I do sanitize my mashing equipment, just not as vigorously. —–ActiveX | Consider replacing your hoses. | | — | Dan Listermann | | Check out our E-tail site at http://www.listermann.com | | Take a look at the anti-telemarketer forum. It is my new hobby! | | The last few batches of my brew have been infected. I really can’t | describe the off flavor except it is an herbal spicy aroma and flavor. | When I taste the hydrometer sample prior to bottling it is not | noticeable at all. As the brew carbonates, 7 days or so it is still | not there. At day 10 in the bottles it appears as strong as ever. | What’s strange is all of batch 34 was infected, batch 35 only a few | bottles were infected, batch 36 none were infected, 37 & 38 all were | infected and batch 39 is perfectly fine. What’s the deal? Batches | 34 – 39 all are relatively equal in alcohol strength and OG. | | The sanitation of my bottles was my first thought, but now I am not so | sure. When I pour a brew I immediately rinse the bottle four times | with HOT water and let drip dry. Prior to reuse via bottling, the | bottles are soaked over night in PBW and scrubbed with a bottle brush, | rinsed three times then soaked in 12-15ppm solution of Iodophor for 30 | minutes and dripped dried for a few minutes top side down, then filled | with potentially wonderful brew. The bottle caps are boiled and I | also boil the priming sugar solution. | | It’s very frustrating to pinpoint where it’s coming from and as you | all know, the time and effort that goes into crafting homebrew is | sometimes hard to come by when you balance work and a family. Any and | all help is much appreciated. | | —–ActiveX | | | |

Response:

How about fermentation temp? Too high could potentially cause off-flavors…

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The last few batches of my brew have been infected. I really can’t describe the off flavor except it is an herbal spicy aroma and flavor. When I taste the hydrometer sample prior to bottling it is not noticeable at all. As the brew carbonates, 7 days or so it is still not there. At day 10 in the bottles it appears as strong as ever. What’s strange is all of batch 34 was infected, batch 35 only a few bottles were infected, batch 36 none were infected, 37 & 38 all were infected and batch 39 is perfectly fine. What’s the deal? Batches 34 – 39 all are relatively equal in alcohol strength and OG. The sanitation of my bottles was my first thought, but now I am not so sure. When I pour a brew I immediately rinse the bottle four times with HOT water and let drip dry. Prior to reuse via bottling, the bottles are soaked over night in PBW and scrubbed with a bottle brush, rinsed three times then soaked in 12-15ppm solution of Iodophor for 30 minutes and dripped dried for a few minutes top side down, then filled with potentially wonderful brew. The bottle caps are boiled and I also boil the priming sugar solution. It’s very frustrating to pinpoint where it’s coming from and as you all know, the time and effort that goes into crafting homebrew is sometimes hard to come by when you balance work and a family. Any and all help is much appreciated. —–ActiveX

Response:

I don’t think temperature is the culprit. Some of the infected brews were fermented in a thermostat controlled fridge at 62

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