6 replies to this topic

[porter]

I made a kolsch I back in November and put the second keg of it in and poured the first pint today. The first keg of it was good, nice pale beer. No joke, the pour today was a pale purple color. It doesn't smell grossly infected, but there is something slight off with it. I'll have to taste it again and try to describe it. Anyone ever have this happen before. I'll admit I don't take my kegs completely apart to sanitize them every time, but have never had an issue. Anyway, anyone ever get purple beer before??

Working on a pic.

Edited by porter, 10 February 2018 - 06:59 PM.

[porter]

 

 

Tasting it again, I'm not really sure I can describe what's off. It's very subtle. I may be imagining it due to the unusual appearance.

[porter]

The other difference besides the purple cast is the other half of the beer came out a nice pale yellow. So I'm not sure where the orange came from, either. 

[SchwanzBrewer]

My best guess is you used iodaphor sanitizer and didn't rinse. Off flavor is most likely oxidation. No matter how good you think you did purging and gently filling the keg, it got oxidized and 3 months on a pale homebrew is too much in my opinion unless you used brewtan.

[porter]

No iodophor - my cleaning and sanitation regimen is PBW and Starsan. But yeah, iodine from some source did come to mind. The purple tint is much more noticeable in person that it is in the photos. Definitely expect a little oxidation but usually this beer is still decent at 3 months. 

[Steve Urquell]

I'll admit I don't take my kegs completely apart to sanitize them every time, but have never had an issue.

I break my kegs down completely every time one blows and find a little funk/cheese in the beer post of the kegs that have lasted >8 mths. I'd like to know what you find when you break that down.

[Big Nake]

A high kettle pH can cause a severe darkening of the wort but if it was that then I think both kegs of it would show it. Oxidation will also do that and the differences in beer color on an oxidized beer and one with less oxidation is truly remarkable. The effects of oxidation would also worsen over time so that falls in line here. I don't know that I've ever seen a contamination or infection cause such a dramatic color change but it might just be out of my experience. I've made plenty of contaminated beers but their symptom is typically a pesky haze that will not go away regardless of what I try and of course... the flavor of the beer is reminiscent of a Belgian or something... funky barnyard, phenolic, horse blanket, complex WTFery. Sorry about the kolsch. We hardly knew ye!