16 replies to this topic

[Hines]

I can’t describe it, but it’s back. I’ve totally replace all brewing equipment except for my stainless spoon and speidel fermentation vessels.

I always wash out the speidels then add a gallon of starsan, swirl around, then cap the speidel till I use it again. I just tried soaking one with oxyclean for a few days. I feel like I can smell the off flavor.

Long story short, I guess I’m going to buy a stainless vessel. I might start a separate thread on that in the rare instance a newbie joins the board and wants to read over it.

I’m stumped. I feel my processes are solid.

[denny]

You need to be able to describe it.  You may be barking up the wrong tree.Here is a ;list of terms that might help you.  Be careful not to let it lead you.

 

https://www.dropbox.... terms.rtf?dl=0

 

Why do you leave StarSan in the fermenter?  It can go bad and might even be the cause of your problem.  Do you test it's pH to make certain it's OK? I would also recommend cleaning with Craftmeister alkaline brewery wash rather than Oxiclean so you get a real deep clean. Also, try sanitizing with iodophor.  It kills stuff that Starsan doesn't.

Edited by denny, 21 January 2023 - 12:56 PM.

[Hines]

None of that works.
This is the first time I’ve used oxyclean. Normally I use pbw for cleaning. I soakEd with oxy to see if smeLl would go away. It’s truly not a smell or flavor that I can relate it to.

[Hines]

when I leave starsan in, it’s less than a gallon for less than 2 weeks. I figured that if I swirled that and dumped it, then put the beer/sugar in & bottle from that vessel, my process would be clean.

I have 2 speidels that I rotate 1 for fermenting, one for bottling day.

Edit to add, this flavor didn’t resurface till approx my 5th brew since I started brewing again.

Edited by Hines, 21 January 2023 - 01:19 PM.

[Hines]

my procedure is below, keep in mind i actively use two speidels.

 

 

-Brew beer in electric rig with spring water (water test in another thread).  Sparge with spring water.

 

-I cool the wort with a drop in chiller (which gets dropped in during the last 5 minutes for sanitation)

 

-rack over to clean/sanitized speidel

 

-ferment 7-14 days

 

-bring a pint of water to boil, add corn sugar, boil for a minute

 

-add sugar water to a different clean/sanitized speidel, rack from fermentation speidel to what i call the bottling speidel

 

-bottle/keg

 

-clean both speidels (which typically means i take them into the shower and scrub them out with a silicon sponge.  rinse thoroughly, add approx a half gallon of starsan, swirl, then cap.

 

at this point, i usually brew on the same day i bottle.   So one of the speidels gets new wort in it within a few hours.

 

the process starts all over again

[denny]

I don't see anything suspicious there

[Hines]

I don't see anything suspicious there

Exactly.

Next batch is a cream ale with water treatment based on brewfather suggestions. If off flavor persists, I’m going stainless with mY fermentation vessels.

[HVB]

Have you tried 100% bottled water from the store to eliminate water as an issue?

[positiveContact]

Have you tried 100% bottled water from the store to eliminate water as an issue?

 

Pretty cheap experiment for the next brew day.

 

Related... have you sent your water in for testing to ward?  How does your water taste?  Do you filter it?  Treat it with campden tablets?

[BlKtRe]

Maybe you developed a bad taste for corn sugar. I can. Years ago when I got away from using corn sugar to force carb those flavors went away. It would get reinforced at homebrew meetings on occasion. Maybe try different water that has been filtered in one of those machines at the grocery store. 

[Hines]

The thought of corn sugar crossed my mind.  But just seems weird those first several batches was fine.

 

The first batch I did was with bottled water.   I don't think water is my issue though.  Here are the Ward results on my water source:

 

 

[denny]

The thought of corn sugar crossed my mind.  But just seems weird those first several batches was fine.

 

The first batch I did was with bottled water.   I don't think water is my issue though.  Here are the Ward results on my water source:

 

Great water.  And it's not corn sugar.  Until you can describe it better (or we can taste the beer) we're all shooting in the dark

[BlKtRe]

Great water.  And it's not corn sugar.  Until you can describe it better (or we can taste the beer) we're all shooting in the dark

 

 

Why not? I can taste it. But I do agree there really isn't much to go on here without tasting the beers. 

[denny]

I can't taste the difference.  In fact, you're the only person I've ever heard say they could.  Did you do a blind tasting? My comment is based on the fact that so many (including me) can't tell a difference.

[Hines]

I might brew tomorrow.   If the off flavors show up, i'll mail anyone a bottle that will help me attempt to figure out WTF is going on.

[BlKtRe]

I can't taste the difference.  In fact, you're the only person I've ever heard say they could.  Did you do a blind tasting? My comment is based on the fact that so many (including me) can't tell a difference.

 

That's new to me. I've talked with a handful of people that can taste it. Mix some up with water just to see if its a similar taste in your beers or even if you can taste it at all. As we all know taste has so many thresholds for different people. For example, if somebody even walks by me with a beer that even has small traces of diacetyl I can pick it up while others think there is nothing wrong. Just throwing stuff out there. 

[Area Man]

Old thread, but what exactly is the off flavor you’re getting? If you can’t nail that down there’s no diagnosing the cause.