Question about my Kolsch

golfguy819 · 09-21-2008, 08:44 PM

well, it's been about 2 months since i bottled my brewer's best kolsch that tasted pretty undesirable (it had an antiseptic taste to it, as if you were chewing on band aids). i figured it may have been from not rinsing my carboy out that well after sanitizing it (i only had one step, so that's what i used) i've been pulling a bottle out every week or so and giving them a taste. i pulled a bottle out today and gave it a taste and low and behold, it didn't smell like antiseptic and the taste was practically gone. something tells me that if in fact it was contaminated for lack of rinsing, i shouldn't drink it, but i just don't have the heart to dump my first ever brew.

so without actually knowing that it was contaminated, does anyone think i should dump it, or let it keep doing what it's doing since it seems like it may be coming around.

scinerd3000 · 10-02-2008, 06:00 AM

first off what did you use to rinse and sanitize your equipment? And no dont dump it. As far as i know no common microbiota can grow in fermented beer(>5% ABV) that can kill you or harm you. Worst case scenario you would get a stomach ache...

goplayoutside · 10-02-2008, 06:26 AM

Your beer might just have been a bit green beforehand. I also find that extract-based brews sometimes have some undesirable twang to them which goes away some with age (especially with LME that may not be fresh, and when using small partial boils).

My advice: Wait another few weeks on the Kolsh and I bet you will notice some improvement, if not wait another month or so. In the meantime, Brew another batch using the largest boil you can handle without risking an overboil and try using DME. If you must do a small partial boil (say less than 3.5 gallons for a 5 gal batch), consider adding the bulk of your extract late to avoid caramelization (read up on how this will affect your hopping rates). And if you like them, try doing a strong american brown, a porter, or a stout -- the flavors in these robust brews will not show flaws as easily as a relatively delicate kolsh, and will give you a chance to work on your process some. A good place to get recipes (aside from this forum) is at the northern brewer website, all their extract kits have an "inventory" button showing you what ingredients are in the kit in case you want to buy them elsewhere. On the other hand, those kits are not too expensive...

I advocate switching to 3 gal batches to make it easier to do closer to a full boil (if you are brewing stove-top) and let you brew more often for your money (you learn something every time!).

malkore · 10-02-2008, 10:38 PM

antiseptic flavors are indications that somethings off. a green beer shouldn't taste that funky.

i'm wondering if you're problem is at the bottle level...meaning some bottles were contaminated, or infected, or got oxidized....so some will be bad and likely get worse, and others are perfectly good beer.

One step has a habit of not dissolving well, and may not rinse very cleanly. its not a great sanitizer, and really should be left to cleansing only.