Hopheader
Well-Known Member
Ok folks--other than the usual "possible bacterial contamination"--can you provide me with some suggestions as to what to start looking for as I try to troubleshoot this apparent problem that is in my last 4 batches of beer?
This particular one is a Hearty Hop Ale, with pale malt, some crystal, 6AAUs Cascade, 4AAUs Styrian Goldings bittering, 4AAUs Cascade flavour, dry hopped with 4AAUs Cascade and 4AAUs Styrian Goldings--all hops pelleted--. Yeast was US-05.
Here's what I've noticed this time: tasted GREAT on bottling day. LOVED it. Been in the bottle a week now and I did a plastic bottle to test carbonation and it was hard as a rock so I chilled a glass bottle down. Opened it to wonderful carbonation (aimed for 2.6 but must be higher) and head and nice dark copper colour.
Then... the smell and taste I've become attuned to. Definite plastic phenolic. Sure, it is a bitter beer, but "that taste" is there again.
I'm a pretty anal cleaner and sanitizer, so can't believe it is coming from my bottling equipment. My process is:
Siphon off the sediment into a clean carboy. Boil up a cup (sanitized) or more beer with priming sugar to dissolve in a sanitized pot. Stir with sanitized spoon. Pour into beer while racking, with sanitized funnel.
I was told by friends to watch out for contaminated siphon hosing. This time I replaced the hose itself (cheap fix) and borrowed an auto-siphon from a friend which had never been used (cleaned it and sanitized it, of course). The bottle filler tube is the only thing I can think of, but it was cleaned and sanitized as well.
Cleaning with oxiclean lately and sanitizing with iodophor.
Caps are sitting in iodophor before capping. Necks and mouths of bottles are also sanitized with iodophor.
I dunno; I give.
I guess I'll bite the bullet next time and buy totally new siphon rig and filler tube. I can't have another batch go down and if it is also 'turned' then I begin to look into the other equipment.
But this batch tasted great a week ago on bottling day so it 'must' be something in the latter stages.
Too warm a carbonation temperature? Never heard of that before, but... at this stage...
Thanks for input!
This particular one is a Hearty Hop Ale, with pale malt, some crystal, 6AAUs Cascade, 4AAUs Styrian Goldings bittering, 4AAUs Cascade flavour, dry hopped with 4AAUs Cascade and 4AAUs Styrian Goldings--all hops pelleted--. Yeast was US-05.
Here's what I've noticed this time: tasted GREAT on bottling day. LOVED it. Been in the bottle a week now and I did a plastic bottle to test carbonation and it was hard as a rock so I chilled a glass bottle down. Opened it to wonderful carbonation (aimed for 2.6 but must be higher) and head and nice dark copper colour.
Then... the smell and taste I've become attuned to. Definite plastic phenolic. Sure, it is a bitter beer, but "that taste" is there again.
I'm a pretty anal cleaner and sanitizer, so can't believe it is coming from my bottling equipment. My process is:
Siphon off the sediment into a clean carboy. Boil up a cup (sanitized) or more beer with priming sugar to dissolve in a sanitized pot. Stir with sanitized spoon. Pour into beer while racking, with sanitized funnel.
I was told by friends to watch out for contaminated siphon hosing. This time I replaced the hose itself (cheap fix) and borrowed an auto-siphon from a friend which had never been used (cleaned it and sanitized it, of course). The bottle filler tube is the only thing I can think of, but it was cleaned and sanitized as well.
Cleaning with oxiclean lately and sanitizing with iodophor.
Caps are sitting in iodophor before capping. Necks and mouths of bottles are also sanitized with iodophor.
I dunno; I give.
I guess I'll bite the bullet next time and buy totally new siphon rig and filler tube. I can't have another batch go down and if it is also 'turned' then I begin to look into the other equipment.
But this batch tasted great a week ago on bottling day so it 'must' be something in the latter stages.
Too warm a carbonation temperature? Never heard of that before, but... at this stage...
Thanks for input!