it still tastes bad

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OK, I've read through the entire thread...
To me, this sounds like an infection. A re-occurring one.
When asked about your cleaning and sanitizing practices, you always say I sanitize like xxxx.
Cleaning and sanitizing are two different things.
....

This post is absolutely on point. I used to think I cleaned & sanitized well before I had some problems early on. Then the guy who got me into brewing came over to eyeball my process and pointed out 5-10 things I'd never even considered when it comes to cleaning/sanitation process. Now I keep a squirt bottle of StarSan with me whenever I'm doing brewing/beer stuff, and I spray the living **** out of every possible surface. Have only had one problem since, and it was from repitching on a used cake in a carboy I didn't stopper for a few hours.
 
togodoug said:
I'm getting more confused. This last time the batch bubbled for abut 18 days and the FG was where is should be (don't remember) so I'm wondering why yeast is suspected?
I don't use kits and usually use us-05. I just can't get liquid yeast.
It seems most people think its sanitation. I don't like that idea because I think I'm doing all I can, including changing siphon tubes and fermentation bucket. This brings me to two questions:
1. If its yeast v. bacteria, can someone describe the difference in taste? What does infection taste like and what does bad yeast taste like?
2. Has anyone thought of oxidation? I have noticed some air bubbles in my siphon tube, it can come in where the tube attaches to the auto siphon. I have also sloshed the wort a lot, poured it to transfer bucket while still about 100 degrees and put it in an ice bath and spun it (like a champaigne bottle in an ice chill at a restaurant I can't afford). I wonder if this could be the issue? I've used this method of chilling a few times, some of them came out fine so I doubt it. The air in the siphon hose I wonder about. What would oxidation taste like?

The yeast thing is more about growth rates. If you pitch too little, it reproduces rapidly, stressing the yeast and generating a ton of off flavors. In some strains and beers the off flavors are good (e.g Belgian beers and hefewizen). In other beers it comes across as an off flavor.

You want to pitch enough yeast that it grows at a healthy pace and doesn't produce extra esters, phenols, etc.

These are all guesses though - take a look at the links below. Knowing what the flavor is might help.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html

http://***********/stories/wizard/a...is-making-my-kegged-beer-taste-like-chemicals
 
When I sanatize with iodophor I don't rinse after. I put the wort in the bucket still wet, run it all through the tubes and don't flush it with water, just run it through, and fill and submurge the bottles, then empty them after being full for a few minutes and then fill with beer. I had thought Iodophor was also a no rinse sanatizer?

That is how I use Idaphor except I don't just sanatize the inside of tubing but also the outside. Any part that comes in contact with beer. I also have a spray bottle near by to reapply as needed. Say if I am filling bottles and my bottle filler touches the floor by accident.
If you ferment in a bottling bucket - which I do- and use the spiket to transfer, it might be wise to spray the spiket before transfer Flys or insects might settle in the spiket between your inital sanitation and the later transfer, they would then leave bacteria behind.

Also how long does your beer kit shipment take from order time to arrival?
 
I'm getting more confused. This last time the batch bubbled for abut 18 days and the FG was where is should be (don't remember) so I'm wondering why yeast is suspected?

I suspected yeast because I've under pitched and it led to off flavors. Since you're using US-05, I think it's pretty close to 100% viability, and there are more yeast cells than in a Whitelabs tube or Wyeast smack pack. With that said, It was just an idea. It's hard to tell exactly what went wrong without tasting the beer.

Going forward, it wouldn't hurt to do what others have suggested and pick up some Star San. It's ultra concentrated, so you'll use very little each time you brew. If you dilute some with water and keep a spray bottle around, that will last you weeks, if not months. It's handy, and if you question how sanitary a particular object is, just hit it was some Star San. BAM! Personally, I've never used Iodophor, so I can't comment either way. I love Star San though.
 
"This last batch was 2 gal. rain water..."

I think this is cool.
Sorry I cannot contribute...
 
My first post. I don't brew yet, hoping to get started over christmas time (so take my thoughts with a grain of salt), but are you sure the Beer isn't getting skunked from light or oxidized during bottling?

If it tastes OK at the beginning, then bad later, that makes me think it is something happening IN the bottle or during bottling.

Do you use clear or green bottles? how full are you getting them?
 
if I am using stale adjunct grains, like I have them crushed and the stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator of at room temperture for 2 to 8 weeks, how might that negatively effect the taste and when would it be tasteable?
 
ok read whole thread. Lets rule out water(op has tried soooooooooooooo many watr possibilities this IS NOT the problem). May sem like a dumb ? at first, but to you make wine or any other type of alcoholic beverage and use your beer fermenter for that purpose? I ask becaus e i found the hard way there are bugs that live in wine that dont affect its flavor, but will ruin a beer. I ran a similar problem for awhile that affected 3/4 of a batch. I say 3/4 because the first 1/4 was gone within 1-2 weeks of bottling. upon further review I found that I was not cleaning my bottles good enough. It does not matter how long you soak your bottles with sanitizer, if there is a lil chunk of schmutz somewhere in the bottle you are asking for an off taste later. Thats all i got to say at this time about beers that taste good at bottling time but go bad.
 
It does not. But the downside to a bucket is that it scratches which gives nice hiding spots for bacteria which can infect your beer.
 
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