These will help you in the future: A vinegar flavor can be caused by not rinsing all the bleach off your equipment.
Common Brewing Problems
Not everything always goes to plan and it's not always obvious to a new homebrewer why. Listed below are
just some of the common faults that may cause your process to fail.
OXIDATION - Oxidation is a common beer off flavor. It is most commonly perceived as flavor and aroma that is stale, cardboardy, or like wet paper. It can also, particularly in stronger, aged beers, be perceived as sherry-like or winey, having flavors of brandy, prunes, sour wine or over ripe fruit, and sometimes like old, stale vegetables. It can also cause the beer to darken and become hazy.
Oxidation occurs during the brewing process. The reaction occurs in finished beer most often during the racking after primary fermentation and during bottle filling. These are the times to be most careful in avoiding unnecessary splashing of the beer.
Oxygen, if introduced at this stage, will chemically react with beer flavor compounds, causing the beer to grow stale. Heat and warm storage will accelerate the oxidation process.
No fermentation Yeast past the sell by date, or stored incorrectly.
No fermentation Yeast incorrectly treated. Make sure that you have re-hydrating the yeast before adding to the wort.
No fermentation Conditions are too hot. Maybe you used boiling water. Add new re-hydrated yeast to the correct temperature wort.
No fermentation Conditions are too cold. Make sure the wort and yeast are heated correctly.
No fermentation Thermal shock has occurred. When the yeast is pitched into the wort, both should be around the same temperature. Pitch new re-hydrated yeast at the right temperature.
Lazy Fermentation Lack of preparation of the yeast. If dry yeast was used (as used in kits), re-hydrate before use. Liquid yeast requires warming and feeding in a starter.
Lazy Fermentation Too cold. Room temperature may have dropped overnight. Try to keep the wort temperature constant.
Lazy Fermentation Not enough aeration. Did you mix enough air into the ingredients?
No Air-lock Activity The seal around the lid or air-lock may be damaged.
No Air-lock Activity Air-lock may be blocked. Usually caused by vigorous Fermentation. If this occurs, switch to a large diameter blow off tube or expect the ingredients to expel rapidly!
Inconsistent results A variable must have changed. e.g. different temperatures, different yeast strain, different ingredients, less sanitation etc.
Mould on wort Poor sanitation. Try skimming the mould off and taste the beer, without further contaminating it. If taste is bad, dispose of beer.
Smell - rotten eggs Are you brewing lager? If so, this may be normal. Wait a while.
Smell - rotten eggs Poor sanitation or bacterial contaminated ingredients. Taste beer after fermentation and make decision then.
Smell - vinegar Poor sanitation or bacterial contaminated ingredients. Taste beer after fermentation and make decision then.
Smell - vinegar You have a wild yeast strain or contaminated yeast. Taste beer after fermentation and make decision then.
Smell - Musky Beer has been stored for a long time in direct sunlight. Some lamps / lights will also cause this problem. Brown beer bottles are better than green ones, and may help to overcome this problem.
Taste - apples You are drinking your beer too soon! Let the beer condition for longer.
Taste - sharp alcoholic Temperature too high during fermentation (above 80°F typically) . Keep cooler next time.
Taste - sharp alcoholic Too much yeast present. Add less next time.
Taste - Sherry Oxidisation of the wort has occurred above 80deg. F. Lower the temperature or / and make sure the wort has less exposure to air, next time.
Taste - Soggy Cardboard Oxidisation of the wort has occurred above 80deg. F. Lower the temperature or / and make sure the wort has less exposure to air, next time.
Taste - vinegar Poor sanitation leading to bacterial contamination. If you like it, drink it, if not chuck it!
Taste - mould Poor sanitation leading to bacterial contamination. Try skimming the mould off the wort and continue brewing. Watch for further out-brakes. If it is too bad then expect the beer to be undrinkable.
Taste - bitter Are you making bitter? Is so, it should, it's bitter!
Taste - bitter Poor sanitation. Bacteria often causes a 'bitter' taste. Learn from your mistakes.
Taste - bitter Did you knock the scum from around your bucket (first brewing process) into the beer? This scum tastes really bitter! Don't do it again.
Taste - soap You have left the fermenting beer in the first brewing process too long (bucket). You should have checked the gravity reading and barrelled soon after the reading became stable at the correct range (depends on beer type).
Taste - cidery Are you making cider? It should be, it's cider!
Taste - cidery Did you follow an old brewing process? i.e. did you add sugar to the first brewing process (bucket)? Change your kit and processes.
Taste - cidery Has it been particularly hot during fermenting? Keep cooler next time.
Taste - cidery Possible bacterial contamination. Sanitise properly next time.
Taste - buttery Poor sanitation. If it is an ale, it may taste OK. If it is a lager then it may not taste so good.
Taste - buttery Did the beer suffer from a long lag-time ( lazy fermentation )? If so, this may be the cause.
Taste - vegetables Are you making lager? This may be normal.
Taste - vegetables Poor sanitation. Sterilise all equipment thoroughly
Taste - Grass Are you using an all grain brewing method? Did you store you ingredients correctly? Bad storage is the usual cause.
Taste - Cloves Have you used a chlorine based sanitiser? Rinse with boiling water after sanitisation to remove chemical taste. Possibly try another make of sanitiser.
Constant air-lock activity See 'Lazy fermentation'.
Constant air-lock activity Poor sanitisation, leading to a bacterial infection. If beer has no taste or body, then this is probably the case.
No carbonation Did you remember to add the correct amount of sugar to the second brewing process / barrel? Add a little more sugar and try again.
No carbonation How long has the beer been in the barrel? Should be OK by 2 weeks. If it's been over a month try shaking the barrel to get the yeast back into suspension.
No carbonation Your room / background temperature may be too low. Move your barrel to a warmer room for a while.
Over carbonation Did you add more than the recommended priming sugar to the second brewing process / barrel? Release the CO2 by opening the top of the barrel (or bottles) and re-sealing. Beware of exploding containers!
Over carbonation Bacterial contamination or wild yeast is present. Vent the CO2 as above. Drink the beer, although it will be tasteless
Cloudy beer Have you given your beer enough time to ferment in the second brewing process / barrel? It will take from 2 weeks to a month. Fining agents can be used (see glossary). I have been informed that pubs / bars add carbonated lemonade to fix this problem (if it has not cleared after a month), but I have never tried!
Cloudy beer Incorrect yeast strain. Try another type of yeast next time.
Cloudy beer Are you using an all grain brewing process? If you had to use mashing you could have starch left in the beer. Check for the correct temperature mash and mash for longer.
Cloudy beer Did you have to boil your water before adding it to the wort? If so, you may not have left it cool long enough before adding the yeast.
