Throw Me a Frickin' Bone here, would 'ya?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

jaymack

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2005
Messages
138
Reaction score
0
Location
Oakville, Ontario
Ok, I looove brewing (extract only so far) but I'm tired of dumping bad brews.
I can admit that just because I like doing something, doesn't mean I'm any good at it.

My problems is ethal (sp?) alcohol. I believe this is the term for the oil-slick- like topping on top of the fermented beer. There are also minor flake-like crusties that form on the top of the beer (anywhere from 2 to 4" in size)as well. Then there's the aroma and taste :drunk:

I use bleach as my santitizer, which I know can be a hot button topic, but regardless, I'm quite confident in my sanitation and cleanliness department.

Could Temps be effecting my brews this bad? Is there just something in my basement that could be killing it? My last 3 brews, an Oatmeal Stout, a Dark Ale and an Amber all went South.

Oh, I'll make beer again, trust me. It'd sure be nice to drink it though. My two best drinkables were a Brown Ale (mmmm) and a Pale Ale that i just sort of threw some ingredients together for.

Anyone have any thoughts I could use? I buy all ingredients in bulk (including teh extract) and all containers, hoses, buckets et al, all get cleaned thoroughly.

Thanks in advance,
J
 
If you really want to isolate your problem, you should only change one thing per batch to determine what practice was causing your off flavors. My first suggestion was to look at sanitation, however, the off flavor you describe does not sound like a sanitation issue to me.

It does, however, seem like a stressed yeast issue. I suspect that your fermentation temps are too high and you may be underpitching.

At what temperature are you fermenting?
Do you make starters? If so, how?

On your next batch, pitch enough yeast to do the job and make sure you keep your fermentation temps at as close to the recommended temp for the yeast you are using. This may make a difference.
 
Why dont you give us the recipes you used... might help us.

For your next batch, what you need to do is take away anything that could be a problem. Not that I'm saying it is a problem. But yes bleach COULD be a problem. Take away that variable and you will know its not. Next thing you might want to do is get a kit. I'm not saying that your "thrown together" recipe has a problem. But your just starting.... it COULD be a problem. Again, if you go by somthing that you know will work, that variable will be gone. For yeast you can do a ccouple of things that will take that unknown variable out of the equation. You could buy a good liquid yeast and make a starter. Or if you want to be real simple on yourself you can buy two packages of dry yeast, rehydrate them and pitch them together. With pitching two packages you will most certainly take away any thought that your yeast could be the problem. Sanitize everything carefully so you know it's not your problem. The fact that your have had this problem more then once with completly different beers could point to sanitation.
 
Oil slicks and flakey crusties are fairly normal IMO. How long are you maturing the beer for? I don't think it's your bleach unless your finished brew is smelling and tasting like TCP.
 
Yes, ethanol is the "good stuff". The oil-slick could be FUSEL alcohol (also called fusel oil).

Fusel alcohol is caused by having fermentation temps that are too high, under-pitching yeast, or insufficient wort aeration prior to pitching the yeast.

If you have this in large enough quantities to really be noticable, you will have a very harsh and "hot" alcohol tasting/smelling beverage. Is this the flavor and aroma you mention?

Maybe if you could described the aroma and taste, we could offer more help.
 
Sounds like you are dumping beer that is fine. I suggest you read Is my beer ruined? from Palmer's book. And maybe re-think the bleach. More than one bad batch in 20 is excessive, I've had three in seven years.
 
How long did you leave the beer to condition before sampling it and deciding it was bad? Green (unconditioned) beer can tast pretty awful, but just fine after a month or so of conditioning. Stronger beers may take several months or even years to mature.

-a.
 
-you will have a very harsh and "hot" alcohol tasting/smelling beverage. Is this the flavor and aroma you mention?

Yes! That's the ticket. I meant Fusel.. thanks.

Trust me, david_42, if this is considered "fine" beer, I'd hate to taste "off" beer.

I always prepare a starter with 30 grams of dry Yeast for 5 gallons of beer, as my homebrew supply store does not carry liquid yeast.

I use bulk extract, steep grains, and I also do everything loose (both steaping grains and hops)

Thanks for the help. That's what I love about this site!
 
I was just wondering... you said your last three brews. Does this mean that you had brewed a beer that did not have this problem or that so far all the beers you have brewed have this problem?
 
Beer Snob said:
I was just wondering... you said your last three brews. Does this mean that you had brewed a beer that did not have this problem or that so far all the beers you have brewed have this problem?

he mentions that he brewed a good pale and a good brown in the first post, and has had problems with the last three batches.

-walker
 
That's correct.

I brewed a Brown last September, no grains basic Extract/Hop recipe.

Then the Pal Ale that worked, though I said I "threw" ingredients together, I did have a basic recipe from the net.

I like the darker beer, so maybe it's my extract -to- yeast ratio? I made an Irish Stout, a Guinness clone, an Oatmeal Stout, a Dark Ale.

Maybe it is my sanitation/cleaning, but I do feel confident.

The brown ale that worked was chilled (from wort boil to yeast pitch) using ice water and ice. The Pale Ale that worked was chilled outside (it was the middle of February{im in oakville ontario})

I have since made a wort chiller which allows me to chill imuch faster. 2 brews that went off were without the chiller, 2 were using the chiller.

Also, I generally do a 1 week bucket, 2 week carboy for brewing.
The Dark Ale that went kaputz was a single stage ferment, in a glass carboy for 3 weeks.

Keepd the advice comin', folks. All appreciated.
 
I always prepare a starter with 30 grams of dry Yeast for 5 gallons of beer, as my homebrew supply store does not carry liquid yeast.

I use bulk extract, steep grains, and I also do everything loose (both steaping grains and hops)

Number one, you don't need to make a starter with dry yeast and 30 grams is a bit overkill. I pitch 11.5 grams for 5 Imp gallons when I use dry yeast and I don't rehydrate. I just pitch onto my cooled wort, fit cover with airlock and bingo.
Second, when you are steeping your grain, I assume you aren't boiling them and are keeping the steep at or just below 170f. Anything higher and you will extract tannins from the husk of the grain ( that I also assume you have crushed). Also when boiling your wort, do you boil for one hour with the hops for bittering and do you add flavor hops?
Third, I use bleach for cleaning my brewery equipment and I rinse well with HOT water to remove the taste/smell of chlorine. I sanitize with star-san everything that comes into contact with my brew post boil, right up to when I package it.
Fourth, keep your fermentation tempertures around 68f (not your actual ambient tempertures) for ales.
Good luck and good brewing and if you feel the need for good ole Canuck chat with some knowledgeable brewers from your general area, sign in to these two sites. http://www.bodensatz.com/forum/index.php and http://barleyment.wort.ca/staticpages/index.php?page=faq
and keep brewing. it isn't hard to make good brew, it just takes time and patience and a little help from you friends.
Cheers
 
it sounds like a temp issue, you mentioned that you brewed the good batches or at least the first one in september, kinda cool, the next would have been later in the fall/winter, correct? Maybe these last three have been fermentated at too high of a temp. Any temp readings from the room or where you kept the carboys/buckets?
Also are you using the proper yeast for ales and not a lager?
 
Back
Top