Aging Issue

I've been brewing for about a year now. Converted to AG about 6 months back. I can honestly say all my beers have been good but... There's a common trait that occurs which I don't like.

The beer always taste best about three weeks in the bottle. It appears as it ages beyond this, it's character changes... not for the better. I've never had an obvious infection but then again I don't know if I'd know one. The head remains about the same, the color darkens, and the taste becomes less pleasant, astringent, kind of a biting medicinal taste. The smell seems okay and doesn't reflect what's going on with the taste. No gushers or popped tops ever.

Virually everything I've made follows this pattern. Some remain okay to drink, others become something I don't care for but others continue to like them.

I've been searching for an explanation and think I may have found something. Today, I noticed that my immersion chiller has a small leak which results in dripping tap water into my finished wort. Obviously this could set the stage for an infection since city tap water through a gargen hose isn't exactly sanitary. This may explain things if what I'm seeing is indeed some type of infection.

I'm beyond my limits of experience and understanding at this point and could sure benefit from some guidance from the forum on this subject.

Thanks,

To bad you couldn't keg the beer and see if the same thing happens.

Usually most of our experiences is that beers improve with age...that three weeks is just about the earliest time a beer becomes drinkable, and often doesn't "peak" and go downhill. Often a year down the road it is even better. I have a thread about that on here...

But it sounds like you are getting infections...I've had gusher infections hit at about 3-4 weeks in the bottle....so it is more than likely and infection issue...which is sounds like you have isolated in the wortchiller....

It sounds like you need to take care of that, and also re-evaluate your sanitization and even bottling/kegging procedures.

Jolly McStanson said:

To bad you couldn't keg the beer and see if the same thing happens.

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I'm headed in that direction but it may be a couple of months before I get my act together.

Go back and brush up on your sanitizing AND cleaning. If you don't clean properly, bacteria, mold and other nasties can hide under built up gunk called "beerstone". A good soak in PBW, rinse, then sanitize with Starsan or Iodophor should do the job. To really be able to age beer, you must be impeccable with cleaning and sanitation for anything on the cold side of your brewery.

On the recent "sanitation" episode of Brew Strong, Jamil admitted he sanitizes everything. Mash tun, brew pot etc. I think thats a little too far, but its a good way to make sure EVERYTHING is clean and sanitized.

Edcculus said:

Go back and brush up on your sanitizing AND cleaning. If you don't clean properly, bacteria, mold and other nasties can hide under built up gunk called "beerstone". A good soak in PBW, rinse, then sanitize with Starsan or Iodophor should do the job. To really be able to age beer, you must be impeccable with cleaning and sanitation for anything on the cold side of your brewery.

On the recent "sanitation" episode of Brew Strong, Jamil admitted he sanitizes everything. Mash tun, brew pot etc. I think thats a little too far, but its a good way to make sure EVERYTHING is clean and sanitized.

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I agree totally with everything you and Revvy have said here. I'm convinced I do a very good job with the sanitizing (use Starsan and Iodophor)... except for my leaking chiller of course. I actually have training as a microbiologists lab tech so I do understand the potential for infections and how easy one can occur. I just don't have experience with what traits an infection can produce in beer so I don't know what to look for.

For example, one of the characteristics I've repeatedly observed with my brews is the continual darkening. I don't know what could account for this but I haven't heard of this being associated with an infection. I've considered hot side aeration but I'm fairly careful with this subject, so it too seems to be a remote possibility.

Thanks for the input. Think I'll check out Jamil's talk on the subject of sanitation.