ring around the carboy - off flavor?

So I was racking my latest batch over from secondary (5 gal carboy) to a keg last night, and when I got down near the bottom noticed a sort of yeasty looking ring on the glass about 4 inches from the bottom of the carboy - maybe about 1/16 of an inch from top to bottom of the ring. Colorwise it was more of a greyish hue than the yeast sediment I am used to.

Didn't really think too much of it until I took the customary sip of my hydrometer sample - there is definitely an off flavor in the beer now compared to when I transferred from primary to secondary. I am not a flavor guru, so tough to describe it from my taste vocabulary, but my wife noticed it too and said that it reminded her of a lychee (small asian fruit - I know, can't get much more obscure than that).

So maybe it is a little premature to say there is really something wrong - I really want to try it in a few days and see what it is like cold and with bubbles. But in the meantime, anyone else ever see something like this? i.e. the greyish ring in the carboy?

Never had a batch with a weird flavor before, but things I did drastically different this batch:

1) first all grain batch ever. yeah, just a minor change there.

2) got a carboy cap after reading the rave reviews about them here, and used it to start my siphons along with an extra 5 foot length of hose to blow through.

So I am thinking #2 is maybe a culprit. Guess I am looking for confirmation that this really could be it.

If your first all grain went like mine there were to many variables just to isolate one as the culprit. I don't think it would have been caused during transfer as an infection is more likely picked up prior to fermentation.

I've never had beer that tasted like lychee, but I have had off flavors, more like bandaides. The bandaide batch had a ring around the top of the carboy, at the level of the beer.

Im not all grain, but I dont see how that could affect it in secondary, if it didnt seem to be a factor in primary.

I think that the new method of transfer could be the problem as well. Just checking but did you sanitize the hose that you blew through? Ive also heard it is good practice to swish some vodka or brandy around your mouth before doing this.

I would check a bottle every five days or so to avoid bottle bombs, they can be a PITA.

good luck with it

- magno

magno said:

Im not all grain, but I dont see how that could affect it in secondary, if it didnt seem to be a factor in primary.

I think that the new method of transfer could be the problem as well. Just checking but did you sanitize the hose that you blew through?

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Yup, agree there. Doubt the AG has anything to do with it. And the beer did taste VERY good coming out of primary.

I did sanitize the hose, but not my mouth. Will try to find a turkey baster type thing that I can sanitize for next batch.