2nd sour batch!

well i bought the kit a few months ago, got a standard 'draught' to brew with dextrose. Used the sulphate sanitizer in the tubes and buckets, washed the hell out of my hands a few times making sure not to touch anything. What i ended up with was a very clear, sour tasting beer. (1 week primary, 1 week secondary, 2 weeks bottle). I figured i must have gotten an infection,so i dumped it (should have let it sit). Well this time around i got the coppers ale kit, with dextrose. This time i was very aware of sanitizing things. Wore latex gloves, used bleach in the tubes, sulphate + bleach in the bucket. Followed the same brewing schedule, didn't use my mouth to start a siphon like some people do.... now i tried the first beer and it tastes EXACTLY the same as the first, and this is a much darker beer. It has that non-beer kind of taste, almost like a dry wine...Im thinking maybe theres still priming sugar that im tasting, but it has been in the bottles for 2 weeks. Any ideas? I used spring water from the store. Let it sit??

First, ABSOLUTELY let it sit. Give it 2 weeks & taste another, if it's still bad, give it more time until you've waited 6 months or so... then consider dumping it.

A list of ingredients would help, I won't be the only one to say this until you post your list of ingredients.

It sounds like you're using the canned kits, is this correct? My first question/advice is have/do read John Palmer's book How to Brew. It's available online @ www.howtobrew.com. What you're describing sounds like the result of adding 2 lbs of sugar to a canned beer kit. If this is the case, try again only replace the 2#s sugar with 2# dry malt extract (or 1.5#s). If this is not the case then I strongly suspect, as it sounds like you do, an infection.

An important thing to know when using bleach is that water ph effects it's sanitizing power. It sounds like you use bleach, don't sweat it, many use it and have no problems, me included (I started off that way, haven't had any major problems and see no reason to change). To make sure you're getting effective germ killing with bleach when you mix your solution do the following:
1) Mix it slightly stronger than the 1 tblsp. per gallon, I usually add an extra 2-3 tblsps. into my 6.5 gal. bucket fermenter that I'm soaking my lines, spoons, turkey baster (used to start siphon), etc.
2) This is more important than the first step, add 1-2 tblsps of vinigar to the sanitizing solution. *this lowers the ph assuring you that the bleach is killing germs not just white-washing them. DO NOT DUMP VINEGAR INTO BLEACH... THIS COULD KILL YOU!!! Always dump the vinegar into a pre-mixed solution of water & bleach or vice-versa, just DON'T put vinegar & bleach together and then try to add water.
3) Use cheap bleach. Don't ask me why but the founder/pres. of Star San says so as he worked making bleach for many years... plus he's a beer sanitization expert!

That's my tips from what I have to go on... good luck.

Schlante,
Phillip

yes canned kits. I got a 2.2 kg bag of dextrose from the brew shop (or maybe 3.2 kg? ...whatever the standard brewing/priming amount is they sell it like that) I dump most of the sugar in the bucket leaving about .2kg for priming. Dump the wort in along with the 4 liters boiled water, then up to 23 liters with the spring water, stir, add yeast at 22 degrees C and snap the lid on...wait a week bubbling stops. NO sign of infection on the surface at any point... I add the priming sugar in the secondary fermenter after a week.., then go ahead and bottle. While doing this taking extra care not to touch any surfaces or contaminate the beer. But, i still may have done just that.....

If I remember my sizes correctly your are taking a 3.3 lb of prehopped malt extract, and adding 1 to 2 lbs of sugar.
Once you go over 10% of the fermentables you will start to get a "bite". This will mellow with around 3 weeks in primary, and I think around 4 weeks in bottles.
There is also a chance your just tasting green beer, two weeks in the bottle is not enough time, give it three weeks MINIMUM before you judge it. (I do like to taste them on new recipes just so I can recognize green beer.)
Hope this helps and please check back with us in two weeks or so. Best of luck.

I'll jump in here.... bubbling means nothing. You need to use a Hydrometer to measure fermentation or you're goign to end up with Grenades! Don't listen to the LHBS, listen to the real brewers in these forums... (not me!)

I use the Cooper kits all the time. The draught makes a clear but twangy beer when using the dextrose. The ale normally makes a pretty decent beer. But you need to ignore their instructions and give them at least 2-3 weeks before you bottle it and at least 2 weeks before you drink it. Yes you can drink them if you follow their time frame but they don't taste the best. I stopped using the dextrose and switch to either 1 kilo of DME or 1 Kilo of LME + .2 kilo of Dextrose or DME. Add a little dry hopping and voila you get some pretty good beer.

It has that non-beer kind of taste, almost like a dry wine

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This might just be a chemical called acetaldehyde, commonly referred to as "green apple". It will age out.