Off taster from bottling, but not kegs

I have been kegging my beer for almost two years and have not no off flavors when I keg; however, I have been experiencing some off flavors lately when I have bottled directly from the keg (BierMuncher & Blichmann methods) and when bottling directly from bottling bucket. Any help is appreciated.

Off flavors:
The off flavors that I have been experiencing typically are not noticeable until 3+ weeks after bottling. The appearance becomes very hazy and the CO2 bubbles seem larger than normal (if that makes any sense). The nose is dominated by a sweet aroma that overpowers any hop smell that may have been there in the past. The taste is very sweet as well to the point that it is extremely cloying.

Bottling from keg:
I have bottled from the keg using the Blichmann beer gun and BierMuncher methods. I heavily sanitize all of the equipment, bottles, and bottle caps w/ StarSan. I know that the off flavors are when I bottle because the beer that remains in the keg is excellent.

Bottling from bee bucket:
Again, I sanitize everything heavily with StarSan, including the bottling bucket, auto-siphon, bottles, and bottle caps.

Am I picking up some sort of infection when I bottle? I also wonder if it is oxygen related. The only piece of equipment that I use to bottle but never for kegging is the bottle capper. Could I be getting an infection from the capper?

It doesn't sound like contamination, but it does sound like oxidation.


The flavor of oxidation in beer first starts to be a bit "stale" and then gets sort of a sherry or brandy flavor as it progresses. That maybe what you're picking up as "sweet".

Yooper said:

It doesn't sound like contamination, but it does sound like oxidation.


The flavor of oxidation in beer first starts to be a bit "stale" and then gets sort of a sherry or brandy flavor as it progresses. That maybe what you're picking up as "sweet".

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I was thinking about it being an oxidation issue, but I never had these off flavors when I solely bottled before kegging. My bottling process has stayed completely the same over the 3 years that I have brewed, but I have only noticed the flavors as of late.

i've noticed the same thing in my bottled beer so i stopped bottling. i don't enjoy bottling and really like kegging so it was an easy decision for me. not all of my bottled beer went off, i did win 2nd place with a pale ale, but enough did that i just quit. i do bottle sour beer but i'm contemplating kegging sours too.