AR-Josh
Well-Known Member
First off this is more of a rant. There may be some questions within but I'm so frustrated.
When I started brewing I learned real quick what off fermentation flavors tasted like. I brewed several Mr Beer kits and non tasted good. I went to 5 gal batches and the first one was horrid. I later learned that it was the fermentation temp that was causing that cidery estery nasty flavor. If you had a stout and an IPA and fermented them way too warm...I think they'd taste the same....
So my next brew I accidentally got right. It was the dead of winter and i was just leaving the bucket in the basement to ferment. Then the next one was right. Then the next one (summer) got cidery again. Ah ha! I figured it out. I built a fermentation chamber with insulation foam and an old dorm fridge and never looked back. I had 2 years after that of steady good beer. Extract and all grain. Didn't matter.
2 years ago I had a sewer backup and it killed my fermentation chamber and fridge. So I thought I'd upgrade to a chest freezer. My love controller for the first chamber was still fine. Once I got the chest freezer up and running I made one or two beers in it that seemed fine. Then the next was bad. I couldnt' figure it out and ended up dumping it. Then the next one.....then the next one....then one would be right......then the next bad.
I have a 4 tap keezer that I used to keep full. I can't get one of the taps going now. I thought upgrading to the chest freezer for fermenting would be the best thing.....I guess not. I think I just had the last straw break my back. I made a quick 15 minute boil APA from the recipe forum. I kept the freezer at 62 the whole time. At 4 weeks it tasted good. Here I am at kegging time and it just got dumped cause of the cidery flavor. 8 weeks in primary. The first four were fine. Something then happened between when I tested it at 4 weeks and today. The freezer has been on the whole time. The temp set to 62 I don't get it.
I wanted to upgrade my all grain setup but I don't know now. I just cant seem to make a good beer anymore. I might just get rid of the freezer and find a dorm fridge. Maybe I'll go back to foam and a dorm fridge. That never failed me before and I even successfully lagered in that setup.
Sorry for the rant. Feel free to comment.
When I started brewing I learned real quick what off fermentation flavors tasted like. I brewed several Mr Beer kits and non tasted good. I went to 5 gal batches and the first one was horrid. I later learned that it was the fermentation temp that was causing that cidery estery nasty flavor. If you had a stout and an IPA and fermented them way too warm...I think they'd taste the same....
So my next brew I accidentally got right. It was the dead of winter and i was just leaving the bucket in the basement to ferment. Then the next one was right. Then the next one (summer) got cidery again. Ah ha! I figured it out. I built a fermentation chamber with insulation foam and an old dorm fridge and never looked back. I had 2 years after that of steady good beer. Extract and all grain. Didn't matter.
2 years ago I had a sewer backup and it killed my fermentation chamber and fridge. So I thought I'd upgrade to a chest freezer. My love controller for the first chamber was still fine. Once I got the chest freezer up and running I made one or two beers in it that seemed fine. Then the next was bad. I couldnt' figure it out and ended up dumping it. Then the next one.....then the next one....then one would be right......then the next bad.
I have a 4 tap keezer that I used to keep full. I can't get one of the taps going now. I thought upgrading to the chest freezer for fermenting would be the best thing.....I guess not. I think I just had the last straw break my back. I made a quick 15 minute boil APA from the recipe forum. I kept the freezer at 62 the whole time. At 4 weeks it tasted good. Here I am at kegging time and it just got dumped cause of the cidery flavor. 8 weeks in primary. The first four were fine. Something then happened between when I tested it at 4 weeks and today. The freezer has been on the whole time. The temp set to 62 I don't get it.
I wanted to upgrade my all grain setup but I don't know now. I just cant seem to make a good beer anymore. I might just get rid of the freezer and find a dorm fridge. Maybe I'll go back to foam and a dorm fridge. That never failed me before and I even successfully lagered in that setup.
Sorry for the rant. Feel free to comment.