This is my 3rd batch in a row that has gone bad. The first was a dinkelwiezen that fermented for 3 days and then stopped. Would not repitch and became sour. The second was an Irish Red that fermented until secondary(7 days) and past but at bottling time also was very sour. I now have a porter that was brewed last Monday. Ferm slowed and stopped and found out today it did not take repitch and is very sour. After that red I completely cleaned all my equipment, everything except copper(manifold) soaked in bleach for a day and then soaked in sanstar for a day and was also hit with sanstar before brewing. Copper was soaked in sanstar. Manifold was cleaned with a brush as well. Don't know what the hell is going on. The wort was air cooled, in the north eastern snow that we've been hit with. Kettle cap on. Did change venues since then so different wort water, now have well instead of city. Any help at all. Any more info needed let me know and I'll get it to you ASAP. Am ready to quit brewing for a year to save up for all new equipment at this point. Please and thank you for all input.
3rd bad batch. Help!
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fuzzy2133
Well-Known Member
Is the well water filtered at all? You said it yourself moved or changed from city water supply to well water.
I know that the water shouldn't stall a fermentation however you are concerned about a sour taste.
I know that the water shouldn't stall a fermentation however you are concerned about a sour taste.
MonsterBrew
Well-Known Member
Remember visible fermentation sometime may only take 24 - 48 hours. So if you see it working at 24 hours, and nothing at 48 hours, relax, it's slowed but probably still going just fine. Ultimately, just rely on a hydrometer, it won't lie to you. I would not repitch yeast, that just allows for infection to enter the scene.
I suggest you do one more brew, follow all your sanitation closely, pitch the yeast after cooling the boil, air lock it, and leave it be for 2 weeks. Green beer (under 3 weeks and uncarbed) will never taste like you think until you get some experience in knowing what it tastes like at that point. I've had several batches that the 10 day sample tastes funny and the beer turned out great.
I suggest you do one more brew, follow all your sanitation closely, pitch the yeast after cooling the boil, air lock it, and leave it be for 2 weeks. Green beer (under 3 weeks and uncarbed) will never taste like you think until you get some experience in knowing what it tastes like at that point. I've had several batches that the 10 day sample tastes funny and the beer turned out great.
The water is filtered with a .45micron filter. I use a refractometer and its been exactly at 5 brix for 3 straight days. I did bottle that red, it's been a little over 3 weeks and is unbearably sour. Thanks for all your input.
You might want to change out your hoses or anything plastic that touches the wort. Also look for air flow around your fermenter. There could be something putting bacteria/strange yeast into your fermenter.
reinstone
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You might want to change out your hoses or anything plastic that touches the wort. Also look for air flow around your fermenter. There could be something putting bacteria/strange yeast into your fermenter.
I second this...also there I a rumor that starsan is less effective in hard water......I use ro for this reason.
+1 on the plastic hoses etc... You need to switch all of that out. Also, how warm are you fermenting these? Other posters have noted that your beer seems to be a bit young/green. Time can really change the character of a beer.
Bought all new hoses before last batch but still have plastic bucket fermenters, replaced spigots and bleached/sanstar the hell out of them. Should I just huck them out?
Dunklewiezen: safbrew us-06 @ 68F
Red: safale us-05 @ 65F
Porter: saflager s-23 @ 51F
Dunklewiezen: safbrew us-06 @ 68F
Red: safale us-05 @ 65F
Porter: saflager s-23 @ 51F
ApothecaryBrewing
Well-Known Member
Retire those buckets to being sanitizer buckets or just pitch them.
I have a true brew pale that I was using from probably 2 years and regardless of how much i cleaned it, it would slowly sour my beers. A perfect brown ale and weissbier turned into sour bottle bombs.
I now only use it for sanitizer but I should probably just pitch it. Once an infection takes hold in some small scratch or crack it is nearly impossible to clean, bleach or sanitize it out of there completely.
Also a PSA... Never use the rough side of your sponge or anything harder than plastic to clean with... that is how this sort of thing begins. Learned the hard way.
I have a true brew pale that I was using from probably 2 years and regardless of how much i cleaned it, it would slowly sour my beers. A perfect brown ale and weissbier turned into sour bottle bombs.
I now only use it for sanitizer but I should probably just pitch it. Once an infection takes hold in some small scratch or crack it is nearly impossible to clean, bleach or sanitize it out of there completely.
Also a PSA... Never use the rough side of your sponge or anything harder than plastic to clean with... that is how this sort of thing begins. Learned the hard way.
Alright. Thank you all for the help. Have all my gear once again sanitizing but am gonna stop by the brew shop and grab a new fermenter. Will let you know how things worked out after next brew but with golf season starting around here who knows when that'll be. Any more input greatly appreciated.
JeepDiver
Well-Known Member
A refractometer reading is useless after alcohol has been introduced to the liquid. You need to use a hydrometer post fermentation
JeepDiver said:
It's never been wrong. Have used it and friends have checked with their hydrometers and it has been 100% accurate. Thats all neither here nor there. Want to know if my carboy will be fine if I just bleach and then sanstar it.
JeepDiver
Well-Known Member
Ok you got one of the ones that don't use the rules of the universe. Hate to know how much that cost you
whiskeyjack
Well-Known Member
I would think the carboy would be fine. As for the refractometer you can use a calculator. http://www.northernbrewer.com/refractometer-calculator/
As long as the refractometer reads consistently, does it even matter that the gravity it would read is wrong? If it doesn't change it's finished. Unless you're pretty concerned about abv.
This could be a useless post if the gravity read on a refractometer keeps changing constantly because there is alcohol present.
This could be a useless post if the gravity read on a refractometer keeps changing constantly because there is alcohol present.
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