Hello, all. First time poster, but I've got this community to thank for a whole lot of help. Been reading posts here for about six months, so I know that you guys can probably help me fix this little issue.
Recently popped open the first bottle my 6th batch (an all-munich lager), and it seems to have a problem that's been recurring in my beers so far: about half the bottles in the batch have a strong taste of lemon. I've gotten this in all but two of my batches so far (even though it might've been present in those as well, only hidden by heavy hopping). Anybody's got any idea of what it might be down to and how to fix it?
Some suspects:
- Clear bottles. I know that you're not supposed to use clear bottles, however when I went to buy mine, the wholesaler was all out of the tinted ones. I've taken extra care to keep them in the dark, though, and I haven't gotten any really funky ones so far.
- Infection. I Suppose it would have to be the bottles in this case, since, as I said, about half of the bottles are just fine. I desinfect them, after cleaning, by putting them in a steam bath for circa 15 minutes. Not good enough?
- Yeast. I tend to get a lot of yeast "deposit" in my bottles. Don't know how to reduce it. I always ferment by way of primary - secondary - bottle.
- Sub-optimal PH. I haven't been using a PH-stabilizer, so I might have a sub-optimal PH value. I guess this might have an effect in it's own right, could it perhaps be the cause of the forementioned yeast deposit?
I'd be happy for any help I can get.
Recently popped open the first bottle my 6th batch (an all-munich lager), and it seems to have a problem that's been recurring in my beers so far: about half the bottles in the batch have a strong taste of lemon. I've gotten this in all but two of my batches so far (even though it might've been present in those as well, only hidden by heavy hopping). Anybody's got any idea of what it might be down to and how to fix it?
Some suspects:
- Clear bottles. I know that you're not supposed to use clear bottles, however when I went to buy mine, the wholesaler was all out of the tinted ones. I've taken extra care to keep them in the dark, though, and I haven't gotten any really funky ones so far.
- Infection. I Suppose it would have to be the bottles in this case, since, as I said, about half of the bottles are just fine. I desinfect them, after cleaning, by putting them in a steam bath for circa 15 minutes. Not good enough?
- Yeast. I tend to get a lot of yeast "deposit" in my bottles. Don't know how to reduce it. I always ferment by way of primary - secondary - bottle.
- Sub-optimal PH. I haven't been using a PH-stabilizer, so I might have a sub-optimal PH value. I guess this might have an effect in it's own right, could it perhaps be the cause of the forementioned yeast deposit?
I'd be happy for any help I can get.