Better...but not there yet

[gmflash88]

Ok gang. Any advice is appreciated.

First batch tasted terrible. I got some great input inside this forum and from others in the outside world. I made a few changes and my second batch has improved to drinkable, but nothing I'm willing to call good.

NB Bavarian Hefe extract kit. (1g)

Two main issues with this batch...still a hint of soapy off flavor and it seems thin (watered down).

The first batch was like drinking soap. Awful. This time I have a slight nose of the same, but it's not there in the taste. This time I made sure to pull it off the primary as soon as fermentation completed and not let it sit. However, I think the taste is from actual soap and not anything with my process. The wort tasted fine. No off flavors at all. Post boil was fine. Pre bottle was fine. Popped a bottle...hint of soap. I oxyclean soak my bottles to remove labels and rinse. Before bottling I rinse again and then give a soak in SS. Drain and bottle (using fizz drops that come with the kit...which I don't like). Perhaps I'm not getting all the oxy out of there? I was much more thorough in rinsing this time than last and the taste improved.

The thin flavor. Admittedly this bottle was opened a bit early. I'm at 7 days now. Just a slight sssst opening. Flat within minutes. No biggie...I didn't expect it to be ready just yet. It tastes like you poured yourself 9oz of hefe and then 3oz of water. No idea how that happened.

Like I said, not bad but not good either. The flat will be fine (I assume) in the next few days as carb improves. The soap bugs me though.

My next batch is set to be a full 5g. I want to get it right (or as right as possible). Plus I just want to use my Big Mouth carboy

Thanks all!

 

[freisste]

Have you reused any bottles from the first batch on the second? If the issue was not removing soap completely, I would think bottling, drinking, rinsing again, and rebottling would take care of it.

Take heart, not rinsing well enough is a really easy problem to fix.

 

[gmflash88]

No bottles from the first batch were used in this new one. I used 12oz bottles for the last batch and pint bottles (except for the one 12oz I just opened) for this.

Same label removal process but this time I took much more care to rinse well. I read somewhere on here to try a bath of vinegar water to ensure removal of oxy film possibly left behind? Worth a try I guess.

 

[flars]

How long do you soak your bottles and fermentor in oxy? What is the water you are using for brewing?

 

[gmflash88]

Some bottles only soak for an hour. Some quite a bit longer. I only do it for label removal purposes. I use my tap water. My next brew will be with spring water. I'm whittling down the variables as I go. This is exactly why I've been doing 1g recipes. Last potential issue could be the ferm bucket I used both times. I got it from the deli at my local grocer. I gave it a soak in oxy. Then washed with unscented dish soap. Then washed with plain water. I fill it with star San prior to putting the wort in and let its rain all out. Never even had the star San bubbles in it.

 

[DSorenson]

Just a thought, so you use soap to clean anything? Also, what is your water profile like? Soap flavors don't normally show up as a result of water chemistry, but I never rule it out.

 

[WileECoyote]

Ok gang. Any advice is appreciated.

First batch tasted terrible. I got some great input inside this forum and from others in the outside world. I made a few changes and my second batch has improved to drinkable, but nothing I'm willing to call good.

NB Bavarian Hefe extract kit. (1g)

Two main issues with this batch...still a hint of soapy off flavor and it seems thin (watered down).

The first batch was like drinking soap. Awful. This time I have a slight nose of the same, but it's not there in the taste. This time I made sure to pull it off the primary as soon as fermentation completed and not let it sit. However, I think the taste is from actual soap and not anything with my process. The wort tasted fine. No off flavors at all. Post boil was fine. Pre bottle was fine. Popped a bottle...hint of soap. I oxyclean soak my bottles to remove labels and rinse. Before bottling I rinse again and then give a soak in SS. Drain and bottle (using fizz drops that come with the kit...which I don't like). Perhaps I'm not getting all the oxy out of there? I was much more thorough in rinsing this time than last and the taste improved.

The thin flavor. Admittedly this bottle was opened a bit early. I'm at 7 days now. Just a slight sssst opening. Flat within minutes. No biggie...I didn't expect it to be ready just yet. It tastes like you poured yourself 9oz of hefe and then 3oz of water. No idea how that happened.

Like I said, not bad but not good either. The flat will be fine (I assume) in the next few days as carb improves. The soap bugs me though.

My next batch is set to be a full 5g. I want to get it right (or as right as possible). Plus I just want to use my Big Mouth carboy

Thanks all!

You have several things going on here.

Why are you doing this ? > I made sure to pull it off the primary as soon as fermentation completed and not let it sit.
Your beer is not ready to be transferred just because bubbling stops or FG is reached, your yeast need time to clean up the messes they make.

I go 2 to 3 weeks in primary depending on recipe, I have found that my beers actually seen to age/condition/finish quicker doing this, I tried the pull the beer off the yeast as soon as you reach FG, all that happened was the beer tasted green 3 weeks longer than normal, if you want to pull off a quick primary you need to way over pitch yeast to finish your beer fast.

You need to rinse all of your equipment in very HOT water several times, especially after soaking bottles in oxyclean, and use a bottle brush in every bottle when rinsing them, also use a soft cloth in your fermenter when rinsing, oxyclean residue is hard to rinse off.

Rinse, Rinse, Rinse and then rinse again.

Also beer is going to be watery when drank way to soon like you are doing, at only 7 days in the bottle you are setting up your beer for failure, it will be flat, taste watery, taste green and taste bad.

Leave your beers alone for a full 3 weeks or A lot longer after bottling, beer needs that time to carb up and condition.

3 weeks @ 70 deg is a Minimum amount of time for your beer to carb up, big heavy beers take a lot longer, also before popping the top, leave it in the fridge for 3 days to allow the co2 in the head space to go into the liquid=beer or they just might be flat anyway.

I hope this helps you make a good tasting beer.

Cheers and good luck !

 

[kh54s10]

Try just using Oxyclean then rinse VERY well. DON'T use dish soaps since they have surfactants (sp) to stop water spotting. This will cause problems.

As to bottle conditioning it takes a while. I have opened bottles at 2 weeks. Some were carbonated, some not. ALL tasted better at 3 weeks or longer. Then a couple of days in the fridge.

 

[grem135]

Try one of these for rinsing your bottles with hot water.

Bottle Washer