Getting the Sh!ts from my beer - Please help

[pcracer]

I've been brewing for a few years. I can't place a change in method but my last 3 or 4 beers have resulted in a thunderous episode in the bathroom the next morning. Sparing more details this occurrence happens to my wife as well.

I partial mash. I ferment at 67 degrees in a converted college mini fridge with temperature control. I usually ferment for 2 weeks then force carbonate in another fridge at 45 degrees and commence to hammer down some cold ones after 3 days.

My wife seems to think it's the force carbonation (22 pounds for 3 days then throttle it down to 10 for pouring). I'm thinking it's something to do with the fermentation and active yeast.

Please help...this is getting ridiculous.

btw all of my brews have tasted great with no off tastes.

 

[mikelikesit2000]

Have you started using any different ingredients lately? What about cleaning practices? Do you clean/sanitize your hose to your pour spout?

 

[Teaman]

I think you are right about it being the yeast.
It's good for you.

 

[3PegBrew]

There's a similar post on here somewhere about this. Home made beer shouldn't give you the runs unless you aren't cleaning thoroughly. And after a year your body should be used to the yeast you use. I concur with the previous answer of possible new ingredients also.

 

[badmajon]

Must be a bug... if I were you, I'd try sourcing your ingredients from somewhere else and see what happens.

 

[BoxofRain]

Maybe the yeast as you said. Maybe try some campden to kill it off?

 

[buzzkill]

when you kick a keg how much yeast is in the bottom? a extra week cold crashing to clear before going to keg may help. but I just dont know.

stock up on toilet paper,you dont want to run out with this going on.

 

[Revvy]

Normally folks have gas or rarely runs from homebrew/bottle conditioned beer, when they first started brewing NOT when they've been going at it for a few years. The whole body getting adapted to the oligosaccherides from the yeast thing.....

I would think that if you've gone from bottling to kegging you'd have LESS active yeast in solution....But my understanding of kegging is tenous.

So like other's have said, what changes to your process have you been making? Also I would seriously look at other things in your environment as well, especially since you and your wife BOTH are having issues.

Remember NOTHING PATHOGENIC CAN EXIST IN BEER, so despite what other's are saying, nothing in your beer can make you sick, like with food poisining or anything like that so rule that out....

 

[pcracer]

thanks for the suggestions. I use a siphon to go from the fermenter to the keg and clean the hell out of that. I use amberdyne for disinfection. Just killed a winter warmer last night and noticed the pour tube probably needs replaced. I've tried to be extra anal (pardon the pun) on cleaning and disinfection but to no avail. I do recall using tap water lately and my new batch is back to distilled water so I'll know shortly if that was it.

Do you think 67 degrees is too low for normal ales, IPA..Blondes, etc? Would that induce yeast being active still as opposed to going to 72 degrees?

There's a bit of spooge in first glass that I throw out. I think I might 2nd ferment for a week to continue the yeast fermentation but never have on my previous 30 beers.

 

[Houblon]

I've been brewing for a few years. I usually ferment for 2 weeks then force carbonate in another fridge at 45 degrees and commence to hammer down some cold ones after 3 days.

My wife seems to think it's the force carbonation (22 pounds for 3 days then throttle it down to 10 for pouring)

Do you think 67 degrees is too low for normal ales, IPA..Blondes, etc? Would that induce yeast being active still as opposed to going to 72 degrees?
.

Ok I'm going to an Ass- - pun intended,
say you been brewing for a few yrs, but you worry that 67F is too cool to ferment?, next you think forced carbonation is somehow different?.

First 67F is fine and I like cooler temps for those beers, CO2 is CO2... force carbing isn't your problem.

I bet its the yeast, try leaving it in the primary an extra week before kegging
or it could be nothing beer related.

The runs is a classic sign of unrinsed soap residue, coming from food dishes.

See whats odd is your GUT should be used to brewers yeast by now, that makes me wonder is really beer related, or your just drinking yeasty chunks.

 

[pcracer]

Yes I've been brewing for a few years. Yes I realize 67 degrees should be fine. Yes I know force carbonation doesn't induce the runs (just simply satisfying wifey's crazy idea...she's a bit kooky). I'm simply baffled and am throwing out everything I do to propagate opinion and suggestions. If you're from the O'ville area feel free to contact me and we'll throw down a few from my smoked amber batch that just went to the fridge.....might want to bring a change of skiveys though.. hehe.

We did take a few month sabbatical from brewing this summer and maybe it's a body adjustment...like I said, I'm baffled.

 

[OldManHouston]

I seem to recall hearing that high sulfate levels can cause diarhea. Are you using a ton of gypsum or something? This is probably not your problem, just popped into my head while reading this thread.

 

[bulldogxray]

I've been brewing for a few years. I can't place a change in method but my last 3 or 4 beers have resulted in a thunderous episode in the bathroom the next morning. Sparing more details this occurrence happens to my wife as well.

I partial mash. I ferment at 67 degrees in a converted college mini fridge with temperature control. I usually ferment for 2 weeks then force carbonate in another fridge at 45 degrees and commence to hammer down some cold ones after 3 days.

My wife seems to think it's the force carbonation (22 pounds for 3 days then throttle it down to 10 for pouring). I'm thinking it's something to do with the fermentation and active yeast.

Please help...this is getting ridiculous.

btw all of my brews have tasted great with no off tastes.

Those exlax triple dark stouts are a *****.

 

[DansBrew]

Is this an ongoing problem? Is it possible that you're just down with a stomach bug? I had one that lasted almost a week... I couldn't get too far from the bathroom. Have you tried the beer a few times just to rule out an isolated stomach bug?

 

[pcracer]

It's definitely not a bug. I've made 3 brews over the course of 2 1/2 months all the same results. Central Florida Beer Fest last November no problem. I'll drink Bud and be fine so it's in the brew for sure. I think longer fermentation, letting it sit in the keg longer and tossing the trub or whatever is in the first glass or so, using distilled water (I have well water that may contribute..who knows), and changing cleaning agent ( i use oxy clean before sanitizing) may help.

I guess if it doesn't help time to change out some equipment. Next brew I make (tomorrow), after fermentation I'll clip off about a half inch of metal tube at the bottom of the keg to prevent ingestion of any settlement. It doesn't look like I can pinpoint the source so I probably need to change up the process and hope for the best.

Thanks Guys.

 

[bob1852]

Revvy - wanna have another "fight" about oligosaccahrides v. yeast?

 

[r8rphan]

Is it possible you guys picked up some sort of parasite or whatever that leaves your system a little touchy to start with and the beer just pushes you over the edge?

 

[Yooper]

What about magnesium and sulfate in your brewing water? I was talking to a brewer that said his water is naturally low in both, but he didn't want to add MgSO4 (epsom salts) because of the laxative effects. Could it be that there has been a change in your water source? Maybe your water treatment is different due to dry or wetter conditions? Just a thought.

Try getting rid of all plastic, and buying new. Don't use rewashed yeast, just buy some dry yeast for now. SO4 is flocculant, and falls out as soon as it's fermented so that would be a good one to use. Use storebought water. And lastly, don't drink 2 week old beer! If you keg it after two weeks, that's fine but don't quick carb it and start drinking it then! Wait about two weeks or longer after it's kegged, and keep it at 12 psi or whatever your pressure is the entire time. Buy a different sanitizer this time- try Star-san.

If you make a new batch with those techniques, and you still have a problem then we can help you delve deeper.

Getting rid of plastic will get rid of the possibility of infection, as well changing up the sanitizer. Same with fresh yeast, and using a flocculant yeast will minimize the amount of yeast in the beer. Changing the water will eliminate that as a source, and of course waiting a bit longer will mean not drinking green beer. If this fixing the problem, then you can try doing one thing at a time the "old" way, to see if you fixed it just by getting some new fresh equipment and sanitizer.

 

[samc]

If you have the ability to cold crash your beer for a few days as close to mid 30's as you can get that will drop out most of any residual yeast that your are probably transferring to the keg. If you can't do that then keg up a batch and let is sit for 4 weeks before drinking. IMO it's worth a few weeks of wait to avoid the hours on the bowl. And... the beer will taste better.

 

[pcracer]

y i did notice particulates suspended in the beer the last few times and figured it was yeast. I have the ability to control my freezer (turned beer fridge) "digitally controlled" to any temp I wish, currently at 43 degrees.

I've probably been lucky over the past to get a final product that has no issues. Taste has always been good but need to understand the finishing of a brew better. I kegged my amber 2 days ago and because of room temps and fear... just let it sit and fridged it today. Maybe I should turn it down to the mid thirties and crash the *****.

I'm brewing tomorrow but I don't see my process screwing with the beer except for replacing old stuff, as peeps has mentioned above. I really think it's the yeast still in the brew screwing with us but why is it there? Maybe too impatient to wait for everything to finish...not sure. Bottom line, rather than spend multiple brews to isolate the prob if the next one doesn't agree, time to recirculate new stuff... still cheaper than buying Samuel Adams at the store.

 

[bendavanza]

You're not using lactose, are you? I took me a while to figure out that milk stouts screw me up.
I've never heard of the sanitizer you're using, maybe try something like StarSan that is No rinse and make sure your dilution is correct.

 

[DansBrew]

Maybe you're becoming gluten sensitive?

 

[dotnetdotcom]

It could be a combination of live yeast and something you ate. Has your diet changed recently? Yeast plus sugary food, like cookies, can do it to me.