Looking for advice on this one guys.

[Realidad]

Hi all,

Im a relitive new comer to Brewing but i've managed to make 3 batches.

Due to my impatience and lack of experiance I decided to start off with a Coopers extract and went from there. The first batch I made was a Coopers Standard lager and after obeying the instructions on the kit 100% I tasted it after two weeks and it tasted horrid.

I got a kind of Dishwashing liquid smell from the batch. I left this beer age for about 2 months and after that tasted it again to discover it was much more acceptable on the palate but still had that slight aroma. I left it age in plastic PET bottles for the 2 months.

After that I tried Coopers Canadian blonde with almost the exact same story. Following that I made a Coopers Wheat beer and it was much more enjoyable and acceptable.

Im back once again to making lager and I have all my stuff ready at home. Im going to sanitise my stuff tonight (which im absolutely meticuous about) and im just a little bit nervous about this if it happens again.

So my 3 questions are,

A)is this an infection?
B)Is this due to chlorine, which is in the Irish water system (I used normal tap water)
C) How do you guys rate Coopers? Should I get another Brand instead?

 

[cherrob123]

Most on here are going to want to know what your fermenting temps were.

Also, how old was your yeast.

The guy who is the president of our brew club uses water right out of a garden hose to do his outdoor brewing and his beers are consistently great. You might have a Ph problem that may need adjusting. Get a water report from your local water company and them post it on here. There are lots and lots of guys who are very knowledgeable and will be able to tell you what to add to make your water better.

Also, if you used a dish washing detergent to clean your bottles and gear with, that will leave a residue every time that is almost impossible to get off.

Use the recommended cleansers and sanitizers to make sure.

Good Luck to you

 

[helibrewer]

I doubt it's an infection, sounds like a cleaning agent that might not have been rinsed well enough. You should be able to drive off chlorine by boiling or letting the water sit out in anopen container for a few days prior to use. If it's chloramine some have reported success using K-meta.

You might try using RO water for the next batch just to rule out water....and rinse your gear well before sanitizing.

By the way, I love Cork, I really need to come over and visit again

 

[duboman]

I doubt it's an infection, sounds like a cleaning agent that might not have been rinsed well enough. You should be able to drive off chlorine by boiling or letting the water sit out in anopen container for a few days prior to use. If it's chloramine some have reported success using K-meta.

You might try using RO water for the next batch just to rule out water....and rinse your gear well before sanitizing.

By the way, I love Cork, I really need to come over and visit again

I agree. Be sure you are using a cleaner like PBW and rinsing well and I too would suggest the RO water. If the next batch turns out fine then you can investigate your water profile and make the necessary adjustments

 

[Realidad]

Most on here are going to want to know what your fermenting temps were.

Also, how old was your yeast.

The guy who is the president of our brew club uses water right out of a garden hose to do his outdoor brewing and his beers are consistently great. You might have a Ph problem that may need adjusting. Get a water report from your local water company and them post it on here. There are lots and lots of guys who are very knowledgeable and will be able to tell you what to add to make your water better.

Also, if you used a dish washing detergent to clean your bottles and gear with, that will leave a residue every time that is almost impossible to get off.

Use the recommended cleansers and sanitizers to make sure.

Good Luck to you

Thanks for the advice buddy.

Withs regards the yeast I used, it comes with the DME and I remember it being a year in date (exp 2013) so I though that this should be fine. I thoroughly steralise all my bottles, fermenter and aparatus with VMP steraliser which my supplier assures me is one of the best around. My fermentation temps were around 20 Degrees Celsius (the range according to the instructions was between 17-28 C. I drink the local water supply all the time and I dont really think the PH is off too much to be honest (I could be wrong of course). I do know our water supply is treated with Chlorine and flouride. So I reckon i'll use cheap bottled water next time.

 

[Realidad]

I doubt it's an infection, sounds like a cleaning agent that might not have been rinsed well enough. You should be able to drive off chlorine by boiling or letting the water sit out in anopen container for a few days prior to use. If it's chloramine some have reported success using K-meta.

You might try using RO water for the next batch just to rule out water....and rinse your gear well before sanitizing.

By the way, I love Cork, I really need to come over and visit again

I'll look into this RO water and make full sure I properly rinse off all my gear.
So i reckon i'll take that advice.

Yes, every brewer should visit Cork, we do some serious beer here and you're welcome back anytime! The Stout capital of the world.

 

[aidan]

If your water is high in chlorine you can drive out the chlorine by either boiling it, or adding half a crushed campden tablet and letting it sit over night. If you also have chloramine in your water I think the campden tablet gets rid of that too.

Brewing at 20C should be ok for the Coopers kit yeast, but I'd make sure not to go above that even though the instructions indicate a higher range. When I've brewed Coopers I've kept it between 18 and 20.

I've brewed a few Coopers kits and they are ok as far as pre-hopped kits go but if you follow the instructions and add a kilo of sugar, you'll get a pretty thin, cidery tasting beer. Better to add another kilo of malt extract instead of the sugar, or even the Coopers brew enhancers are better than plain sugar but a bit expensive for what they are (sugar + maltodextrine + dried malt extract).