Odd Result - Troubleshoot Help

[ben.mathews1]

Hello,
I have been brewing for 3 years (~36 batches of 5 gallons), and I ran into something that I never have before... I was told by my brew shop it was oxidation or contamination, but I am not ready to accept that just yet. I thought this room would be best place to start, but feel free to direct me to a better spot or previous posts that would solve this!

I brewed Northern Brewer's (MN) American Wheat (all-grain) recipe and it was a piece of cake (it's a simple 8lb grain bill / recipe), and I had done it before without issues. (Specifics = 4 lbs. Rahr White Wheat malt; 4 lbs Rahr 2-row Pale; 1oz Willa for 60min, and 1oz Cascade at 15). I remember it tasting relatively "simple" and clean. Tasted like a wheat, but kind of bland when I made it the first time.

THIS TIME...
I had an OG of 1.051, and maintained a temp of 65 throughout the one week (except for a spike to 67-68 during initial ferm). At the end of one week (7 days) I had zero activity on the bubbler and 24hrs of no gravity change (according to my Tilt) so I figured it was done. Ended up with an FG of 1.014. *Recipe said it only takes 1 week primary, and that was what I did last time (well it was more like 8 days).

I took a pull before I transferred. It had the right color (pale, hazy like a wheat) and even tasted like wheat. So I transferred it to my keg, purged oxygen, and then right into the keggerator. The directions say "1 week secondary," but I figured it could just sit my keggerator for a week while it charges up with CO2.

I had my first two glasses and something's not right. It looks like an IPA now (sort of that amber/copper-y color). It also tastes like an IPA (more hoppy than I'd expect/remember for this wheat beer), and with a super slight hint of DiaC. I know that beers (for me) sometimes take a week/8-10 pulls before they "settle in" flavor-wise, but this seems odd.

Now I didn't do a DiaC rest because this is a one week recipe, and it's a wheat beer. But to have a change in color and flavor like that in one week in a keggerator seems weird...
So:
-Did I rush it? (should have done 8 or 9 days?)
-Did putting it straight into the keggerator (i.e. taking it from 65 to 32 degrees in 24hrs) change the flavor and color somehow?

*P.S. I want to emphasize that it tastes like "beer" - just not like I remember this wheat beer tasting. So it's not like an infection or oxidation, I (now) know what that tastes like after some mistakes in my past (and recently). The beers I've made that had a (yeast) infection or oxidation were downright undrinkable. Which is why I don't think it is an infection or oxidation.

Any sage advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[cswis86]

Did you ferment for only a week the first time you made the beer? A week in primary seems short to me and would explain the diacetyl. But yeah it doesn't sound like oxidation or contamination.

 

[jekeane]

The color change hints at oxidation. The diacetyl also hints to oxidation. What could have happened is your beer was not done and the transfer introduced some more oxygen which in turn helped the beer ferment some more. When the yeast dropped out as the keg cooled they left behind the diacetyl they had produced when they went back to work.

You can pull a sample let it warm up and degas it. Then take another reading to see if you are still at .014.

What yeast did you use? There arent many yeasts that are flawless after 8 days in the fermentor.

 

[ben.mathews1]

Did you ferment for only a week the first time you made the beer? A week in primary seems short to me and would explain the diacetyl. But yeah it doesn't sound like oxidation or contamination.

Yes I only did a week last time. It may have been more like 8 days, and this was 7 days. However, I had no activity in gravity (used the TILT) for 24 hrs... so I figured it was ready.

 

[ben.mathews1]

The color change hints at oxidation. The diacetyl also hints to oxidation. What could have happened is your beer was not done and the transfer introduced some more oxygen which in turn helped the beer ferment some more. When the yeast dropped out as the keg cooled they left behind the diacetyl they had produced when they went back to work.

You can pull a sample let it warm up and degas it. Then take another reading to see if you are still at .014.

What yeast did you use? There arent many yeasts that are flawless after 8 days in the fermentor.

It was the usual SafAle (us) 05. So even if I purged oxygen from the keg with Co2 after the transfer that could have been all it needed (to get some oxygen upon transfer)?

 

[jekeane]

yeah there is aways going to be some residual o2 left doing purges that way.

I blame the Tilt. Mine were terribly inaccurate and I would never trust a FG from them. I can almost guarantee your beer was done.

 

[Jag75]

Sounds like the beer was green . I was taught patience is a brewers best friend from my Aunt. I pitch hold steady temp then at the tail end I let it rise to about 70 then I leave it alone. I leave in my FV for 3 weeks then package . Try waiting and let it do its thing . I dont know if you do but closed transfer is helpful.