off flavor from transfer to mini keg???

[odie]

I packaged some beer from the main keg to a mini keg for a camping trip. When I tapped it a couple days later it had a very off taste. So much that I dumped it. The funny thing is later when I tapped the main keg it tasted fine.

I had done a salted caramel brown not that long ago. I ferment and serve from the same keg. This particular keg had not been touched yet. It had remained sealed and cold since it was finished with fermentation.

Since I was going camping, I got one of my 1.6gal mini ball lock kegs and prepped it. cleaned it good and filled with water. Then purged the water out with CO2 to keep oxygen to a minimum.

I used a liquid-to-liquid jumper to transfer the beer, so no oxygen was introduced. The mini keg was kept nice and cold and pressurized.

When I did drink it, it had a sour or off taste. unpleasant. So the mini keg was dumped.

about 20 days later, the original keg was tapped. The beer tasted just fine.

I don't get it??? Very strange.

I served it with those mini co2 cartridges. Supposedly beverage grade.

 

[Yesfan]

I packaged some beer from the main keg to a mini keg for a camping trip. When I tapped it a couple days later it had a very off taste. So much that I dumped it. The funny thing is later when I tapped the main keg it tasted fine.

I had done a salted caramel brown not that long ago. I ferment and serve from the same keg. This particular keg had not been touched yet. It had remained sealed and cold since it was finished with fermentation.

Since I was going camping, I got one of my 1.6gal mini ball lock kegs and prepped it. cleaned it good and filled with water. Then purged the water out with CO2 to keep oxygen to a minimum.

I used a liquid-to-liquid jumper to transfer the beer, so no oxygen was introduced. The mini keg was kept nice and cold and pressurized.

When I did drink it, it had a sour or off taste. unpleasant. So the mini keg was dumped.

about 20 days later, the original keg was tapped. The beer tasted just fine.

I don't get it??? Very strange.

I served it with those mini co2 cartridges. Supposedly beverage grade.

May not matter, but you mentioned using 'water' instead of star san to purge the keg. Do you think the water was "dirty" from a brewing standpoint? Same can said with the jumper line.

 

[mac_1103]

That seems very strange. Did you not sanitize the minikeg? How long between filling and tapping?

I transfer to my minikegs all the time and have never had an issue like this. Did a Belgian Blond and an English IPA for Thanksgiving and am planning to fill a minikeg with my Christmas stout for a party this weekend.

 

[odie]

hot washed and cleaned. not sanitized or sterilized per say. water from the tap. my jumpers are cleaned before and after each use.

I suppose there were avenues for infection...but seeing as the beer was about 30 degrees before, during and after the transfer. How does an infection take hold? Once beer is made, the alcohol is a natural defense against infections. Doubly so if the beer remains cold so nothing can grow.

Always under pressure. tapped 3 days later. On ice the whole time.

If anything was hiding in the keg, it would have to be sizable to impart that much off flavors?

There was another keg filled and served in the exact same manor that trip. No issues with that one.

 

[mac_1103]

There was another keg filled and served in the exact same manor that trip. No issues with that one.

Different beer I presume?

 

[ba-brewer]

3 days seem pretty quick to turn something sour while cold but really don't know.

I had a picnic tap I would leave in the keezer to get sample and it got funky once because I did not clean it after a sample once. Beer poured OK and looked fine using that picnic tap but it had a definite funky aroma and off flavor. Found some black crud growing on the rubber plunger which did not come loose while pouring but sure added nastiness to the beer. Maybe you got something from your transfer jumper.

 

[mac_1103]

Maybe you got something from your transfer jumper.

Or maybe the funk was in his tap and not in his keg?

 

[ba-brewer]

^assumed same tap was used for the other keg that good but maybe not.

 

[odie]

the picnic taps and QDs are always disassembled and cleaned before and after use. The hose is a short 1ft silicone tube that was leftover from a floating dip tube kit. That's cleaned and dried every time as well.

The mini kegs are also fully broken down and cleaned after every use. And cleaned again before filling.

Somehow I'm over looking something.

 

[odie]

Same tap for both kegs. First keg was ok. different beers though. here are some older pics showing the transfer jumper and ice chest used.