Off Smell Identified... Now How to Fix...

[howabouttheiris]

Been disappointed in the nose of a few of my batches and think I have it linked to yeast settling in the bottom of the keg.

It was odd.... 1st glass would stink, then it got better. After a few days, the 1st glass would stink, then it got better. The last 1/2 of my keg always tasted/smelled great.

To fix this, I will do the following...

1. I aim to increase my primary time to "FG + 10 days" min.
2. I plan to discard the 1st 1/4 glass each time, if the keg has sat for > 1-2 days.

What else should I do?

Does anyone use standard wine floculant products to clear the beer? ($2 would be worth it to me if it would help)

Would cold crashing get this out for me? (I am unsure where to get the required cool temps to allow me to do this)

Suggestions?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

secondary?

 

[smizak]

Gelatin in primary, THEN rack to keg. Then gelatin in the keg.

 

[ImaBrewinfool]

Whens the last time you cleaned beer lines. Sounds like a beer line issue to me. First beer tastes bad, then you get the line cleared and new beer from keg. Ive seen that on my system when Im bad on line cleaning.

 

[howabouttheiris]

I have done secondary for most of my batches. Usually 1-2 weeks. I can't really say that I noticed it help. (And had very little in the way of sediment, if any, settle out)

gelatin in primary, I get. Gelatin in keg???? (I envision an output tube full of yeast pudding.... I will do some searches and read up.)

 

[Synovia]

I have done secondary for most of my batches. Usually 1-2 weeks. I can't really say that I noticed it help. (And had very little in the way of sediment, if any, settle out)

gelatin in primary, I get. Gelatin in keg???? (I envision an output tube full of yeast pudding.... I will do some searches and read up.)

1-2 weeks isn't nearly long enough unless you're doing lots of finings.

 

[Yambor44]

I'm with the thinking that it isn't your yeast. When was the last tie you cleaned your lines and taps?

 

[howabouttheiris]

I remove and sanitize every other keg. Maybe once per month - 6 weeks....

The line theory would not explain why the last 1/2 of the kegs seem to be fine. Would it?

 

[Yambor44]

I would think its possible. If it sits a day or two you get that flavor from the beer that was sitting in the lines/tap. A beer or two flushed the smell/taste. If yeast was the factor then gelatin wouldn't work because its just dropping more out of suspension into the bottom (where your yeast are in the first place) IMO.

 

[shortyjacobs]

I ONLY use gelatin in the keg. Sprinkle gelatin in cold water, let sit 20 min, heat up to 180, let sit 10 min, pour into keg, rack beer on top, wait 3 days, pull 1 cloudy pint, and voila, crystal clear beer.

You can also just dump the gelatin/water mixture on top of the beer after you rack into the keg, (and even after you carbonate!)....it will fall through the beer and clear it nicely.

 

[howabouttheiris]

Does it (gelatine/sediment) pour off completely in the 1st glass?

 

[shortyjacobs]

Does it (gelatine/sediment) pour off completely in the 1st glass?

If you let it sit 3 days, yes. If you are impatient like me and drink it each night without waiting the 3 days, then you have to dump about 4 oz each night for a few nights. After 3 nights, clear.

3 days at fridge temps, that is.

 

[Beernip]

Secondary, cold crash, rack to keg.

 

[JacobS]

My two cents;
You should clean your lines and tappers immediately after every beer is done. ie less than 24hrs.
Also you could filter the beer going into the keg.

Side note, when I have German Wiess on tap the first glass always looks like a yeast milkshake

 

[Jmiltime]

This is a common occurance if you don't use a secondary. Any trub that gets disturbed while racking from primary to keg will eventually settle into the bottom of the keg and therefore come out in the first couple of pours. You should be able to tell because it smells and tastes of yeast (because that's what it is). Here are a couple of things that I have done to help with this:

1. Leave in primary for at least 3 weeks before racking (or use secondary as has been suggested). This will seperate the yeast/trub from the beer and therefore you will have less in the keg.
2. Wait at least 3 days once chilled to let yeast and any sediment settle out. (Yeast settles much more quickly when cold)
3. Use gelatin when racking to keg. The gelatin combines with the yeast and pulls it to the bottom and clears the beer. This makes the sediment thicker and easier to get out of keg when first pouring and also makes the beer much more clear so you should have very clear beer and know that there is no yeast/sediment coming out.
4. Don't move the keg around once chilled and tapped. Even though you pour a good portion of the yeast out with the first couple of glasses, there is sediment that settles but lies too far from the dip tube and therefore will sit in the keg until the end. If you agitate the keg, it can move that sediment and it will come out the next time you pour.

If you use do all this as well as be careful not to suck up too much of the trub when racking, you should notice this problem minimize and almost be eliminated.

Good luck!