Hey guys!
Long time lurker, first-time poster.
I'll try to keep this short (EDIT: Well, I tried!):
I brewed all-grain rauchbier with my friend around three years ago with a very little knowledge. Against all the odds the beer turned out fantastic. We used 10l kettle, so the batch size was small.
We updated our equipment for bigger batches. We installed a heating element in our plastic fermenter which we use to boil. Seems to work well... anyway, after switching to "new" equipment all the four batches have been bad. I know one of these were due to high mash temps. Two of these should've been fine. Mashing went well, around 152-160 temps.
Still trying to make good rauchbier, similar to the first batch. We've used liquid yeast and currently dried SAFLAGER W34/70. I've pitched when the wort has cooled to around 59.
Smell and taste have both been great at first. But while fermenting something weird happens. It's this very same smell/taste that takes over the beer. It's super hard to explain what it is... but from my nose and my wife's nose these words came up: Ash, Bandage, Leather, Plastic, Rubber. It really takes over the beer, and it seems even time won't heal it.
I'd blame fermentation temps, but then again our first batch turned out great even though it was using lager yeast in room temps (I know, how is that even possible!). I know I should be measuring liquid temp instead of ambient, but the ambient was around 60. Fermentation has been fierce, so it's quite possible the temp of actual wort went way up and produced those off flavors? Or perhaps it is some sort of infection? I'll switch to StarSan with my next patch to make sure it's not that.
I'm also suspecting that something might happen while boiling. Maybe it boils too aggressive? Maybe the heater element burns something while boiling...?
I also checked, our water is 7-8 pH and has 0,3 - 0,4 mg/l chlorine.
BUT then again, the first batch turned out great. Same water.
Oh, to my nose the off-flavor(s) starts to come alive while fermenting!
I really need to narrow down what is causing the off flavors so I know what I'm doing wrong.
I'm considering going back to smaller batch, using a small fridge to control the temps and mash using the kettle in an oven. I'd also get a new fermentation vessel.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, it pains me to toss batch after batch down the drain.
Cheers and thanks!
Jesse
Long time lurker, first-time poster.
I'll try to keep this short (EDIT: Well, I tried!):
I brewed all-grain rauchbier with my friend around three years ago with a very little knowledge. Against all the odds the beer turned out fantastic. We used 10l kettle, so the batch size was small.
We updated our equipment for bigger batches. We installed a heating element in our plastic fermenter which we use to boil. Seems to work well... anyway, after switching to "new" equipment all the four batches have been bad. I know one of these were due to high mash temps. Two of these should've been fine. Mashing went well, around 152-160 temps.
Still trying to make good rauchbier, similar to the first batch. We've used liquid yeast and currently dried SAFLAGER W34/70. I've pitched when the wort has cooled to around 59.
Smell and taste have both been great at first. But while fermenting something weird happens. It's this very same smell/taste that takes over the beer. It's super hard to explain what it is... but from my nose and my wife's nose these words came up: Ash, Bandage, Leather, Plastic, Rubber. It really takes over the beer, and it seems even time won't heal it.
I'd blame fermentation temps, but then again our first batch turned out great even though it was using lager yeast in room temps (I know, how is that even possible!). I know I should be measuring liquid temp instead of ambient, but the ambient was around 60. Fermentation has been fierce, so it's quite possible the temp of actual wort went way up and produced those off flavors? Or perhaps it is some sort of infection? I'll switch to StarSan with my next patch to make sure it's not that.
I'm also suspecting that something might happen while boiling. Maybe it boils too aggressive? Maybe the heater element burns something while boiling...?
I also checked, our water is 7-8 pH and has 0,3 - 0,4 mg/l chlorine.
BUT then again, the first batch turned out great. Same water.
Oh, to my nose the off-flavor(s) starts to come alive while fermenting!
I really need to narrow down what is causing the off flavors so I know what I'm doing wrong.
I'm considering going back to smaller batch, using a small fridge to control the temps and mash using the kettle in an oven. I'd also get a new fermentation vessel.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, it pains me to toss batch after batch down the drain.
Cheers and thanks!
Jesse