I just had a batch of oatmeal milk stout get ruined by a really nasty alcoholic off flavor, and I've racked my brain and searched the forums, but to no avail. Maybe you can help me!
I brewed said stout and kegged it after 2 weeks in primary (no secondary). I force carbonated, and tasted the beer on sunday, and it tasted fine. Perhaps overshot on the carbonation a bit, but thats no big deal. Monday, I poured a pint, and on the first sip I was absolutely clobbered with overwhelming alcohol flavor, to a much greater extent than I've experienced with some really strong beers. After that, I got a nasty warming feeling in my throat, and then in the pit of my stomach. I haven't had this particular problem with my beers before, but it seems pretty clear to me based on what I've read that this is a fusel alcohol problem.
But that's where my analysis has ground to a halt because my understanding of fusel alcohols is that they're usually caused by fermenting too warm, or sitting on trub too long. Clearly neither of these things happened, because I had tasted the beer the day before and it was fine. Whatever happened, happened in the keg.
I'm very careful with my kegging process because I brew a lot of NEIPAs which are ludicrously sensitive to oxidation. Process as follows: Clean keg with PBW, rinse. Fill with sanitizer, force sanitizer out with CO2 through racking cane and hoses to sanitize the whole system. Push beer out of fermenter, through sanitized racking cane into keg. Force carb.
Any thoughts?
I brewed said stout and kegged it after 2 weeks in primary (no secondary). I force carbonated, and tasted the beer on sunday, and it tasted fine. Perhaps overshot on the carbonation a bit, but thats no big deal. Monday, I poured a pint, and on the first sip I was absolutely clobbered with overwhelming alcohol flavor, to a much greater extent than I've experienced with some really strong beers. After that, I got a nasty warming feeling in my throat, and then in the pit of my stomach. I haven't had this particular problem with my beers before, but it seems pretty clear to me based on what I've read that this is a fusel alcohol problem.
But that's where my analysis has ground to a halt because my understanding of fusel alcohols is that they're usually caused by fermenting too warm, or sitting on trub too long. Clearly neither of these things happened, because I had tasted the beer the day before and it was fine. Whatever happened, happened in the keg.
I'm very careful with my kegging process because I brew a lot of NEIPAs which are ludicrously sensitive to oxidation. Process as follows: Clean keg with PBW, rinse. Fill with sanitizer, force sanitizer out with CO2 through racking cane and hoses to sanitize the whole system. Push beer out of fermenter, through sanitized racking cane into keg. Force carb.
Any thoughts?