Bad Beer(s)...

[BillyVegas]

So, I made 3 extract batches of brew shooting from some recipies I put together. One I expected to be a pure experimental process using some leftovers of materials I had and adding pumpkin, so I didn't expetc much from that... but the other brews have their own off tests that taste... not right.

Oatmeal/Vanilla Stout
(11/7/09)
OG @ Primary = 1.051
Primary for 3-4 weeks, Secondary for 4-5 weeks.
FG = 1.020
Kegged and carbed 1 week ago.

Oatmeal Stout is likely the most palatable, but still undrinkable in my eyes. Watery mouthfeel, no depth of flavor, same color as...

Newcastle Clone
(11/08/09)
OG @ Primary = 1.070
Primary for 3-4 weeks, Secondary for 4-5 weeks.
FG = 1.018

Sour. Sour Aftertaste, too dark of a color, and mostly undrinkable. Sour/soapy taste/flavor.

Pumpkin Ale
This was just an abominatin of grans and leftovers with a ton of canned pumpkin I had to use. I didn't expect much from this and don't really need to know what went wrong here. When you're steeping 1lb of Crystal 60L, Biscuit Malt, flaked wheat, and ginger and pumpkin if a mess of DME and such... yea... not expecting much.

The Stout and the Newcastle concern me. Not sure where this off flavor, sour taste, and watery mouth feel is developing from. I've made the stout before, and it was okay... so my assumption is...

1) Time. My notes indicate I made these around 11/7. Doesn't seem that long ago, but it's 3 months ago from today, and I only kegged this last week. Too much time in the primary perhaps, and too much time in the secondary. More importantly, my secondary is a 6g Better Bottle... perhaps too much headroom for a 5g batch for secondary. I need to make more time for getting these things out of primary/secondary in a realistic timeframe and not let them just sit.

2) Kegging Apparatus. Perhaps I need to rebuild these things... I thought I gave her a pretty good cleaning- but maybe the posts need disassembly and such. I don't know.

3) Contamination. The two brews definitely have a similar type of bad/off flavor. I like to keep all my work area and equipment clean and star-san'd... but perhaps I slacked?

With the exception of having to dump 15g of brews soon... there is good to come of this.

a) I bought a chest freezer to make a keezer and It works great.
b) I learned proper carbonating techniques and methods.
c) I got a March pump for cheap cause I ran into a good deal while working on these.
d) I learned what NOT to do for a ****ty pumpkin ale.

Any thought son what this sour/off taste could be?

 

[BillyVegas]

NEWS FLASH:
I just realized... I used my tap water for the first time with these brews.
Perhaps my obnoxiously-hard water ruined these? Similar bad tastes, that's the one definite common denominator.

 

[Schlenkerla]

NEWS FLASH:
I just realized... I used my tap water for the first time with these brews.
Perhaps my obnoxiously-hard water ruined these? Similar bad tastes, that's the one definite common denominator.

It doesn't come from the Hudson does it?

 

[BillyVegas]

Who knows, all I know is it's the first time I used from the tap, and I KNOW i have some pretty hard water...

 

[BillyVegas]

After some research,Chlorine may be the issue?
Anyone experience this?

 

[Yooper]

After some research,Chlorine may be the issue?
Anyone experience this?

More likely, chloramines. They don't boil off like chlorine does, and are very commonly used in city water supplies. They can create chlorophenols, which are band-aid flavors, spicy, plasticy off-flavors.

 

[BillyVegas]

Well... I found it.

I brought two bottles to my LHBS master brewer and he tasted... agreed it had a laquer type taste... He said it's one of two things.

1) DRASTIC Temperature Change

First, I wasnt sure how it could be this... I pitched in kitchen, and then it went into my closet @ room temp. I thought, maybe I left it out in the sun in the kitchen without remembering? Would that bring the drastic change? Likely not...I kept thinking this was it because the other option he gave me seemed more unlikely.

2) Cheap Plastic Equipment

I thought it couldn't be this... I got all new better bottles, new lines, and I clean everything pretty well... couldn't find the cheap link of crappy plastic anywhere.

That is, until brewday Sunday night.

As I brought my mass to boil post-extract addition, I went to bag up these pellet hops.
Bag up these pellet hops.
Bag up these pellet hops.
BAG UP these pellet hops.

As I reached for the bag, I looked at it. This piece-of-crap bag, which i used for the first time on all 3 of the last batches of brews, seemingly has some crap-ass plasticy/vinyl coating on it. Wow, how the hell did I not realize this - not only on brewday - but the past weeks I was racking my brain. This HAS to be what ruined my 3 batches. ALL the same off-taste... and this ****ty little bag ruined it.

With that, I dumped the 3 corneys down the sink, satisfied that was the problem.

Just an update. This made me a very happy guy as I brewed all Sunday night.

Moral of the Story : Check every link in the chain.