Confusing Flavor in First 2 Brews

[producerethan]

Hello all,

I've brewed two beers now (a hefe and a brown ale) and both have ended up with a similar strange flavor on the back end that I can't place. Both were 5 gallon Craft-a-Brew kits fermented in a Catalyst system, but very little else was the same.

Beer 1 (Hefe):
- Brewed on the stove
- Cooled in an ice bath
- Tap water
- Relatively even room temperature
- Room thermometer
- Blowoff tube

Beer 2 (Brown):
- Brewed in a Brewer's Edge 'Mash & Boil'
- Cooled with an immersion chiller
- Distilled water
- Swamp cooled during a heat wave
- Sticker thermometer on fermenter
- Airlock

The off flavor is very hard to describe. It's slightly chemical, but not soapy. Astringent but not acidic. Just... off, somehow. I'm hoping someone might have an idea of what could be causing it because, being experienced, I'm very lost.

Thanks everyone!

 

[RM-MN]

Relatively even room temperature

Swamp cooled during a heat wave

While the swamp cooler was a good idea, it may not have been enough cooling in the heat wave. Yeast has a preferred temperature range in which it produces few off flavors but it also prefers higher temperatures for faster fermentation. Without some method of cooling the yeast activity warms up the beer which speeds up the yeast activity which warms up the beer....Yes, sort of a runaway condition during which the yeast throw off unwanted flavors. The yeast activity can raise the beer temp by 5 or more degrees. To avoid this in future batches, use the swamp cooler but add bottles of frozen water to help keep the temperature rise in check.

 

[rburrelli]

You don’t mention anything about treating the water in either case. Your tap water may not be good for the style and conversely straight distilled water is not always a good way to go.

 

[producerethan]

You don’t mention anything about treating the water in either case. Your tap water may not be good for the style and conversely straight distilled water is not always a good way to go.

I did not treat the water, no. Based on some of what I've been reading, I definitely plan to check pH levels on my next batch, though.

The change to distilled water from tap was because I thought my tap water might have been the problem with the first batch. But with the off flavors being so similar with both types, I don't think that was the main issue. I want to get in the habit of checking it anyway, however, for quality control at least!

 

[producerethan]

While the swamp cooler was a good idea, it may not have been enough cooling in the heat wave. Yeast has a preferred temperature range in which it produces few off flavors but it also prefers higher temperatures for faster fermentation. Without some method of cooling the yeast activity warms up the beer which speeds up the yeast activity which warms up the beer....Yes, sort of a runaway condition during which the yeast throw off unwanted flavors. The yeast activity can raise the beer temp by 5 or more degrees. To avoid this in future batches, use the swamp cooler but add bottles of frozen water to help keep the temperature rise in check.

The temperature is definitely my biggest issue with controlling properly. With the cooling during the heat wave I was able to keep the fermenter at a fairly consistent 68 degrees, which I think should have kept the yeast happy. But I admittedly was not able to work out a dependable system for a couple days and some wide fluctuations did occur in that time.

My next batch is going to be a saison with a yeast that enjoys higher temps, but I still need to figure out a way to manage overall temps regardless. I hope this will solve the problem, but I'm not sure what the most effective and economical solution is for me. Hopefully a chest freezer, but not sure about space just yet.

 

[RM-MN]

Here's some information about fermentation temperatures, their effects, and some ideas on how to control them. Some are a bit less expensive than a chest freezer.

https://www.brewcabin.com/fermentation-chamber/

 

[Beermeister32]

You really do benefit from a temperature controlled fermenting chamber. The lowest cost method is an under-counter type refrigerator from Craigslist or new. Mine are 4.4 cubic foot Sanyos with an add-on digital temperature control.

 

[tracer bullet]

I like the "EZ Water Calculator" for deciding water additions. I use a Wards lab report of my own water as a start, but you can use RO as well and then just play w/ the #'s to get the profile you want. You'll be adding up to 4 things - CaCl, Gypsum, acid, etc. So be prepared to get those and a small scale (i.e. 0-100g) if needed. Helps with hops measurements too so it's not a waste. If you're using straight RO water, hmm it may not cause off flavors but you definitely won't have beer as good as it could be.

Also for the catalyst be sure to completely tear down that butterfly valve area before fermenting and sanitize all of it. Especially the o-rings stuck on each side where it mates to the conical and your ball jar. I learned not to be lazy there, I spoiled a batch and when I went looking for why found what I think was some trapped hops that turned into a fuzzy mass of growth. You need a couple allen wrenches and a really small pick or screwdriver for those o-rings. I will never ferment with it again without doing that.