OK. This is partially me thinking aloud, but I could really use some input or suggestions.
Average water profile:
HCO3: 83 ppm
Ca: 47 ppm
Mg: 8 ppm
Sulfate: 110 ppm
Cl: 25 ppm
Na: 30 ppm
First few beers were problem free. Basic Hefeweizens, a Kolsch, and a Berliner Weiss acidified with lactic acid. No off tastes.
Used WLP300, 1007, and WLP029.
Was adjusting water with CaCl2
Decided to try using 1272 as my house yeast last fall.
Since making the switch, batch after batch has had bad, somewhat harsh aftertastes. They have had some solvent flavors in a few batches, and the beer has all been very estery, fragrant.
I adjusted the first few with CaCl2, but then started acidifying with acid malt.
I used several new packs of 1272.
I started treating the water with campden tablets in addition to carbon filtration to rule out chlorophenols.
I decided to switch back to 1007 to see if the problem was the 1272. My latest batch, however, has the same estery, fragrant smell and a harsh, unpleasant taste.
Procedure:
Grains are ground right before brewing in a roller mill.
Water is run through a carbon filter and then treated with a campden tablet at 1/2 tablet per 5 gallons.
Water is allowed to sit for a few hours or overnight.
I have been doing a 144 (35 min) rest.
I then add 200+ degree water to raise the temperature to 158 (35 min).
I continuous sparge with max 168 F water. The sparge lasts about 1 hour.
I boil for 90 minutes.
I have mainly been using Perle hops for my bittering additions (The hops were purchased last year and have been stored in the freezer), but some of the additions have used hops purchased more recently.
I chill with an immersion chiller, which takes about 20 minutes.
My first few batches were fermented in corny kegs, but I switched to using glass carboys. I did produce beers that were problem free in the glass carboys last summer. The beers are all fermented in a temperature controlled water bath, and they have all been done in the low 60's.
I use silicone tubing for my transfers and boil the tubing to sterilize it.
I always use starters. I let the starter go to completion and then chill it in the refrigerator, sometimes for a few days. I pour off the starter beer down to a point where the starter has 50% packed yeast and 50% volume of starter beer remaining. I swirl this and pitch according to hybrid rates on the Mr. Malty yeast calculator using a yeast concentration of 2.2. Most of the pitches are 75 ml.
I have not noticed the estery smells in my starters.
I have aerated with pure oxygen for 15, 30, and 60 seconds and have used an air pump with an inline filter for 15 and 30 minutes.
I transfer from the carboy to a corny keg (purged 3 times at 5 psi CO2) by pushing with CO2. I force carbonate. The smell and flavor are present out of the fermenter, but do seem to be accentuated once the beer is carbonated.
I clean my carboys and fermenters with oxyclean.
--Basically, I cannot figure out the source of the esters and the harsh, unpleasant tastes. The 1007 gave me a very clean beer last summer, so something is clearly wrong. My only ideas are that:
Maybe the tubing or fittings on my kettle are harboring some spore-forming little nasty.
I don't see how my use or non-use of CaCl2 would have led to these smells, flavors, unless the sulfate levels in my water are not being balanced.
The campden should eliminate the possiblity of any chlorophenols.
Could the glass carboys be harboring some nasties? I could dry-heat sterilize these in the oven.
This just seems like it has to be some type of crazy infection.
Average water profile:
HCO3: 83 ppm
Ca: 47 ppm
Mg: 8 ppm
Sulfate: 110 ppm
Cl: 25 ppm
Na: 30 ppm
First few beers were problem free. Basic Hefeweizens, a Kolsch, and a Berliner Weiss acidified with lactic acid. No off tastes.
Used WLP300, 1007, and WLP029.
Was adjusting water with CaCl2
Decided to try using 1272 as my house yeast last fall.
Since making the switch, batch after batch has had bad, somewhat harsh aftertastes. They have had some solvent flavors in a few batches, and the beer has all been very estery, fragrant.
I adjusted the first few with CaCl2, but then started acidifying with acid malt.
I used several new packs of 1272.
I started treating the water with campden tablets in addition to carbon filtration to rule out chlorophenols.
I decided to switch back to 1007 to see if the problem was the 1272. My latest batch, however, has the same estery, fragrant smell and a harsh, unpleasant taste.
Procedure:
Grains are ground right before brewing in a roller mill.
Water is run through a carbon filter and then treated with a campden tablet at 1/2 tablet per 5 gallons.
Water is allowed to sit for a few hours or overnight.
I have been doing a 144 (35 min) rest.
I then add 200+ degree water to raise the temperature to 158 (35 min).
I continuous sparge with max 168 F water. The sparge lasts about 1 hour.
I boil for 90 minutes.
I have mainly been using Perle hops for my bittering additions (The hops were purchased last year and have been stored in the freezer), but some of the additions have used hops purchased more recently.
I chill with an immersion chiller, which takes about 20 minutes.
My first few batches were fermented in corny kegs, but I switched to using glass carboys. I did produce beers that were problem free in the glass carboys last summer. The beers are all fermented in a temperature controlled water bath, and they have all been done in the low 60's.
I use silicone tubing for my transfers and boil the tubing to sterilize it.
I always use starters. I let the starter go to completion and then chill it in the refrigerator, sometimes for a few days. I pour off the starter beer down to a point where the starter has 50% packed yeast and 50% volume of starter beer remaining. I swirl this and pitch according to hybrid rates on the Mr. Malty yeast calculator using a yeast concentration of 2.2. Most of the pitches are 75 ml.
I have not noticed the estery smells in my starters.
I have aerated with pure oxygen for 15, 30, and 60 seconds and have used an air pump with an inline filter for 15 and 30 minutes.
I transfer from the carboy to a corny keg (purged 3 times at 5 psi CO2) by pushing with CO2. I force carbonate. The smell and flavor are present out of the fermenter, but do seem to be accentuated once the beer is carbonated.
I clean my carboys and fermenters with oxyclean.
--Basically, I cannot figure out the source of the esters and the harsh, unpleasant tastes. The 1007 gave me a very clean beer last summer, so something is clearly wrong. My only ideas are that:
Maybe the tubing or fittings on my kettle are harboring some spore-forming little nasty.
I don't see how my use or non-use of CaCl2 would have led to these smells, flavors, unless the sulfate levels in my water are not being balanced.
The campden should eliminate the possiblity of any chlorophenols.
Could the glass carboys be harboring some nasties? I could dry-heat sterilize these in the oven.
This just seems like it has to be some type of crazy infection.