Discouraged and scared to brew again...

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Quick de-railing... I've been searching the forums for a solid link on a fountain pump that has a hose thread that I can screw the inlet to the IC, but am coming up empty. Anyone have a model # or link for what you've used for pumps?

Peaktop Ltd. Submersible Fountain Pump.
MD320
Model SP1350 120V 60Hz 60W 1.5A.
Came with a Hose adapter and it stated it on the pump.

 

[Tankard]

Thank you to everyone who responded.

The cardboard is definitely oxidation as mentioned before and most likely has nothing to do with whether you did an AG or extract and nothing to do with your temperature not getting down low enough (not that hat is not an issue - it just isn't related to the cardboard).

There is some great advice given above and it will all help you make better beer, but first focus on everything that is related to solving this oxidation issue before moving on. Do it step by step and look at every possible point where oxidation can come in. Is the transfer from the fermenter to the bucket smooth (the hose is all the way to the bottom of the bucket and the connection from the hose to the raking cane is firm and clamped if needed)? I am also confused by this statement you made:

Too slow should not bring oxygen into the flow. If you bottle from the spigot and have a good seal of the hose to the spigot, there is no oxygen in the path of the beer to the bottle - it is a sealed system. If you see bubbles, it is either residual CO2 from the beer breaking out of solution or a bad connection of the hose to the spigot. Too fast is not introducing oxygen either. If the flow is so fast that it is causing a head to form, that head is made of CO2 from solution, not O2. Two solutions to too fast - the speed is related to the change in elevation between the beer inside the beer bottle and the level in the bottling bucket. If you have a 4 foot drop, you will have fast flow regardless the diameter of your wand. At the beginning with a full bucket, you can actually start with the bottom of the beer bottle and the bottom of the bucket at the same level. Second, keep the wand (which I assume has a spring loaded valve at the bottom) firmly against the bottom until the bottle is full and overflows beer, not just foam that might be caused by fast flow. The space made by removing the wand at this point creates the correct amount of headspace. Why fill until the instant it overflows? Unless you purge all of your bottles with CO2 before you start, they all have O2 in them. Filling all the way to the top past the point where foam is coming out and just to the point beer is just spilling out ensures there is no oxygen left. Yes, when you pull you the wand, its displacement now draws a bit of oxygen back in, but leaving caps on loose for a bit before crimping them on lets some of the CO2 in solution break out and push out the O2 plus you have O2 reducing caps to clean up the rest. Last point - since the bottles will have a bit of O2 from the displaced wand, move them gently once filled so as not to shake them up and mix that O2 in. Once the O2 absorbing caps are on for a while and have time to work, you don't need to be as careful.

I see what you're saying about bottling, and it definitely makes me feel a bit better with regards to my routine. I do everything you mention, including filling the bottles up to the very top, so I guess the oxidation problem is occurring elsewhere.

When I rack from primary to the bottling bucket, I make sure the hose is at the bottom, and that it points a certain direction to give it a gentle swirling action. I do the same thing when I drain the MLT into the boil pot.

With this batch, the wort definitely wasn't cold enough when I aerated the wort and pitched the yeast. It was over 80 when I shook it up vigorously....oxidation for sure right here. The thing is, my last batch had this same taste and it definitely wasn't over 80 when I aerated.... I just don't know exactly what I'm doing wrong, and it may be a combination of things.

I'm going to bring a beer down to my LHBS tomorrow and let one of the guys there try it. I'm fairly sure it's a cardboard flavor, but since I'm a n00b, they might have a better taste for these kinds of things. I'll post another update tomorrow.

I have some great ideas on what to change, but I really need to get my fermentation temps under control from now on, so I'm going to work on some equipment first... Too bad I can't just dive right into another batch, which is what I really want to do right now.

 

[BrewDog760]

Thank you to everyone who responded.




I'm going to bring a beer down to my LHBS tomorrow and let one of the guys there try it. I'm fairly sure it's a cardboard flavor, but since I'm a n00b, they might have a better taste for these kinds of things. I'll post another update tomorrow.

I need to do the same thing. My IPA has a bite to it that isn't the bittering hops. I'm sure some of those experienced guys can help you out.

Don't be bummed out about having to build something to help your fermentation temp. Just think about it as something that you can add to your arsenal that will help you make great beer for years to come. By the way, are you planning on facing the fermenter with plywood or laminate like John did with his?