JumboBlimpJumbo
Well-Known Member
A few days ago I started the first batch I have done in a year after my 5 previous batches were infected by what I think is lactobacillus. That was pretty discouraging, then I went to study abroad in Mexico for a semester, and last semester was just too demanding to leave any time for brewing, so here I am starting up again and trying to get it right this time.
My main goal is to make beer that is not infected, with a secondary goal of making good beer that is not infected. I have made plenty of good beers in the past and never had any problems with infection, but it seems like last summer I couldn't make anything that wasn't infected. Part of this problem was my impatience, as I made all 5 of these batches before the first one was even carbonated in the bottles. I wasn't diligent enough with my note taking but I think my spoiled batches coincided with the first time I used my keg converted kettle to do full boils, and chilled and transferred to the fermenter outside.
For this brew, I replaced everything plastic that the beer will come into contact with: bucket, hoses, racking cane, bottle filler, airlock, everything. To eliminate what I think the main problem was, pulling air onto the cooled wort, I decided to use the no chill method after reading up on it here. I didn't buy one of the cubes that most people talk about using, just your standard HDPE bucket with a 3 piece airlock. I knew the liquid and air in the head space would contract so I filled the airlock with whiskey (I was out of vodka and the liquor stores were closed) and put a whiskey soaked cotton ball in between the main airlock component and the riser cap. I actually expected most of the whiskey to be sucked into the wort but as far as I can tell none of it was, the airlock was just bubbling opposite to the direction that I'm used to. Yesterday I hydrated a packet of Safale US-05 (tossed in ~86 degree water for thirty minutes then 15 minutes on the stir plate), racked the wort from the bucket to a carboy while splashing it as much as I could to hopefully get some dissolved oxygen, and pitched the yeast. Now about 16 hours later there is a nice thick krausen at the top and it is bubbling happily away.
I don't know how good I expect the beer to be because my fridge was full of year old LME and my freezer was full of year old hops that I'm sure as hell not going to throw away, so I used those. I also wanted to start with a simple beer to eliminate variables and not have overpowering flavors that would mask any possible off flavors so here is my recipe for a very simple golden ale. I doubled up on bittering hops because of the long storage time.
Fermentables: 7 lb Ultra Light LME (year old)
Specialty Grains: none
Bittering Hops: 1oz Cascade ( 7.5 %) pellets, year old (60 mins)
0.8oz Centennial (9.5%) pellets, year old, already opened (60 min)
Finishing Hops: 1 oz Cascade ( 7.5%) pellets, year old (5 mins)
Yeast: Safale us-05 dry yeast
Other:
1 tsp fermax yeast nutrient boiled 15 minutes
OG: 1.048 at ~70 degrees
I did a 6 and 1/2 to 7 gallon boil with RO water and didn't add anything to change the water chemistry as I've read it's not necessary with extract batches. Moved the keg inside right after flame out to transfer it to the bucket this time (and burned my hand in the process). I transferred from the keg using a food grade silicone hose and avoided splashing so I didn't get the mythical hot side aeration. Also this is the first time I am fermenting somewhat temperature controlled using a carboy wearing a black t shirt sitting in a water filled oil pan next to a box fan. I don't know what the actual fermentation temp is but the water in the oil pan is ~65.
All of my previous infected batches share a sour, almost green apple in a bad way flavor and none of them carbonated very well. One was completely uncarbonated and completely undrinkable and had to be poured out. One was pitched onto the yeast cake of the one I just mentioned and sat there for over a year until last week when I opened it almost puked so I just threw the fermenter and beer into the dumpster. On several of the bottled beers I noticed a film develop on top of the bottles that dissipated after 6 months or so. I still am able to drink 3 of the beers when I don't feel like spending money on better beer at the store with only a small degree of disgust, or after I have a nice buzz on no problem.
I'll keep you guys updated on the progress of the beer for anyone that cares. Feel free to tell me something blatantly obvious that I've done wrong or ask any questions if I've left something out.
My main goal is to make beer that is not infected, with a secondary goal of making good beer that is not infected. I have made plenty of good beers in the past and never had any problems with infection, but it seems like last summer I couldn't make anything that wasn't infected. Part of this problem was my impatience, as I made all 5 of these batches before the first one was even carbonated in the bottles. I wasn't diligent enough with my note taking but I think my spoiled batches coincided with the first time I used my keg converted kettle to do full boils, and chilled and transferred to the fermenter outside.
For this brew, I replaced everything plastic that the beer will come into contact with: bucket, hoses, racking cane, bottle filler, airlock, everything. To eliminate what I think the main problem was, pulling air onto the cooled wort, I decided to use the no chill method after reading up on it here. I didn't buy one of the cubes that most people talk about using, just your standard HDPE bucket with a 3 piece airlock. I knew the liquid and air in the head space would contract so I filled the airlock with whiskey (I was out of vodka and the liquor stores were closed) and put a whiskey soaked cotton ball in between the main airlock component and the riser cap. I actually expected most of the whiskey to be sucked into the wort but as far as I can tell none of it was, the airlock was just bubbling opposite to the direction that I'm used to. Yesterday I hydrated a packet of Safale US-05 (tossed in ~86 degree water for thirty minutes then 15 minutes on the stir plate), racked the wort from the bucket to a carboy while splashing it as much as I could to hopefully get some dissolved oxygen, and pitched the yeast. Now about 16 hours later there is a nice thick krausen at the top and it is bubbling happily away.
I don't know how good I expect the beer to be because my fridge was full of year old LME and my freezer was full of year old hops that I'm sure as hell not going to throw away, so I used those. I also wanted to start with a simple beer to eliminate variables and not have overpowering flavors that would mask any possible off flavors so here is my recipe for a very simple golden ale. I doubled up on bittering hops because of the long storage time.
Fermentables: 7 lb Ultra Light LME (year old)
Specialty Grains: none
Bittering Hops: 1oz Cascade ( 7.5 %) pellets, year old (60 mins)
0.8oz Centennial (9.5%) pellets, year old, already opened (60 min)
Finishing Hops: 1 oz Cascade ( 7.5%) pellets, year old (5 mins)
Yeast: Safale us-05 dry yeast
Other:
1 tsp fermax yeast nutrient boiled 15 minutes
OG: 1.048 at ~70 degrees
I did a 6 and 1/2 to 7 gallon boil with RO water and didn't add anything to change the water chemistry as I've read it's not necessary with extract batches. Moved the keg inside right after flame out to transfer it to the bucket this time (and burned my hand in the process). I transferred from the keg using a food grade silicone hose and avoided splashing so I didn't get the mythical hot side aeration. Also this is the first time I am fermenting somewhat temperature controlled using a carboy wearing a black t shirt sitting in a water filled oil pan next to a box fan. I don't know what the actual fermentation temp is but the water in the oil pan is ~65.
All of my previous infected batches share a sour, almost green apple in a bad way flavor and none of them carbonated very well. One was completely uncarbonated and completely undrinkable and had to be poured out. One was pitched onto the yeast cake of the one I just mentioned and sat there for over a year until last week when I opened it almost puked so I just threw the fermenter and beer into the dumpster. On several of the bottled beers I noticed a film develop on top of the bottles that dissipated after 6 months or so. I still am able to drink 3 of the beers when I don't feel like spending money on better beer at the store with only a small degree of disgust, or after I have a nice buzz on no problem.
I'll keep you guys updated on the progress of the beer for anyone that cares. Feel free to tell me something blatantly obvious that I've done wrong or ask any questions if I've left something out.
