Getting angry at my beer

[booth74]

I have had to dump 2 beers and possibly a third....this year
These are all wheat beers, one hefe one wit, both all grain. I keep on getting the sulfur taste and smell. I have contacted professional brewers, northern brewer, and everything comes back conflicted.

I changed from a liquid yeast to a dry the last hefe batch(possibly the third to throw down the drain) and I cooled to 62 and fermented there the whole time, with a d rest at 68.

I tried copper, it helps but not that much

I modified my water bill with all ro

I have tried scrubbing with CO2


I have let the beer sit for 4 months in the keg still sulfur, un drinkable




here is where I am at, I think it is DMS from the boil, I boil on my stove, it does a good job boiling of wort but maybe not enough, maybe a 90 min boil will solve this

Or using pure oxygen...I typically shake the carboy.

I switched from 60/40 wheat/pilsner to 60/40 wheat/2row




Any help is appreciated, if I make 8-10 batches a year I can't be throwing away 3...AM I MISSING ANYTHING

 

[TheMadKing]

How long are you letting it sit before you keg it?

The sulfur smell is usually a yeast byproduct that should clean up with time in the primary. I've never had anything as extreme as what you're describing though.

DMS tastes grainy or like cooked corn, not sulfur so I don't think it's that.

Can you post a recipe?

 

[booth74]

http://chopandbrew.com/recipes/minos-triple-decoction-bavarian-wheat-beer/

That was the last one I ley sit for 3.5 weeks in primary


I used two packets of dry yeast

The other hefe and wit were smack packs

I k egged those in two weeks
Thank you

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Like TMK said, sulphur is produced during fermentation by wheat yeast. I find it usually clears up after about day 10 (WY3068). Have you had a beer judge, or experienced taster give feedback on your beer? Could the taste possibly be something other than sulphur (that might identify a different source of off flavour)?

 

[TheMadKing]

Hmmm

You followed that recipe exactly? ( you're using white wheat I'm assuming?)

I know sulfur is also produced by lager yeasts at low fermentation temps. Just spitballing, but maybe you're actually fermenting a little cool? I usually ferment my hefes at 65-68 and bring them up to 72 for a d rest.

That's the only idea that comes to mind offhand. I've certainly had sulfur in most of my wheat beers, and it's desirable in very small amounts, but I've never had it last that long before. I wish I could be more help

 

[booth74]

I have followed it to a tee.
It is frustrating, I am at 62 degrees for fermentation, that is what jamil said to use in classic style. CO2 makes the flavor worse.
Maybe I will seek out a judge, I am in Minnesota.

But it would be nice to pin point this

 

[jwalk4]

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/sulfur_compounds_in_beer

This might be an insightful read for you.

 

[TheMadKing]

I have followed it to a tee.
It is frustrating, I am at 62 degrees for fermentation, that is what jamil said to use in classic style. CO2 makes the flavor worse.
Maybe I will seek out a judge, I am in Minnesota.

But it would be nice to pin point this

I just did some research and it looks like hydrogen sulfide (the cause of the rotten egg smell) is normally scrubbed from the beer by CO2 escaping during fermentation. If you fermented at the cool end of the range you might have had a subdued fermentation that released CO2 more slowly.

Here are some things to try from what I've read :

purge your keg and decarbonate your beer as rapidly as possible (Let your keg warm to room temp, purge the head space, shake your keg and purge again, repeat). The idea is that the rapidly escaping CO2 will scrub the H2S out of solution.

Next fermentation, try fermenting a couple degrees warmer so that fermentation is more vigorous and cleans itself up.

After fermentation is complete, warm the beer a little more to ~70F. Gases are less soluble at warmer temperatures, so any remaining H2S should diffuse out.

Next batch, try making a yeast starter to improve fermentation vigor and overall yeast health. My method is here http://theaskomatic.com/2015/07/27/yeast-knowledge-feast/

Another possibility is an infection which you can detect if your FG is waaaay too low.

 

[TennBrewer]

I'm no expert but I'll throw my $.02 in anyway. I usually ferment my ales between 65F and 68F in primary for about a 1 or 2 weeks which finishes at or near the expected FG. Too cool will slow the yeast activity and may not have enough time to clean up when it reaches the passive stage. Also, are you boiling with the lid on the pot? That is a big no-no. Adjuncts such as corn, rice and even wheat may contribute to increased levels of sulphur which should be cleaned up with a healthy fermentation. Check your yeast manufactured dates, make a starter for liquid yeast or re-hydrate dry yeast before pitching. Hope this helps.

 

[brewcat]

Maybe try Wyeast 1010 that can handle lower ferment temps.