Help me make good beer again!?

[Zymurgrafi]

There should be a tasting service. Professional analyzers to pinpoint your predicament. Send in a sample, have it analyzed, and a report is given to remedy the problem.

But, who wants to drink a bunch of bad beer? Even if you get paid to? :cross:

Yeah, I wish there was something better than written description.

Okay, back to drinking...

 

[Nostrildamus]

Without a doubt the first thing I would change if I were you was the yeast supplier. If you are getting a bad yeast bite then it makes the most sense. Try it out and then eliminate one thing at a time. Scientific method, the process of elimination from most likely to least is your friend.

Though Nottingham won't give you a distinct tasting beer it is neutral and in a stout the yeast doesn't play as large of a factor as in other crisper and simpler brews. I think you'll find success so go do it and good luck.

 

[MA_Brewer]

You know what woudl be a great product, IMHO?

Some needs to market a 'taste guide'. Basically a method of teaching people, easily and without having to make a series of bad batches, what the off flavors taste like. And not a written guide--- something you taste-- or add to existing beer would be even better (an additive for a known good beer that makes it taste like it has a given problem).

That would be an awesome service I would take advantage of! What might taste bad to me might actually be OK for the style, just not what I like. I know that is one area where I have a hard time, spelling out exactly what is wrong with a beer.

Maybe some folks on here would be willing to accept some homebrew for critiquing - not a swap per se, but would be willing to sample my beer and say what they think is wrong (or right) with it.

 

[the_bird]

You know what woudl be a great product, IMHO?

Some needs to market a 'taste guide'. Basically a method of teaching people, easily and without having to make a series of bad batches, what the off flavors taste like. And not a written guide--- something you taste-- or add to existing beer would be even better (an additive for a known good beer that makes it taste like it has a given problem).

There is a kit out there that does exactly this. Go listen to some of the Basic Brewing Radio podcasts from last year - they did this over a series of two or three episodes. The kit comes with a couple samples of like twenty different flaws, you add a powder to a neutral-tasting commerical beer (BBR used Coors). IIRC, the kit was like $100.

 

[evanmars]

Although I don't know much about critiquing, I'd be more than happy to take any beer you care to send my way. I'll even tell you what I think about it .

 

[Wort*hog]

I had a simular problem that caused me to stop brewing about 5 years back. Three bad batches out of about 20. same terrible taste. I still have some bottled and it is still bad after 5 years. I caught two as I was racking and dumped them. I figured it was a house yeast as the house we were renting had mold issues. I started brewing again last year after buying a brand new house. I used bleach before now I use iodophor. I keg all my beer now. All my beer has turned out great.. How old is your house and does it have any issues with mold?

 

[Zymurgrafi]

Yes, mold could be present. I hope that is not it as I can not move any time soon

I was making good beer consistently until recently. I am still not too psyched to try again. When (if) I do I will keep using dry yeast. I can't get nottingham locally, but safale s-04 seems a good alternative which is what I used on the last batch. I don't know how that one is going yet. I am afraid to try it. It has been a a little over a week and I would like to rack it to a clearing vessel for a few more weeks. Unfortunately my other carboy has the california common in it and I have not decided what to do with that. If I use finings I run the risk of sedimenting out too much yeast, plus I have no idea if that is the problem. I guess I should just chalk this one up as another bad batch.

Wort*hog you said you used to use bleach, which leads me back to suspecting that as the culprit. Though I cannot see why it was never an issue in the past and I used it ever since I started brewing 3 years ago.

I give up. Anybody want 15 (maybe 20) gallons of crappy beer?

 

[butler1850]

Which recipe are we talking about? The Irish Red or the California Common, If its the marzen lost that one.

Let's go with the irish red.

I just brewed a California common (needs to go to secondary this weekend).

 

[TheJadedDog]

I'll add one more thought to the big pile of good advice -- any chance you contracted a wild yeast infection (in the beer, I mean!)?

I had one once. I suspect it came from a bad 'no-boil' wort kit from a local micro-brew (I also supsect it must have happened to more people than just me because they don't make those kits anymore!).

Anyways, I could completely be off the mark here, but your symptoms sounds surprisingly similar to what happened to me. I couldn't brew a decent batch of beer until I tossed my plastic fermenter (now I will only use glass), and all my plastic hoses, racking canes. etc. I was a costly and awful experience I won't repeat again. (All my gear soaks in sanitizer now between brews.)

Chances are, this isn't what has happened to your beer, but you might keep it in the back of your mind.

This is what I am thinking has happened. I would suggest changing out any and all plastic fermentation equipment you have been using. While I haven't had to change my buckets out yet, I use new hose every third or forth brew and it makes a big difference.

I'd also focus on your cleaning process between brews rather than just your sanitation; sanitation is pointless if your equipment isn't clean to begin with.

 

[delboy]

Hi this is an intriguing story i hope you get to the bottom of it.

Is it posssible that you were using thin bleach in the past but now you are using thick bleach (the thick stuff is harder than hell to rinse off, thats its big selling point for clinging on to toilet bowls etc).
That would certainly account for the band-aid notes you are picking up.

You might also want to try adding 1/2 a crushed campden tablet to your brewing water pre-brew, this got rid of the 'homebrew' taste for me .

 

[Zymurgrafi]

But I am going to switch to Iodopher anyways.

Yes, I will change out my plastic, and rubber stoppers. I have plastic pails, but I only use them for soaking bottles and parts in sanitizer. Oh, and the bottling bucket. But the beer tastes funky before going in to the bottle bucket.

Irish Red recipe:

.08 lbs. English Chocolate Malt
.48 lbs. Crystal Malt 60°L
.165 lbs. Toasted Pale Malt
.50 lbs. Weyermann CaraRed
.125 lbs. Roasted Barley
4.00 lbs. Muntons Dry Amber
2.00 lbs. Muntons Dry Light
1.75 oz. Fuggle (Pellets, 4.00 %AA) boiled 60 min.
.50 oz. East Kent Goldings (Pellets, 5.00 %AA) boiled 15 min.
1 teaspoons Irish Moss
Yeast : easYeast Irish Ale

 

[mew]

You might also want to try adding 1/2 a crushed campden tablet to your brewing water pre-brew, this got rid of the 'homebrew' taste for me .

What's the theory behind this?

 

[Kaiser]

There is a kit out there that does exactly this. Go listen to some of the Basic Brewing Radio podcasts from last year - they did this over a series of two or three episodes. The kit comes with a couple samples of like twenty different flaws, you add a powder to a neutral-tasting commerical beer (BBR used Coors). IIRC, the kit was like $100.

I listened to that show and I think that kit sucks. There seem to be some pretty common off-flavors missing:

- astringency
- diacetyl
- acedealdehyde

and is price point is not suited for the average home brewer.

koG,

I did have a yeasty taste/aroma in my first Maibock. It took very long to ferment due to a low pitching rate, but the yeastyness was gone after extended lagering. As the others said, try a commonly used yeast like Wyeast 1056 or WLP 001 just to rule out the yeast source.

Kai

 

[delboy]

What's the theory behind this?

the campden tablet is sodium metabisuphite it mops up any any chlorine or more importantly chloroamine (which is not boiled off) which the water suppliers use to sanitize your tap water.
Left to their own devices these chemicals react with other compounds in the wort to give you nasty tasting phenolic compounds (medicinal taste).
Obviously if you use bottled water you don't need to worry about them.