I find it much more endurable to clean all my ("new," labelled) bottles before bottling day. I did clean bottles and bottle for my first batch but I'm not planning on doing that again! For the ones I just drank homebrew out of I just rinse really well and check for deposits in the neck. I store them upside down for a little while and then flip them over, because they do not always dry thoroughly upside down.
My beers all taste the same.
- Thread starter flyfisherwes
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eltorrente
Well-Known Member
strat_thru_marshall
Well-Known Member
Granted, but lets be honest here...water profile can be one of the factors that takes a beer from a "38" to a "41" on a score sheet. It can mean the difference between "great beer" and "classic example of the style".
Water profile (aside from chlorine and chlorophenols, which we all agree should be filtered out by charcoal or other methods) will NOT be one of the factors that takes a beer from "off flavors" to "drinkable".
If the water tastes good in a glass from the faucet, it's suitable to brew with and wont contribute off flavors, given that it's filtered through a charcoal filter like a Brita or something to remove chlorine.
Off flavors come from process errors, contamination (organic or inorganic, in the case of non-rinsed oxyclean...), and fermentation errors.
Sending a brewer who is having "off flavors" in every batch down a path of water analysis is an exercise in futility. Sorry, just my opinion based on a bunch of experience.
Possibly true- unless the brewer says "All of my beers taste the same!"
Chlorine and chloramines will absolutely ruin the taste of the beer, but many other people will have a funny persistent flavor in their beer that they can't identify.
I always say to try a batch with RO water. If the flavor is gone, you know the issue.
One thing I learned: your LHBS is an expert at selling homebrew stuff, not brewing beer. Unless the guy has won competitions, you better trust good books, brewing experts and advices from friends who make good beer (taste it...), etc.
flyfisherwes
Well-Known Member
I can't really see a reason not to change my water though. I haven't been filtering it. It's not bad water for drinking but it's not good either. The spring water would be "free" and it tastes good.
The oxyclean is a possibility but it seems odd that it would contribute this much. I didnt rinse but i used 5 gallos do starsan an filled each bottle shook it up and epmtied it then I let it sit upside down.
I think it could be q combination o things including fermentation.
The oxyclean is a possibility but it seems odd that it would contribute this much. I didnt rinse but i used 5 gallos do starsan an filled each bottle shook it up and epmtied it then I let it sit upside down.
I think it could be q combination o things including fermentation.
meteorbrews
Well-Known Member
Fermentation temps are pretty important. I noticed a large improvement in the taste of my beer once i started controlling the temps.
DHill
Member
I have had similar problems and all the beers have the same aftertaste. After some time I'm thinking it's almost a yeasty taste, but it's hard to place. Here's what I did:
- upgraded everything to glass and stainless steel
- switched over to corny kegs for fermenting and a kegerator (no more bottling)
- replaced all tubing with new stuff, santized it all thoroughly
I still had the taste in my last keg batch. I was so mad I haven't brewed since.
After reading through this thread, I'm thinking its the fermentation temperatures. I often see my temps in the high 60s, sometimes low 70s. I'm wondering if that kills some of my yeast before it gets a chance to do its work, and then I end up with dead organic matter in my brew that does nothing but skew the flavor?
Hope that helps.
- upgraded everything to glass and stainless steel
- switched over to corny kegs for fermenting and a kegerator (no more bottling)
- replaced all tubing with new stuff, santized it all thoroughly
I still had the taste in my last keg batch. I was so mad I haven't brewed since.
After reading through this thread, I'm thinking its the fermentation temperatures. I often see my temps in the high 60s, sometimes low 70s. I'm wondering if that kills some of my yeast before it gets a chance to do its work, and then I end up with dead organic matter in my brew that does nothing but skew the flavor?
Hope that helps.
DHill
Member
To add:
Here was my post about the yeast.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/same-flavor-every-batch-yeast-157380/
Also, I brew with spring water and have been since Day 1. I switched over the yeast to one of the brands recommended in the above thread, and still got the flavor. So I'm thinking it's fermentation temps.
Here was my post about the yeast.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/same-flavor-every-batch-yeast-157380/
Also, I brew with spring water and have been since Day 1. I switched over the yeast to one of the brands recommended in the above thread, and still got the flavor. So I'm thinking it's fermentation temps.
Definitely sounds like fermentation temperatures, but not for the reasons you mention. At high temperatures (70+) the yeast are actually very happy, but not for beer making. All sorts of off flavors are produced when you ferment at high temperatures. Medicinal, plastic-y, hard alcohol burn, metallic, fruity/estery are some of the flavors you can get fermenting hot.
If your ambient temperatures are in the 70s, during active fermentation (the first week or so depending) your temperatures in the beer can be 5-10 degrees higher due to latent heat from all that cellular activity. This is more than enough to produce some weird flavors, especially during the first few days when activity is highest and most of your flavors are generated.
Give it another shot with some RO water and solid temperature control (mid-low 60s in your beer) and see how it comes out:rockin:
Pitching temp or fermenting temp. I used to have the same problem with that one weird flavor in the aftertaste. Now I don't have that problem. Now I never pitch yeast higher than 70 degrees and I got a temperature controller for my fermentation fridge and keep temps at around 64 (ferm temps, not ambient). This resolved my problem with this issue.
ChandlerBrewery
Well-Known Member
I struggled with identifying the ingredient (welcome or unwelcome) that was contributing to an off flavor in the aftertaste. I described it as sort of a "green" flavor that never mellowed out. After about 5 batches I abandoned the yeast I was using for a different brand, the flavor has gone away. I've changed everything since then (except the yeast) including equipment, and the flavor hasn't come back. This was probably the most frustrating experience in my brewing life. The one good thing that did come from this adventure is that I switched to All Grain out of suspicion that it was the extract. =)
agentEhrman
Well-Known Member
What yeast were you using when you were getting the off flavors?
agentEhrman
Well-Known Member
My first instinct would be to question the salesman, but at my LHBS, the only worker is the owner. I have never seen a single other person there (working). He is constantly talking me out of buying too much ingredients, telling me its a waste of money. He has never once given me the impression he was trying to make his living off of me. He told me that he has been home brewing in my same town for 28 years, and his shop has been open for 18 years. I can't see any reason not to trust his advice on the local water, especially since he sells all the stuff to maintain poor water on his shelves! Although I haven't tried any of his brews, he has certainly saved me time and effort by helping me keep things simple. I do feel I can trust him.
I know he's not just a clerk with daily sales goal. I doubt all LHBS are like this though..ChandlerBrewery
Well-Known Member
I was using Safale US-05 Dry yeast. I now use White Labs and I am very happy with them.
agentEhrman
Well-Known Member
I'm glad I asked, I have been using US-05 exclusively and I keep tasting a flavor as well..
ChandlerBrewery
Well-Known Member
If your LHBS carries White Labs (most likely it does), you should give them a try and let me know what you think. I haven't had anyone else confirm my findings (this is the first time I've shared it, really. Kind of forgot about it until I read it here).
flyfisherwes
Well-Known Member
ChandlerBrewery said:
I've had all my batches with us05 turn out with a funny aftertaste. My white labs batch turned out really good. I think maybe the us05 yeast is more temp sensitive. Or maybe it likes a different water profile. Whatever it is I'm blaming temp control and yeast.
agentEhrman
Well-Known Member
I was planning to do my next batch with US-04, ... now I'm having second thought on this one as well. I might look for an equivalent liquid. Is there liquid that can be pitched straight into the fermenter? Or will I need to learn a new technique?
Weird that US-05 is supposed to be such a clean yeast, yet we are all getting off flavors with it..
Weird that US-05 is supposed to be such a clean yeast, yet we are all getting off flavors with it..
ChandlerBrewery
Well-Known Member
You can pitch liquids the same as you do dry. However, here are a couple of good reasons to consider a starter:
1. Ensures that your yeast is alive, before you pitch it.
2. Higher population of cells for more efficient attenuation.
Imo it seems like you have had a lot of problems that I encountered. Once I decided fermenting in my bathtub in my house with soaked shirts I have had wonderful results for flavor. When I tried keeping the beer fermenting in a closet by themselves with the ac set at 70 I received a ton of off flavors that did seem to taste the same through out every beer.
If you would wonder if maybe the same off flavors though are coming from a wild yeast strain or contaminant in the area. Is there an unusual amount of sediment in the finished product.
I would also suggest tasting your wort, and then tasting it before you are bottling. Of course then you taste it after you bottle. It would be an easy way to identify if you are contaminating your beer during one of those phases of brewing.
If you would wonder if maybe the same off flavors though are coming from a wild yeast strain or contaminant in the area. Is there an unusual amount of sediment in the finished product.
I would also suggest tasting your wort, and then tasting it before you are bottling. Of course then you taste it after you bottle. It would be an easy way to identify if you are contaminating your beer during one of those phases of brewing.
agentEhrman
Well-Known Member
While I haven't ever tasted my wort, I always taste at bottling and it's always great! (considering there's no carb and its warm). But after bottle conditioning mine has a weird flavor.. I have just recently gotten more on point about sanitizing my bottles and caps, hopefully this improves the taste of my beers.
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