Off Flavor

[BigDaddyBeard]

OK, I am at wits end with an off flavor in my brew. I have been doing all grain for about 2 years now and can't find the source. The flavor was nonexistent in the beginning and is now here to stay. I don't know quite how to describe it but it a grainy musty funk that's not terrible but it drives me nuts.

I have filtered and boiled my water before use, used store bought water(a couple different kinds), changed up my yeast, switched grains, purchased hops from different farms, changed my cleaning and sanitation, bought new buckets for primary, and then switched to carboys. Nothing has worked.

Could it be the plastic from my cooler mash tun leaching some sort of flavor? Please help frustration is getting my brew mojo down....

 

[augiedoggy]

OK, I am at wits end with an off flavor in my brew. I have been doing all grain for about 2 years now and can't find the source. The flavor was nonexistent in the beginning and is now here to stay. I don't know quite how to describe it but it a grainy musty funk that's not terrible but it drives me nuts.

I have filtered and boiled my water before use, used store bought water(a couple different kinds), changed up my yeast, switched grains, purchased hops from different farms, changed my cleaning and sanitation, bought new buckets for primary, and then switched to carboys. Nothing has worked.

Could it be the plastic from my cooler mash tun leaching some sort of flavor? Please help frustration is getting my brew mojo down....

have you replaced your siphion and hoses that come in contact with your post chiller wort? what kind of chiller do you use... any pics of your setup?

 

[BigDaddyBeard]

I use a 50’ copper chiller that I clean religiously. Sorry no pics at the moment. But I use two 10 gallon igloo drink coolers, one for liquor tank and the other for the tun. Both gravity feed to my keggle. Super minimalist setup. Come to think of it I had a batch that I chilled in the snow rather than use my chiller since my hose lines were froze solid, still got the flavor....

 

[BigDaddyBeard]

And yes got a new racking cane as well as a new bottling bucket.

 

[GHBWNY]

OK, I am at wits end with an off flavor in my brew. I have been doing all grain for about 2 years now and can't find the source. The flavor was nonexistent in the beginning and is now here to stay. I don't know quite how to describe it but it a grainy musty funk that's not terrible but it drives me nuts.

I have filtered and boiled my water before use, used store bought water(a couple different kinds), changed up my yeast, switched grains, purchased hops from different farms, changed my cleaning and sanitation, bought new buckets for primary, and then switched to carboys. Nothing has worked.

Could it be the plastic from my cooler mash tun leaching some sort of flavor? Please help frustration is getting my brew mojo down....

I guess one of the obvious answers would be that if you've been using the same cooler since starting AG, change it and see. Presuming it's the same off-flavor for every style you've made, then you have to consider the universal aspects that apply to every batch. Maybe it's not the source/quality of grains, but the processing. Palmer suggests that a grainy, husky flavor can result from the grain husks being shredded in the milling process. Not sure if this is what you're describing.

 

[BigDaddyBeard]

It's a hard flavor to describe maybe a bit astringent

 

[doug293cz]

Have you checked your mash/wort pH? Should be checked at about 15 minutes into mash, at end of mash, and at end of sparge. Mash pH can rise during sparging because rinsing the grains reduces the mash's buffering power. High pH (> ~5.8) can lead to extraction of tannins from the grain husks, and tannins are a major cause of astringency. The cure for tannin extraction is to control your mash pH by controlling the alkalinity of your strike and sparge water. Mash pH is also affected by the grain bill. Darker malts tend to lower the pH more than lighter malts. A popular brewing water calculator is https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/.

Brew on

 

[BigDaddyBeard]

I typically hit between 5.3 and 5.5

 

[doug293cz]

I typically hit between 5.3 and 5.5

Are you fly or batch sparging? If fly sparging, have you checked the pH of your last run off?

Brew on

 

[cgrivois]

Sounds like my exact problem, Ive just come to accept it. Subscribed.

 

[augiedoggy]

Do you ever heat your water in the coolers to over 170? The type of plastic used in these coolers are only food grade for temps under 170 so its very possible for the plastic to leech into the liquid above that temp. From the Tate you describe I doubt its the issue but something to consider regardless.
Another member who was battling an off flavor found it was a result of a homemade filtering screen he was using...

 

[BigDaddyBeard]

I fly and my ph numbers have always been spot on. But I do have my sparge water at 170!