Slight Medicine or Band-Aid Flavor In Week Long Fermentation

[DBhomebrew]

Doesn't that hurt?

Nope. I use the meaty underside of the rapping fist to hit the meaty area between thumb and forefinger of the holding hand. It doesn't take much.

 

[mac_1103]

Nope. I use the meaty underside of the rapping fist to hit the meaty area between thumb and forefinger of the holding hand. It doesn't take much.

Just give it a few years. It doesn't take much force to separate the spigot parts, but at my age it doesn't take much to hurt myself either.

 

[landmissle]

This the spigot with a ball valve that I have on the kettle.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/stainless-ball-valve-12-full-port.html
I tried getting it apart with two plumbers wrenchs. I was torquing on it pretty good to the point I thought it would break. I never could get it apart. Thats when I resorted to just cleaning it as best as I could with detergent, a tooth brush, boiling in water and Starsan for sanitation.

The link above states it comes apart with two cresent wrenches. Mine were just a tad to small and hence the plumbers wrenches used instead.

So maybe one or the other of these spigots were a source contmenation?

I'll try to disasemble the ball valve spigot again. Man I hope I don't break it.....

 

[IslandLizard]

I'll try to disable the ball valve spigot again. Man I hope I don't break it.....

Disassemble?

They do come apart, easier (and probably) safer when using a vise, at least for the first time. After that, it's much easier.
I doubt after 2 brews there will be built up inside. Look over my instructions on rinsing it out while moving the handle back and forth, easier while still mounted to the kettle.
Any threads inside ports need to be scrubbed clean too. They make (fairly stiff) round brushes for that.

Tubing (hoses) used in transferring chilled wort also needs to be clean and sanitized. Just as with anything else touching your (chilled) wort and beer.

Again, all these cleaning and sanitation practices becomes more important with successive brews, as anything in the chain that isn't cleaned and sanitized can become an infection vector later on.

I'm not convinced infection is the problem at this moment, the band-aid off-flavor points to other things than infection.
Don't forget, beer needs extra time to condition after active fermentation has slowed or even finished. Many seemingly rough of off flavors and aromas can condition out during those extra 2 weeks. IOW, don't judge a green beer for more than it is, it will get much better given enough time.

Now why your fermentation ended or stalled at 1.018 is a bit puzzling.* If there's anything you can think of that could have possibly caused it, please post it, we can all learn from those experiences, bad and good.

* In my early brewing years I had a 1.090-some Old Ale stall on me at 1.034, using 2 packs of S-04 in a 5.5 gallon batch. Everyone else's brew of the exact same recipe came in around 1.014-1.016. Those 12 brews were from much more seasoned brewers, of course.

Although I had properly pre-hydrated the (dry) yeast, I reckon lack of sufficient aeration/oxygenation and/or an unfortunate overnight temp drop at the wrong time, could have played a role in that.

 

[landmissle]

Now why your fermentation ended or stalled at 1.018 is a bit puzzling.* If there's anything you can think of that could have possibly caused it, please post it, we can all learn from those experiences, bad and good.

This is the 2nd batch that stopped at 1.020. All of my batches (three) have been extract recipe kits from either MoreBeer or Austin Home Brewing. My first batch reached a FG of 1.013, but the last two have hung at around 1.019 ~. The previous one clung to that value for three weeks. I finally gave up waiting and bottled it. It came out fine but a bit low on alcohol content. OG was 1.051. That one was using S33 yeast which I was told is slow and doesn't consume some fermentable sugars very well. This last batch, which used CellarScience "English" ( I think this is S-04?) appeared to be doing the same thing (stalling), but coupled with the off-taste, I was inclined to cut my loses. Maybe that was impulsive, but I'm just looking at it as a learning opportunity and chance to brew another batch.

I have read that it's not unheard for extracts batches to stall at around 1.020. I don't know if that's true or not. It's even been worded as "the extract curse". Obviously it's not a curse, but maybe there's something common in the process that many extact brewers do?

Running it through my head and reflecting on a lot of wonderful advice I've been given, I'm wondering if I'm being too aggressive with the cooling of the wort when first placed in my cooling enclosure? I typically shoot for low 60 degree F and maybe this is stalling out the yeast?

The other thing that comes to mind, is that that with both the last two batches, I left most of the kettle trub in the kettle. I use bags for the steeping grains and hops, but there still definitly a layer of organic sludge at the bottom of the kettle. My first batch, I drained most of it into the fermentation chamber. That batch seemed to have some "chill haze". Hoping for clearer beer, I've left most of trub behind in the subsequent two batches.

BTW, I was able to get the plastic spigot apart by soaking it in really hot water. Thought I was going to break it, but the handle/barrel came apart. No obvious funk, but I'll definitely wash and sanitize it while dissassembled. I ordered some extras too, incase they break with my future ham-fisted attemps at taking it apart.

Hey, success, I also was able take-apart the metal kettle spigot. I'm not seeing any obvious funk within it either.

 

[mac_1103]

I have read that it's not unheard for extracts batches to stall at around 1.020. I don't know if that's true or not. It's even been worded as "the extract curse".

I've never heard that and I've never had an extract batch stall. A couple have finished a few points higher than expected, but tasted fine. Then again, 1.020 is pretty close to the expected FG for most of the extract brews I've done. Five points is kind of a lot if the OG is 1.05, but not so much if it's 1.08 or 1.09.

 

[mac_1103]

I'm wondering if I'm being too aggressive with the cooling of the wort when first placed in my cooling enclosure? I typically shoot for low 60 degree F and maybe this is stalling out the yeast?

Pitching into wort that's been "over-chilled" might delay the start of fermentation a little, but shouldn't cause the yeast to quit early once they do get going. You said you rehydrate the yeast at 95F; do you cool it to within a few degrees of the wort temperature before you pitch it (by adding some of the wort to the yeast before adding all of the yeast to the wort)? I don't know, but maybe you're shocking the yeast somehow.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I have read that it's not unheard for extracts batches to stall at around 1.020. I don't know if that's true or not. It's even been worded as "the extract curse". Obviously it's not a curse, but maybe there's something common in the process that many extact brewers do?

eta: links to complete recipes + brew day / fermentation notes would be helpful in troubleshooting these instances of "the extract curse".

IMO, "The extract curse" (stopping at FG 19) is either 1) bad recipe design, 2) bad FG estimation, 3) bad yeast selection, or 4) something else once the top three are eliminated.

S-33 (as well as Windsor and London) do not ferment maltotriose. From "Fermentis Tips

With "all-grain" brewing, one can mash lower to create a more ferment-able If a recipe is algorithmically converted form all-grain to "extract", does the algorithm account for this?

 

[landmissle]

"You said you rehydrate the yeast at 95F; do you cool it to within a few degrees of the wort temperature before you pitch it?"

Yup, I actually cool it down covered natually over 20 minutes. If necessary I'll place the container (typically a sanitized glass mearsuring cup) the yeast is in, in a chilled water bath until the yeast slury measures close to the wort temperature.

 

[shavy]

Yep.
View attachment 828091
I use a small wooden dowel wrapped in a paper towel to push the inner part up through the outer part. Not sure what others do, but you don't want to go at it with anything sharp because scratches inside the spigot will just give bugs more places to hide.

No tools needed to remove the spigot lever.
I soak my spigot in warm PBW for a few minutes, then grab it by the lever, twist as you pull up.

 

[mac_1103]

My old hands are pretty arthritic, making it difficult to grip small objects tightly. Pushing the inner barrel up from the inside is much easier.