Still have a horribly disappointing problem

[Germey]

Im new to this but in my readings I have read if you leave your beer in your primary for more than 3 weeks or so the beer would start to take on some of the flavors that the dead yeast and other fermentation byproducts. This is why for beers that need longer conditoning are moved to a secondary. You said you had a beer in the primary for 8 weeks if I read right.

I routinely leave my beers on primary for 4-6 weeks with no ill effects. I have heard plenty of anecdotal evidence that longer is still pretty safe.

 

[FlyGuy]

Get yourselves some 35% (or stronger if you can find it) H2O2. I use the same scratched up buckets for wine for 4 years running without a problem.

Except that you are talking about PREVENTING infection. I am talking about getting rid of one embedded in equipment. Very different scenarios, unfortunately.

 

[mr x]

No, I'm talking about getting rid of the infection. Sanitation strength H2O2 beats all. Nothing survives.

 

[Foovanadil]

I am planning a group brew sometime in the next several weeks with him, a first timer, and a guy with a few batches under his belt, but not recently.
If you can stand the old farts, I'll let you know when it's happening.

Hey I am in your neck of the woods too. I would be interested in learning from some more experienced brewers. I am out of town until July but after that I would be up for a group brew (that is if you don't mind a young whippersnapper hanging out with the old farts )

to the OP, if the group brew gets together bring some samples for everyone to taste. More experienced palettes can detect every little detail. I think I am a pretty serious beer drinker but my palette for beer is just starting to mature beyond just "Tastes good" and "Blech, this is BMC"

 

[NitrouStang96]

The funny thing is that it's really undrinkably disgusting in a lighter beer, but some malts and hops do a good job of making it not just drinkable, but quite enjoyable. I got some learnin' ta do, for sure.

 

[malkore]

Im new to this but in my readings I have read if you leave your beer in your primary for more than 3 weeks or so the beer would start to take on some of the flavors that the dead yeast and other fermentation byproducts. This is why for beers that need longer conditoning are moved to a secondary. You said you had a beer in the primary for 8 weeks if I read right.

This can happen, but not the way you describe. A lot of people, new and experienced, don't fully understand how this works.

its called autolysis, and takes a while. yeast will simply go dormant and stay dormant for some time. eventually they start dying.

1 month in primary should be plenty, but going over that (assuming temperatures are still kept in check) would still be ok. I wouldn't push primary past two months though.

and, once you rack to secondary, autolysis is damn near impossible, as you just don't have enough yeast left to cause it. it would be drank before autolysis off flavors could develop.


band-aid flavor is typically a lack of rinsing bleach based sanitizers...or an infection.

 

[Germey]

Hey I am in your neck of the woods too. I would be interested in learning from some more experienced brewers. I am out of town until July but after that I would be up for a group brew (that is if you don't mind a young whippersnapper hanging out with the old farts )

to the OP, if the group brew gets together bring some samples for everyone to taste. More experienced palettes can detect every little detail. I think I am a pretty serious beer drinker but my palette for beer is just starting to mature beyond just "Tastes good" and "Blech, this is BMC"

This could work. To manage expectations, please understand that, so far, the only non-noob brewer can barely wipe his own ass let alone organize a brew-in teaching fest with an off flavor clinic.

Updates to follow.

 

[chiud]

BTW, any chance any one know what burnt DME taste like in beer? I haven't burnt one yet, but I'm wondering if you burnt your DME while boiling it? I guess you would know if your pot has a brunt mark at the bottom, but I'm thinking not always the case if you keep stirring.

 

[NitrouStang96]

Nah, that's not it.

 

[TexLaw]

Change out your rubber stoppers. Infections get in there and just do not go away. Just about any time someone develops an "unpleasant house flavor," it's in the stoppers.


TL

 

[NitrouStang96]

Change out your rubber stoppers. Infections get in there and just do not go away. Just about any time someone develops an "unpleasant house flavor," it's in the stoppers.


TL

The weird thing, though, is that the apfelwein had the flavor... and it was in 6 1gal jugs with 6 brand new stoppers.

I will replace them, though, since I could now have the infection in them.

 

[RICLARK]

BTW, any chance any one know what burnt DME taste like in beer? I haven't burnt one yet, but I'm wondering if you burnt your DME while boiling it? I guess you would know if your pot has a brunt mark at the bottom, but I'm thinking not always the case if you keep stirring.

It tastes Burnt, you wont mistake it trust me.

 

[schristian619]

Germey, I'd be interested in a group brew day. I haven't had the same issues as OP, but would still be interested. ps...thanks for the bottles NitrouStang96, they sure came in handy!

 

[NitrouStang96]

You're welcome - if you happened to get any 22oz bottles in there, they originally came from Germey

You have all of them filled?

 

[schristian619]

not yet...I'll be bottling my 4th batch this weekend( an imperial IPA). I've got an arrogant bastard clone mini mash from AHS in primary now, and will be brewing part one of BYO's newcastle clone this weekend as well. I'm hopping to get a kegging kit soon and do half and half, maybe every other batch or so. Dpn't wprry though, I'm sure I'll use em all soon enough...and if not, I'll pass some on to another local.

 

[BigKahuna]

Everyone seems to have an opinion on this issue...the taste not the Brew day...but I'm going to chime in here.

The only 3 things that are the same and how they relate.
Your Water...Bottled and always the same. Should be fine.
Your Air....Could be the issue. Make sure you don't have an AC vent blowing on your brew (Hew House same problem?)
Your Sanitizer. Apfelwein is the Big clue here. I would say that this is your culprit. I love Bleach for this reason....You can smell even the most faint bit of bleach...so just rinse with hot water till you don't smell bleach any more.

Swmbo made me switch to StarSan....cause I was ruining 2 shirts a week with Bleach.

 

[FlyGuy]

Swmbo made me switch to StarSan....cause I was ruining 2 shirts a week with Bleach.

LOL -- I can relate. No more bleach allowed for me, either (unless I move my brewery clean-up station out of our laundry room!).

 

[NitrouStang96]

HUGE clue (to someone who can figure it out):

Poured a sample of both brews into a plastic container (not carbed, fresh outta primary) the other day and put them into the fridge. The next day, I took them to the LHBS along with a bottle of apfelwein (bottled a long time ago).

I get there, crack open the plastic containers of flat beer, and pour samples for a few guys. They like it. I have them try the other one. They like that one too. I'm like, wtf is wrong with it? They're all looking stumped as to if anything is wrong with it at all. So I taste it.

It was great! Aside from being flat, it was fantastic. 24hr earlier, it was in a keg and tasted nasty. (I dispensed the beer, flat, from the faucets). So I'm like great, the guys on homebrewtalk are really going to ream me for complaining about the taste of green beer.

Fastforward to right now. The beer in my kegs is still nasty. And it will remain nasty - I've had it like this before, so I know. Something about pouring it into a plastic container and leaving it in the fridge for 24-48hr and then transporting it to the LHBS fixed it right up. And get this. Even the apfelwein in the bottle tasted good over there. WHAT THE *$%*?! They still taste nasty at my house...


CLIFF'S NOTES:
Beer tastes gross at my house but tastes great at LHBS.

 

[Germey]

HUGE clue (to someone who can figure it out):

Something about pouring it into a plastic container and leaving it in the fridge for 24-48hr and then transporting it to the LHBS fixed it right up. And get this. Even the apfelwein in the bottle tasted good over there. WHAT THE *$%*?! They still taste nasty at my house...

Carbonating and then off gassing can drive off lots of different volatile flavor compounds. Repeatedly overcarbing and off gassing a keg can diminish your hop aroma drastically. Maybe you could force that situation in your kegs, then dry hop afterwards. Do you have any bottles that are confirmed offenders? That would be a better idea so the guys at HBM might narrow down the root cause.

 

[NitrouStang96]

The samples I made were never carbonated. I just went from primary to the keg, chilled the kegs over night, and hooked up the CO2 to dispense some and begin carbonation.

As far as the bottles go - all of the bottles of apfelwein have tasted like crap. Except that one. I'm going to chill some, put them in my car and take them for a ride, and then sample them and see what they taste like.

 

[Germey]

The samples I made were never carbonated. I just went from primary to the keg, chilled the kegs over night, and hooked up the CO2 to dispense some and begin carbonation.

As far as the bottles go - all of the bottles of apfelwein have tasted like crap. Except that one. I'm going to chill some, put them in my car and take them for a ride, and then sample them and see what they taste like.

Well, that should be easy to explain to the officer

 

[eb50]

HUGE clue (to someone who can figure it out):

Poured a sample of both brews into a plastic container (not carbed, fresh outta primary) the other day and put them into the fridge. The next day, I took them to the LHBS along with a bottle of apfelwein (bottled a long time ago).

I get there, crack open the plastic containers of flat beer, and pour samples for a few guys. They like it. I have them try the other one. They like that one too. I'm like, wtf is wrong with it? They're all looking stumped as to if anything is wrong with it at all. So I taste it.

It was great! Aside from being flat, it was fantastic. 24hr earlier, it was in a keg and tasted nasty. (I dispensed the beer, flat, from the faucets). So I'm like great, the guys on homebrewtalk are really going to ream me for complaining about the taste of green beer.

Fastforward to right now. The beer in my kegs is still nasty. And it will remain nasty - I've had it like this before, so I know. Something about pouring it into a plastic container and leaving it in the fridge for 24-48hr and then transporting it to the LHBS fixed it right up. And get this. Even the apfelwein in the bottle tasted good over there. WHAT THE *$%*?! They still taste nasty at my house...


CLIFF'S NOTES:
Beer tastes gross at my house but tastes great at LHBS.

sounds like you just need to spend more time in your LHBS