Sorry for the long post, but I want to start something where I can sort of record some results for some upcoming tests I am planning.
For a while now I have been dealing with an off-taste in all of my lighter brews. It is sort of a salty/mineral taste. I have been trying to chase it down and eliminate it with no real success. I discuss the taste a bit more in this thread.
Anyway, I have been building my own water profile with distilled water and Bru'n water. My tap water has chloramine, so I just started trying this distilled water thing. I have tried different levels of CaCl and gypsum and lactic acid to see if it is one of those additions that is causing it. The gypsum doesn't seem to be a contributor - I have made recipes where I didn't add any gypsum at all and I still got the flavor. The CaCl doesn't seem to be the culprit, neither, as I have made recipes with very low amounts as well as high amounts and I still get the flavor. I have also went with and without lactic acid. I have varied hops as well as grist recipes, but nothing seems to work.
Recently, I also had a band-aid flavor pop up in my brews that we fermented in a plastic bucket (not the same plastic bucket). Someone suggested I might have an infection. I also have read that cleaning plastic parts and letting them sit in water treated with chloramine can result in "absorption" of chloramine. Since reading this, I have started treating my cleaning water with campden. Anyway, this is something to note, but I am not focusing on the bandaid thing right now. I am just going to try and eliminate it from my "experiment".
The first part of my experiment was to rule out my kegging system causing an issue. So, my most recent IPA brew I bottled about a gallon of it and kegged the rest. The bottled and kegged beer both have this taste. The bottled beer has much better head retention, I did notice (just as a side point). So, I don't think that my kegging system has anything to do with the flavor.
Other thoughts for this weird flavor:
1. My LHBS has Rahr malt. That is what I use for my base malt. I have read that it provides a more acidic mash. Perhaps my mash ph is screwed up.
2. I BIAB, and in the process, I use a stainless steel vegetable steamer to keep the bag off the bottom. I have noticed a weird corrosion on the nut that used to hold the steamer handle. I have also noticed that the steamer seems to be forming a beerstone or something on it.
3. My CaCl comes from the same place. Perhaps I need to change the source of it.
4. I have suspected that my hops might have some issues.
Some more specifics on my process:
1. Single kettle/BIAB. As I mentioned, I build my own water.
2. Typically do 60 minute mashes around 149-152 for my lighter ales followed by a good squeeze session upon pulling the bag.
3. Typically do 60 minute boils. For all of my IPAs, I end with a hop steep. I usually let the wort cool to around 180-170 and throw some hops in and let it steep for up to 30 minutes.
4. Chill quickly with an immersion chiller.
5. Aerate with a siphon spray wort aerator, followed by a good frothing with a wine degasser (not using it in the degassing fashion).
6. I have a fermentation chamber where I usually ferment for 2 weeks in the low 60's.
7. Transfer to purged keg for dry hopping.
Now, on to the meat of it. As I have been chasing this, I have not been consistent with the recipe. So, I am going to use a simple recipe that pretty much is an offshoot of Yooper's Ruination clone:
13 lbs Rahr pale malt
1 lb C20
0.5 lb Carapils
.5 lb corn sugar
1 oz Magnum at 60
1 oz Centennial at 30
1 oz Centennial at 10
1 oz Centennial at FO
2 oz Centennial dry hop (5 days)
Safale-05 yeast.
For the water, I have been pondering using my own tap water and treating with Campden. I have a water report from the county. However, I think I will stick with using distilled just to keep the variables to a minimum. I am going to add salts to try and achieve the pale ale profile in Bru'n water.
Mash at 151 for 60
Ferment at 63 for 1 week, then at 68 for 1 week
So, that will be the "base" recipe. I am going to just make this over and over again until I find out what is causing this. I am only going to use glass carboys for fermentation.
So, for the first version of the experiment, I am just going to brew the above with my standard methods, but pulling the vegetable steamer out of the mix. I am also going to try and account for the "acidity" of the Rahr malt using some suggestions I have read from some other sites (read: I won't be adding lactic acid this first pass).
This brew probably wont happen until early next year, but I have already purchased all new hops (from a different supplier), and have the other supplies ready.
If this doesn't do the trick, my next step will be to try a new CaCl source, or maybe brew this with extract to see if the grains themselves are causing it. We will see.
I will update as this evolves. Wish me luck!
For a while now I have been dealing with an off-taste in all of my lighter brews. It is sort of a salty/mineral taste. I have been trying to chase it down and eliminate it with no real success. I discuss the taste a bit more in this thread.
Anyway, I have been building my own water profile with distilled water and Bru'n water. My tap water has chloramine, so I just started trying this distilled water thing. I have tried different levels of CaCl and gypsum and lactic acid to see if it is one of those additions that is causing it. The gypsum doesn't seem to be a contributor - I have made recipes where I didn't add any gypsum at all and I still got the flavor. The CaCl doesn't seem to be the culprit, neither, as I have made recipes with very low amounts as well as high amounts and I still get the flavor. I have also went with and without lactic acid. I have varied hops as well as grist recipes, but nothing seems to work.
Recently, I also had a band-aid flavor pop up in my brews that we fermented in a plastic bucket (not the same plastic bucket). Someone suggested I might have an infection. I also have read that cleaning plastic parts and letting them sit in water treated with chloramine can result in "absorption" of chloramine. Since reading this, I have started treating my cleaning water with campden. Anyway, this is something to note, but I am not focusing on the bandaid thing right now. I am just going to try and eliminate it from my "experiment".
The first part of my experiment was to rule out my kegging system causing an issue. So, my most recent IPA brew I bottled about a gallon of it and kegged the rest. The bottled and kegged beer both have this taste. The bottled beer has much better head retention, I did notice (just as a side point). So, I don't think that my kegging system has anything to do with the flavor.
Other thoughts for this weird flavor:
1. My LHBS has Rahr malt. That is what I use for my base malt. I have read that it provides a more acidic mash. Perhaps my mash ph is screwed up.
2. I BIAB, and in the process, I use a stainless steel vegetable steamer to keep the bag off the bottom. I have noticed a weird corrosion on the nut that used to hold the steamer handle. I have also noticed that the steamer seems to be forming a beerstone or something on it.
3. My CaCl comes from the same place. Perhaps I need to change the source of it.
4. I have suspected that my hops might have some issues.
Some more specifics on my process:
1. Single kettle/BIAB. As I mentioned, I build my own water.
2. Typically do 60 minute mashes around 149-152 for my lighter ales followed by a good squeeze session upon pulling the bag.
3. Typically do 60 minute boils. For all of my IPAs, I end with a hop steep. I usually let the wort cool to around 180-170 and throw some hops in and let it steep for up to 30 minutes.
4. Chill quickly with an immersion chiller.
5. Aerate with a siphon spray wort aerator, followed by a good frothing with a wine degasser (not using it in the degassing fashion).
6. I have a fermentation chamber where I usually ferment for 2 weeks in the low 60's.
7. Transfer to purged keg for dry hopping.
Now, on to the meat of it. As I have been chasing this, I have not been consistent with the recipe. So, I am going to use a simple recipe that pretty much is an offshoot of Yooper's Ruination clone:
13 lbs Rahr pale malt
1 lb C20
0.5 lb Carapils
.5 lb corn sugar
1 oz Magnum at 60
1 oz Centennial at 30
1 oz Centennial at 10
1 oz Centennial at FO
2 oz Centennial dry hop (5 days)
Safale-05 yeast.
For the water, I have been pondering using my own tap water and treating with Campden. I have a water report from the county. However, I think I will stick with using distilled just to keep the variables to a minimum. I am going to add salts to try and achieve the pale ale profile in Bru'n water.
Mash at 151 for 60
Ferment at 63 for 1 week, then at 68 for 1 week
So, that will be the "base" recipe. I am going to just make this over and over again until I find out what is causing this. I am only going to use glass carboys for fermentation.
So, for the first version of the experiment, I am just going to brew the above with my standard methods, but pulling the vegetable steamer out of the mix. I am also going to try and account for the "acidity" of the Rahr malt using some suggestions I have read from some other sites (read: I won't be adding lactic acid this first pass).
This brew probably wont happen until early next year, but I have already purchased all new hops (from a different supplier), and have the other supplies ready.
If this doesn't do the trick, my next step will be to try a new CaCl source, or maybe brew this with extract to see if the grains themselves are causing it. We will see.
I will update as this evolves. Wish me luck!