What did I do wrong?

[smokenjoke]

I brewed a hefe using a plastic bucket and wyeast 3068 and a steady temp of 68 degrees. Everything was pretty much uneventful except when fermemtation started. On day two the foam started entering the airlock so I replaced it with a small blow tube since that is all the hole in the lid would allow. It too would become plugged and I'd have to remove it, rinse it out and replace after spraying it down with star-san. Anyway, come bottling day I removed the lid and it smelled like beer with an aroma of rotting vegetables. I bottled anyway reading that sometimes the odors disappears. I conditioned for 2 weeks before trying but when I did, it tasted just like it smelled, like rotten veggies. It's getting dumped as soon as I need the bottles. Any ideas what may have happened?

Thanks

 

[Andrew5329]

How long did you leave it in your primary fermenter? A week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks?

What was the OG and FG? What fermentables did you use, and in what quantities? What type of hops? Did you add any spices? Any adjuncts?

How full did you fill your bucket? Was it a normal 5 gal fill in a 6.5 bucket? Or was it all due to yeast activity? What temperature was the wort at when you pitched your yeast?

Would you describe the taste as Cidery?

Unfortunately we cant take an educated guess at the problem without some details, All we know is that you have a hefeweizen style beer which basically covers everything with wheat malt in it, and that it smells like veggies which could mean any of hundreds of types. :3

Though before you do anything drastic (like dumping beer) don't give up hope yet, tastes do go away often with conditioning. I had a beer I brewed last winter with a really weird/unpleasant taste, but after 5 or 6 months of conditioning it tastes good now.

 

[Draken]

http://morebeer.com/content/homebrew-off-flavors

 

[helibrewer]

Sounds like DMS but if this was an extract brew that is unlikely...more info needed

 

[david_42]

There are several possibilities, most of which will age out. So, give it another month.

 

[kaconga]

According to the link it could be oxidation as well.

 

[Yooper]

According to the link it could be oxidation as well.

"Rotten vegetables" doesn't sound like oxidation. It sounds more like DMS from boiling with a covered pot, or cooling with a covered pot over a long time.

It could also be poor yeast health, which smells rotten at times if the yeast started to decompose.

 

[kaconga]

http://morebeer.com/content/homebrew-off-flavors

Under oxidation at this link it lists rotten vegetables. I thought this was strange but worth throwing out there. I agree with yooper though. DMS is most likely culprit.

 

[helibrewer]

I agree about the DMS but with extract there is no DMS, it is driven off during the making of the extract, so unless this is an all grain recipe I don't think it could be DMS.

 

[Andrew5329]

I agree about the DMS but with extract there is no DMS, it is driven off during the making of the extract, so unless this is an all grain recipe I don't think it could be DMS.

Is it possible during a partial mash?

 

[smokenjoke]

How long did you leave it in your primary fermenter? A week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks?

What was the OG and FG? What fermentables did you use, and in what quantities? What type of hops? Did you add any spices? Any adjuncts?

How full did you fill your bucket? Was it a normal 5 gal fill in a 6.5 bucket? Or was it all due to yeast activity? What temperature was the wort at when you pitched your yeast?

Would you describe the taste as Cidery?

Unfortunately we cant take an educated guess at the problem without some details, All we know is that you have a hefeweizen style beer which basically covers everything with wheat malt in it, and that it smells like veggies which could mean any of hundreds of types. :3

Though before you do anything drastic (like dumping beer) don't give up hope yet, tastes do go away often with conditioning. I had a beer I brewed last winter with a really weird/unpleasant taste, but after 5 or 6 months of conditioning it tastes good now.

OG 1.040
FG 1.014
7 lbs wheat DME
1 OZ Tettnag hops. Nothing else added.
Fermented 3 weeks 5 1/2 gallons in 6 1/2 gallon bucket. Reviews warned the yeast was very active.
Cidery is not what came to mind when I tasted it. More like a rotten tomato.

The cooking was simple and I cooled using an ice bath as I always do. Pitching temp was around 68 degrees.
OK, I'll hold off dumping and see what happens. Thanks for the info.

Larry