Microphobik
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2013
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Hi all,
I've been having a recurring issue with my beers and am wondering if anyone has ever experienced this before, or knows what might be happening here...
I am an all grain brewer who kegs. I feel pretty confident that my process is solid. I temp control, ferment on the cool side (but within stated range of the strain) and slowly raise a few degrees to do a diacetyl rest on all my beers. Then I let them sit for an additional week or so before cold crashing and then kegging. I don't do a closed transfer but I do purge after adding the beer to the keg.
On almost every beer I have the same thing happen. They taste great for the first week or so. very clean and I'm really proud of what I have. But then I start to notice an almost dirty dish rag, and sometimes a slight honey flavor emerge. Not so bad that it's not drinkable, but bad enough that the off flavor stands out to me against commercial beers and I'm not so proud of the beers.
My assumption is always that it's oxidation (although I fail to see where it would be coming from) and I get depressed and decide to dump the beer and try again with something new. But before I dump I always bottle off a good number of beers "just in case". I bottle with a rubber-stopper and bottling wand attached to a growler filler to make one of those quicky homemade counter pressure fillers.
But here's the thing... In every single instance when I try those bottled beers a month later or so, all of the off flavors are gone. The beer is suddenly very clean again and the beers can hold their own against commercial beers. I have a Scottish 60/- on tap at the moment that is doing the same thing. To test this, I bottled off half a dozen bottles. Just a week later there is a huge improvement in the flavor of the bottles, while the kegged beer still has those off flavors.
What could be causing my beers to be good, then bad, and then good again?
My assumption has always been that this was oxidation related, but if it was then I wouldn't think that the additional oxygen that is inevitably finding it's way in through the bottling process would make things even worse rather than better. I'm very confused and also frustrated that I find myself embarrassed to share my beers unless they are either very fresh or bottled and aged.
Has anyone ever experienced this before? If it means anything, I have noticed this the most in my lower gravity malty beers using Marris Otter, but mostly because that is what I brew.
Any ideas?
I've been having a recurring issue with my beers and am wondering if anyone has ever experienced this before, or knows what might be happening here...
I am an all grain brewer who kegs. I feel pretty confident that my process is solid. I temp control, ferment on the cool side (but within stated range of the strain) and slowly raise a few degrees to do a diacetyl rest on all my beers. Then I let them sit for an additional week or so before cold crashing and then kegging. I don't do a closed transfer but I do purge after adding the beer to the keg.
On almost every beer I have the same thing happen. They taste great for the first week or so. very clean and I'm really proud of what I have. But then I start to notice an almost dirty dish rag, and sometimes a slight honey flavor emerge. Not so bad that it's not drinkable, but bad enough that the off flavor stands out to me against commercial beers and I'm not so proud of the beers.
My assumption is always that it's oxidation (although I fail to see where it would be coming from) and I get depressed and decide to dump the beer and try again with something new. But before I dump I always bottle off a good number of beers "just in case". I bottle with a rubber-stopper and bottling wand attached to a growler filler to make one of those quicky homemade counter pressure fillers.
But here's the thing... In every single instance when I try those bottled beers a month later or so, all of the off flavors are gone. The beer is suddenly very clean again and the beers can hold their own against commercial beers. I have a Scottish 60/- on tap at the moment that is doing the same thing. To test this, I bottled off half a dozen bottles. Just a week later there is a huge improvement in the flavor of the bottles, while the kegged beer still has those off flavors.
What could be causing my beers to be good, then bad, and then good again?
My assumption has always been that this was oxidation related, but if it was then I wouldn't think that the additional oxygen that is inevitably finding it's way in through the bottling process would make things even worse rather than better. I'm very confused and also frustrated that I find myself embarrassed to share my beers unless they are either very fresh or bottled and aged.
Has anyone ever experienced this before? If it means anything, I have noticed this the most in my lower gravity malty beers using Marris Otter, but mostly because that is what I brew.
Any ideas?