4th sour batch help!

So I've replaced all my fermenters, all new tubing, and even use nirvana bottled water for mash and sparge and STILL sour batch. I heard it shouldn't matter but could it be my tun or manifold is bad? I've since built a new tun but just transported the manifold. Anything at all, please!

What are you using to sanitize?

No a tun or manifold cannot infect a batch if you boil it. Grain is full of bacteria, it is likely something aft of the boil, chiller is a good suspect. Do you use a plate chiller?

oneandahalfshepherds said:

No a tun or manifold cannot infect a batch if you boil it. Grain is full of bacteria, it is likely something aft of the boil, chiller is a good suspect. Do you use a plate chiller?

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This

Stuck grain in a plate chiller is a mean beast. I dumped 12bbl last year due to an infection of this exact cause.

Use sanstar and bleach if possible. I have a copper coil for chilling. I soak it in sanstar the night before. Give it a spray before going in and a rinse and soak after its been used. I did rack into a glass carboy I had but I bleached and sanstar it the days leading up. Didn't think an infection could get a foothold in glass

Do you see any signs of infection in the fementation (pellicle formation, etc)?

What temperature are you fermenting at?

Pull the tip off your Auto siphon (if using one) and check for some funk in the cap. Go over the whole siphon mechanism and sterilize it again. I change my hoses out after 5 or so batches of brewski's as well.

Good luck finding the culprit!

Cposten said:

Use sanstar and bleach if possible. I have a copper coil for chilling. I soak it in sanstar the night before. Give it a spray before going in and a rinse and soak after its been used. I did rack into a glass carboy I had but I bleached and sanstar it the days leading up. Didn't think an infection could get a foothold in glass

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I don't clean my "Copper Coil", well I wipe it off occasionally

At the last 20 minute mark I put in in the Kettle and when it starts to boil I restar the clock at 20 minutes.

So it is well sanitized having been in hot wort for over 30 or 40 minutes. (time to warm back up to the boil and time to chill down).

I just rinse out my Mash Tun and dry it since the wort is going to boil anyway.

My tubing and March Pump get StarSan run throught them for maybe 10 minutes before the boil and when everything is done and rinsed out I do it again to be ready for the next time.

My guess is that you problem is none of these... It is somewhere after the boil you are having you problem...

I would use OxyClean (or PBW) and StarSan for you cleaning... safer and better. As bleach is not a great cleaner and can leave stuff behind.

Do you vorloff could it be the Tannins you are tasting?
How do you areate?
How do you clean your fermenter?

DPBISME said:

I don't clean my "Copper Coil", well I wipe it off occasionally

At the last 20 minute mark I put in in the Kettle and when it starts to boil I restar the clock at 20 minutes.

So it is well sanitized having been in hot wort for over 30 or 40 minutes. (time to warm back up to the boil and time to chill down).

I just rinse out my Mash Tun and dry it since the wort is going to boil anyway.

My tubing and March Pump get StarSan run throught them for maybe 10 minutes before the boil and when everything is done and rinsed out I do it again to be ready for the next time.

My guess is that you problem is none of these... It is somewhere after the boil you are having you problem...

I would use OxyClean (or PBW) and StarSan for you cleaning... safer and better. As bleach is not a great cleaner and can leave stuff behind.

Do you vorloff could it be the Tannins you are tasting?
How do you areate?
How do you clean your fermenter?

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Yes I do vorlof. Not quite sure all is good up to bottling. I usually just dump into the fermenter and splash it around a bit. Fermenter cleaning is pretty much the same as everything else. I hand scrub the inside under hot water then let sanstar soak for a night, then drain and depending on how long they be sitting I might give a quick sanstar spray. Could the airlocks be holding anything?

You just do a quick spray with starsan on brew day? That my be your issue. I normally let my buckets sit in star san while i'm brewing and dump it just prior to draining the brew kettle. Are you scrubbing with something abrasive? Scratches in the fermenter can harbor bugs.

Air locks can definitely be harboring some bugs. Those should be soaked in star san, too. What do you use in your airlocks?

Do you dump your boil kettle into the fermenter, or run through a ball valve? I've heard of bugs and/or mold getting caught in the ball valves.

AgentHubcap said:

You just do a quick spray with starsan on brew day? That my be your issue. I normally let my buckets sit in star san while i'm brewing and dump it just prior to draining the brew kettle. Are you scrubbing with something abrasive? Scratches in the fermenter can harbor bugs.

Air locks can definitely be harboring some bugs. Those should be soaked in star san, too. What do you use in your airlocks?

Do you dump your boil kettle into the fermenter, or run through a ball valve? I've heard of bugs and/or mold getting caught in the ball valves.

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They sit all night. Drain them during mash and give them the spray minutes before boil is done. I use fresh water in the airlocks but am thinking about switching to a Sanstar solution. Dump the kettle, only valves I use are tun and bottling bucket. Both usually sit in sanstar until time for use. Bought new ones for this batch and soaked them night before brew day.