Bad after taste

[togodoug]

I’ve brewed a few batches of different ales and all but one had a bitter (not like hoppy, IPA, good bitter), sour, almost stale taste. I thought it was because I was fermenting at like 80 degrees, so put my fermenter in a cooler with 65 degree water and had a good Irish Red. I tried this cooler method a second time and again have the bitter, sour, stale taste.
I always use dry yeast as I need all ingredients mailed to me.
I wonder about contamination, but its sealed up tight and I use One Step Cleaner to sanitize equipment.
I also wonder if I put the yeast in too soon. I added it just after the wart cooled to 80 degrees. But like I said, I then get it down to 65 within a few hours or less I think.
So, contamination, bad yeast, adding yeast too hot? Any ideas? I’m really getting frustrated.

 

[jonmohno]

How many days from brew day are you noticing this?

 

[rycov]

i dont know. but i'm sure your gonna get a lot of replies saying they need more info. like recipe and how long its been fermenting and things like that

 

[RugenBrau]

extract.....all grain????? Well water.....town water?

 

[togodoug]

I have fermented for about 2 weeks. I notice it three or foru days after botteling unitl its all gone a few months later

 

[togodoug]

I've used three different recipies, I use a combo of tap water and distilled water 50/50, I fermented for two weeks. I've used different kits and the bad after taste is the same.

 

[Wiezer]

Describe your entire process from start to finish. What kind of water are you using?

 

[togodoug]

extract.....all grain????? Well water.....town water?

i've been using liquid malt kits, tap water / distilled 50/50 combo. Would this be casued by not fully fermented?

 

[togodoug]

Describe your entire process from start to finish. What kind of water are you using?

I use a combo of tap and distilled water.
I brew per kit instructions to the letter, 60 min, not 59, not 61.
I steep the grains at 155 degrees, not 152, not 160.
I use a hops bag to contain hops sediment.
I chilled the wart in part by adding ice right to the wart. The ice is bagged purified water, so says the bag.
I pull out the hops bag, aerate by stirring after wart is 80 degrees and add dry yeast before sealing up the fermenter.
I ferment in a plastic fermenter with standard type bubbler, putting the fermenter in a cooler with the cooler full of water and then I rotate out a frozen water bottle, monitoring the temperature to between 60 and 68 degrees.
I siphon into a bottling bucket after two weeks on the fermenter and then bottle and cap in sanitized bottles. I sanitize bottles by rinsing them and caps in One Step brand sanitizer.

 

[bighoss]

So it's fermented for 2 weeks, and your drinking it 3 to 4 days after bottling? If that's so you need to let it bottle condition for at least 3 weeks or more. As far as the taste goes I'm not real sure. Could really be a lot of things. It could be the water quality, poor sanitation, pitching temps, etc. From the information that I've been reading you really want to try to get your wort to the fermenting temps before you pitch your yeast, or at least within 5 degrees. With tap water I would make sure to preboil that water. Boiling will get rid of a lot of chlorine, but if the water treatment plant uses chloramine, you'll have to use a certain kind of tablet to help get rid of some of that. Simply boiling won't get rid of chloramine. Hahah listen to me! Quoting stuff I've read out of a book. As far as instructions go, use the instructions from an experienced brewer, not what comes with the kit. Most of the time with extract kits you only see 45 minute boils. With cooling your wort, I wouldn't trust what it says because the ice can still carry bacteria. You would be better of either giving the boil kettle an ice water bath, or boiling water, and putting it in air tight containers and freeze it. Also I'm doubting it is the cause of the bitter/astringent taste, but you should also rehydrate your yeast prior to pitching.