I have been brewing for over a year now, all-grain, kegging, stc-1000 ferm chamber, immersion chiller, etc. I, like some people on here, have not been happy with my IPA's/pale ales. There seems to be an "off" flavor that I can't quite describe in anything I brew with quite a bit of hops. I've been through my process front and back and thought I had it nailed with my last iteration by building RO water (via Bru'n water) and hitting 5.4 mash pH (because of a comment I read in Gordon Strong's Brewing Better Beer about hoppy ales being "muddy" when the mash pH is way off, and my porters and stouts tasting great), but the "off" flavor showed back up. I had 5-6 guys from my local brew club taste my latest pale ale and while they all said it was good and drinkable, they too noticed some sort of off flavor. One person mentioned possible diacetyl, but all my IPA's and pales are fermented at 64-68 with rehydrated S-05 and usually ramp to 70 for a few days at the end. No one else had any real suggestions besides sanitation, which I'm painfully careful about. I've tried switching from keg hopping to primary hopping, carbon filtered water (with campden) to built RO water, with no luck. The "off" flavor I get I can taste right out of primary so I know it's not the kegs/lines which I was initially skeptical of. FWIW I ferment in ale pails.
So that brings me to one area of my process that I have been somewhat neglectful about. Typically I have pitched my rehydrated S-05 yeast at a wort temperature of 72-78 degrees, and then immediately placed it in the fermentation chamber and set it to my ideal fermentation temp, 64-66. Now, is it a possibility that in those first few hours while the wort is cooling that I am getting this "off" flavor? In my mind I always figured that the chamber would bring the 5.5 gallons down to the correct pitching temp before the yeast would even have a chance at producing an off-flavor, especially since I don't detect that in my porters/stouts.
So, what are your experiences pitching slightly warm and then immediately chilling to fermentation temp?
So that brings me to one area of my process that I have been somewhat neglectful about. Typically I have pitched my rehydrated S-05 yeast at a wort temperature of 72-78 degrees, and then immediately placed it in the fermentation chamber and set it to my ideal fermentation temp, 64-66. Now, is it a possibility that in those first few hours while the wort is cooling that I am getting this "off" flavor? In my mind I always figured that the chamber would bring the 5.5 gallons down to the correct pitching temp before the yeast would even have a chance at producing an off-flavor, especially since I don't detect that in my porters/stouts.
So, what are your experiences pitching slightly warm and then immediately chilling to fermentation temp?