Contamination theory

[brew4allMI]

I have recently botched two batches (IPA's). all steps went very well until bottling I tasted the beer from a hydrometer flask after testing the FG and both were great!. after bottling i let the beer age a week in the bottles and off flavors were very prevelant andincreased carbonation occurred after two weeks in the bottle. My question is could the infection be from my tubing and bottling cane? cuz that is the theory i have come up with? how often does everyone buy new tubing for racking and bottling?

 

[hhh2b]

Great question, I am wondering the same thing as my tubing is beginning to retain residue and become discolored (cant get it clean by running sanitizer through it).

So if anyone has a good method to clean inside tubing, that would be a great addition to your reply.

 

[Beernik]

I got a couple bottle infections from not getting my bottles visibly clean.

I also got a blueberry stuck in a bottling wand. But I knew it when it happened and replaced it immediately.

Tubing is cheap. If you think it's tubing, make a run to the hardware store just in case.

 

[ianw58]

One of my racking canes came with the kit my mother-in-law gave me as a gift for Christmas 1994. It's still clear and in use.

Tubing is another matter. Replace it often. Buy it in bulk. It's cheap. My time and my beer are not.

I've never had an infection, but then, I'm kind of anal when it comes to cleanliness in my brew house.

Where it counts, no quarter; where it doesn't, no worries...

 

[brew4allMI]

Ok. I always clean my bottles in soapy water, then in the dishwasher with just the hot water and then sanitize. In the past I used iodine, but am using starsan for the first time. we shall see how it goes.... I am bottling a Am. pale ale monday

 

[Braufessor]

I buy a new batch of tubing every year..... It is too cheap to risk contaminating a batch of beer with old/infected tubing.

Not sure what kind of bottling wand you have, but many of them come apart. Make sure you are pulling them all the way apart for cleaning and sanitizing. The plastic ones will get "micro cracks" in them over time and may need to be replaced from time to time. Also, make sure you are taking the spigot completely apart on your bottling bucket - lots of people don't realize those spigots come apart. All of those types of things are likely places to harbor infection.

 

[Braufessor]

By the way -

PBW soak and rinse

Star san soak and don't rinse

That is the best recipe for cleaning and sanitizing all of your equipment including bottles. I would never use soap, or bleach or anything like that - could be part of the problem.

 

[ayoungrad]

If it tastes good at bottling it could also be an issue that is present but not noticeable until later - so it might not be an infection at all.

2 reasons:

If you tasted after you primed, the priming sugar will hide off-flavors that are already present.

There is a lot of yeast in suspension at bottling. It has a flavor of its own which can mask off flavors and yeast also holds a lot of hop flavor and bitterness (I think I read somewhere that bitterness decreases up to 30% after the yeast fully flocculates) which dissipates later.

 

[brew4allMI]

I did buy some new tubing and a new plasting bottling wand. I am bottling tomorrow so my theory will be tested with a crackin of a bottle next week... thanks for the help and suggestions!

 

[stevehardt]

I always replace all tubing every couple of months. I consider it very cheap insurance