Looking for help on what i might be doing wrong

[projectda]

i have been looking through other sections on this site, and i dont know if this is the best place for my questions. i am new and learning.
i have been making fruit beer using pineapple. using 1/5gal and 1gal containers, i have success. i can get a consistent taste, but if i increase to 2gal container. i might get 1 or 2 good batches, but then it goes bad. the juice will taste bad, and the yeast will die.
i not no if its the container or me. i dont know if i need to do something different for the bigger batches. right now, i am afraid to drop the money for a 6gal container, and it turn out to be me. the container i use for the 2gal batches, is not made for this. i do my best to seal it.
when i watch it ferment it looks and acts like my smaller batches. i have fermented at room temp and at a lower temp, but it goes bad after a few times.

any advice is welcomed, anythings helps. also if you want to know more. just ask. i am sure i forgot something somewhere that would help you guys understand. also if theres a better place to post this. tell me and ill go there or see if i can have this moved.

thanks!

 

[Tall_Yotie]

What is your definition of "going bad"? Not certain what you are referring to.

Recipes should do fine if you scale everything up. That includes that amount of yeast.

What type of containers are you using? Are you sure your sanitation is good?

 

[projectda]

bad as in it tastes very sour, as if the juice has gone bad.
as for the containers. i use 64oz and 1gal juice contains you get at stores. the 2gal container, is a plastic drink container with a spicket. it has a cap thats sealed on the sides, but has a vent on top. the vent is not big enough for water to go through. i use plastic to seal the top. i place it over the top opening and then place the lid. i also cover the lip in plastic before capping the container. the spicket does not leak.

 

[Tall_Yotie]

I am a little confused. You are not using standard carboys, correct?

Can you post the recipe and how you brew this?

Not a lot of information you have given, so can't really pin-point where the problems are.

Are your bottles in sunlight? This could make the brew go bad, especially if they are clear.

Is it a lot of pineapple juice? Hi acidity could be damaging your yeast.

Do you have a hydrometer? Is fermentation complete and to the degree you are expecting?

 

[phenry]

That spigot sounds like a great place to harbor bacteria. Larger volumes don't inherently mean infection, poor sanitation usually does though.

 

[projectda]

I am a little confused. You are not using standard carboys, correct?
they are not. heres a photo
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/811/imag0028f.jpg/

Can you post the recipe and how you brew this?
not much work. i just add the juice to the container i am going to use. the add the amount of yeast thats about what the kit says. for every 64oz i use one pack. after the 1st batch, i use about the same of the current yeast. the yeast i reuse is alive and producing when its placed into the next batch. before i will place it in a 32oz container with some new juice and check to make sure its fermenting. within a short time, under 6 hours, the bottle will have lots of pressure, and i will add it to the new batch. i got the yeast from 'spike you juice'. i use the same steps for smaller batches and other fruits.

Are your bottles in sunlight? This could make the brew go bad, especially if they are clear.
they do not see the sun, or much light.

Is it a lot of pineapple juice? Hi acidity could be damaging your yeast.
i was wondering this. but would i not have the same problem with the smaller batches? the juice i get is Jumex. it seems, by taste, to be not as acidic as dole or as acidic as a raw pineapple. i can try to water it down some. this is what i was thinking of trying this time.
i have been changing a one thing each time to see if that change is effecting it. i have used cooler temp, restricting airflow better in the 2gal container. less yeast, storing the spare yeast in a mix of juice, water and sugar.

Do you have a hydrometer? Is fermentation complete and to the degree you are expecting?
i have been looking at getting one, but i was hoping to get it as a package to save some money with a 6gal pale and a 6gal carboy, and some other tools. i taste small samples. once the samples have a smell and taste that im looking for i then remove it from the 2gal container into 64oz containers.


im very new to this.

 

[projectda]

the batches i made started out as 64oz. made about 3 batches, over 2-3 weeks. moved to the 2gal container, made 2 batches, 1-2 weeks. then the yeast died. i tried again using a 1gal container, made 2 batches. then tried the 2gal container, sealed the container better, and less yeast this round. after 1 batch it died again. this last batch i had to add some dole juice, so it might have been the acid causing the problem with the quick death.

in between i did some of the changes i said in the above post, on 20oz bottles. temp change, storing in mixture,

 

[Tall_Yotie]

Have you successfully made any of the smaller sized batches since you had issues with the larger sized batches? If you have not tried, you may want to go back to the small sized batch and confirm that everything still works fine. Assuming sanitation is good, then scaling up should be no problem.

What are you using to sanitize the containers before you start fermenting in them?

 

[projectda]

Some power cleaner from mr.beer rootbeer kit. do you guys think i could make more pH resistant yeast? Use mostly water then add more and more juice each generation? Should i get a sealed bucket and forget that 2gal container?

 

[Tall_Yotie]

To be honest I am not very familiar withe the way you are making your brew. I would suggest going back to your smaller containers, and if that works then it is indeed an issue with your container. At that point, go ahead and get something different. May just be that it is not very clean.

 

[MilesLong]

are you making wine?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/pineapple-wine-questions-acid-yeast-113736/

 

[onipar]

Looking at your picture, I notice there doesn't seem to be an airlock on the 2 gallon container (the one you are getting sour batches with). I'm assuming you must leave the top unfastened so it doesn't explode from pressure (unless you unscrew the top periodically to release pressure?).

So what I'm thinking is that you're getting wild yeast or bacteria in the larger container because you don't have it properly sealed with an airlock.

This is just a guess based on the photo. Hope that helps.

 

[onipar]

By the way, let us know how this turns out for you. Good luck!

 

[projectda]

i will. im getting a better bucket. that i can attach an airlock to. it may take a week or so before we find out how it went.

 

[projectda]

ok. I make a 1gal batch. I was good. I have a question though. The hydrometer said it had a gravity of 1.069. Now it reads 1.019. Does that mean it is 5.2% ABV?

 

[onipar]

ok. I make a 1gal batch. I was good. I have a question though. The hydrometer said it had a gravity of 1.069. Now it reads 1.019. Does that mean it is 5.2% ABV?

It's 6.56% ABV. I just use the online calculator: http://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/

You may want to let it ferment out a bit more too. See if the hydro reading goes down any more. I know some people have fermenation stop around 1.019, but if I remember you were doing fruit juices, and those should probably dry out more because they have more fermentable sugar.

 

[frydogbrews]

sounds like you got a bucket and a good hydrometer, so you are well on your way. i am very interested now in what fermented pineapple juice would be like. in a mead, or even in a cider, that could be damn fine!

 

[Yooper]

sounds like you got a bucket and a good hydrometer, so you are well on your way. i am very interested now in what fermented pineapple juice would be like. in a mead, or even in a cider, that could be damn fine!

Pineapple wine is fabulous! I'd highly recommend it to anyone.

 

[bottlebomber]

are you making wine?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/pineapple-wine-questions-acid-yeast-113736/

It sounds like he is... there's a whole page devoted to the kind of thing your into on here, and they would know specifics about fruit wines. However off the bat it sounds like youve got sanitation issues, and need to invest in some real brewing equipement. You'll probably have much better results with just a small cash investment

 

[projectda]

Thanks for the ABV correction.
I did get some buckets, but I need to get lids. The lids I am having trouble cleaning. I got them for free, but they had been sitting outside for a long time. i might just buy ones online.
And yes, it pineapple drinks are good.