Off flavor in my beers

[Briano]

I've been getting an off flavor that I believe seems to be alcohol/rubbing alcohol.All my temps have been spot on.It seems to be alcohol or dry in flavor with a light fruity touch.My mash temp was arround 152-158 degrees,ferment from 74-76 degrees.I've been using the same plastic ferment bucket for years,has typical scuff marks inside.Sometimes I'd soak the bucket with water and a touch of bleach,1/2 cup to 5 gallons,then rinse out and use a no rinse cleaner.Could the scuff marks be harboring bacteria or can the bleach have leached into the plastic and giving me this issue.

 

[BreezyBrew]

74-76 is very hot unless you are fermenting Belgians. I'd suggest picking up a copy of "Brewing better Beer" by Gordon Strong. He has some good troubleshooting tips. Is sounds like you need some type of fermentation temp control if you are brewing other styles other than Belgians.

Secondly, if you think your buckets are harboring bacteria throw them out and get a new batch. It's not worth the worry, and you can eliminate that as a cause immediately.

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

yea fermentation temps can rise 5-10 degrees from ambient temp, you need to cool those down.

 

[duboman]

I've been getting an off flavor that I believe seems to be alcohol/rubbing alcohol.All my temps have been spot on.It seems to be alcohol or dry in flavor with a light fruity touch.My mash temp was arround 152-158 degrees,ferment from 74-76 degrees.I've been using the same plastic ferment bucket for years,has typical scuff marks inside.Sometimes I'd soak the bucket with water and a touch of bleach,1/2 cup to 5 gallons,then rinse out and use a no rinse cleaner.Could the scuff marks be harboring bacteria or can the bleach have leached into the plastic and giving me this issue.

Alcohol and rubbing alcohol would be completely different issues

Dry and lightly fruity would be characteristics of beer that may or may not be desired to style.

The only thing that would stand out as infection is rubbing alcohol, the others would lead to improper fermentation temps or stressed yeast or over attenuation in the case of being dry.

To me you temp control is sound so I will question your pitch rates and aeration process to ensure you are getting a good clean healthy fermentation.

 

[day_trippr]

Running a fermentation at 74-76°F - except for a few notable yeast strains for specific styles - isn't what I would call "sound temperature control"...

Cheers!

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

I've been getting an off flavor that I believe seems to be alcohol/rubbing alcohol.All my temps have been spot on.It seems to be alcohol or dry in flavor with a light fruity touch.My mash temp was arround 152-158 degrees,ferment from 74-76 degrees.I've been using the same plastic ferment bucket for years,has typical scuff marks inside.Sometimes I'd soak the bucket with water and a touch of bleach,1/2 cup to 5 gallons,then rinse out and use a no rinse cleaner.Could the scuff marks be harboring bacteria or can the bleach have leached into the plastic and giving me this issue.

What sort of beer are you fermenting that hot? Most strains will kick out some fusels used in that range.

 

[Briano]

Thanks everbody,I ordered a Brewer's Edge temp controller for my spare fridge,I'll give this a shot.