Rotten taste...Austin Alaskan Amber Clone

[wstev]

From my notes...

11.29.13
Kit - Austin Alaskan Amber Clone

12:15 Started Wort water boil 5.5gal (apx)
12:38 added grains @ 151F (crystal 40L 1lb.)
(crystal 60L 11oz)
(crystal 90L 6oz)
Steeped for apx 25min(avg temp 155F)
1:05 removed grains and returned wort to heat.
1:15 added 7lb extra pale Extract, then returned to boil.
1:22 added .5oz Cascade Hops
2:07 added Brew Vint Yeast Fuel
2:07 added .75oz Saaz (czech) hop pellets
2:23 Removed from heat
2:26 started wort chiller -205F
100F @ 7.5 min
90F @ 9.5 min
80F @ 12.5 min
70F @ 16 min
60F @ 25 min

2:55 transferred wort to carboy
OG @ 1.050
3:05 Added 1gal bottled spring water @ pitched yeast (white Labs German Ale/Kolsch WLP029)
Added oxygen for apx 2-3 min @ 1/32 setting on regulator
3:35 set controller temp to 62F

12.3.13 set controller temp to 63F
12.4.13 set controller temp to 64F
12.6.13 set controller temp to 65F
12.7.13 transferred to secondary, Gravity @ 1.014
12.10.13 set controller temp to 66F
12.11.13 set controller temp to 67F
12.12.13 set controller temp to 68F
12.13.13 set controller temp to 69F Gravity @ 1.014
12.14.13 Gravity @ 1.014
12.15.13 Gravity @ 1.014, 5oz corn sugar, Bottled 40 bottles 16.2oz, tasted like my best batch yet,

Bottle conditioned at 68F for 2 weeks...tasted it and YACH! tasted like rotten watermelon. And very poor carbonation, only creates like 1/8th of an inch head on the glass when i poured it.

so i gave it another couple weeks(yesterday), tried again, still there. still poor carbonation. doesn't taste sweet...

it tastes like rotten watermelon, then that goes away after a second or two and then it has that distinctive German beer taste.

It doesnt smell foul or bad at all, just the taste...

where did I screw up? Can it be saved?

 

[wstev]

Nobody has an idea as to what happened?

 

[chikincoop]

Did you use something different to clean your bottles? It looks like you nailed your processes, and are detailed, so i doubt it came from the brewday.

 

[flars]

Four days of fermentation on the yeast cake did not give the yeast time to clean up the naturally produced off flavors.

 

[wstev]

Nop. Used same method as always cleaning bottles. I always use star san.

@flars
It spent 8 days in primary ferment. And 7 days in secondary. And it tasted great when i bottled.

Im gonna put it my closet for 3 months. See what happens then.

 

[BillyBock]

Sounds to me like it was something on bottling day. Personally, I wouldn't have stepped up the ferm temps the way you did, but you verified it tasted good and according to your hydro readings, it looks like it fully fermed. Maybe something in your bottling bucket? Did you boil the priming sugar solution? Thats where it points to. Lack of carbonation sounds like dead yeasties. What killed them?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Lopsy]

If you were kegging I'd say it's a bad keg for sure. I've gotten that distinctive YUCK before... Not infected, not an off flavor... Just yuck. So that leads me to agree with the rest and say it is something about how you bottled.

 

[flars]

Could it be this;
White Labs site;
From a small brewpub in Cologne, Germany, this yeast works great in Kölsch and Alt style beers. Good for light beers like blond and honey. Accentuates hop flavors, similar to WLP001. The slight sulfur produced during fermentation will disappear with age and leave a super clean, lager like ale.

 

[wstev]

That actually sounds about right. I think u hit it on the spot.