I've had a run of so- so to bad beer ( extract + steep)...blamed an couple batches on trying filtered/ro water from the machine at the local health store...another on adding maltodexterin before bottling....I recently did an amber wheat and now after a few weeks in the bottle it tastes similar to the batch bad batch I blamed on adding maltodexterin before bottling ..I have 2 bucket fermentors....wondering if they are the issue? amber wheat has a creamy texture and a sweetish/malty/ yeasty off flavor...when i open a cellar temp bottle it foams out quote a bit but only after a minute or two if that makes since....please help!
When to toss the brew buckets?
- Thread starter cjbalough
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What is your bottling set up?
If they're in good shape with no big scratches & the like, you could just bleach-bomb them? You'd be well off doing the same with racking tubes, etc as well. Lots of places for nasties to hide, spigots especially.
Plastic bottling bucket cleaned before and after use - starsan before use. Spigot removed and cleaned each use - stored off the bucket
Maltodextrin is no more than 5% fermentable. It's primarily used to add mouthfeel to a beer. It also adds some creaminess in my opinion.
Wolfbayte
Third Most Interesting Man in his Cul-de-Sac
You may have an Infection somewhere or you may not be conditioning long enough in bottle or ferm temps may be too high. R/O water and maltodextrin are not the cause.
Could be high sparge temp or ph. We would need more info re recipe, equipment, and conditions to help pinpoint.
Cellar temp beer may still gush. It's takes a while for beer to absorb co2 when cold. How cold exactly is your cellar?
How do you sanitize your bottles? How old/clean is your tubing? What's lurking in your bottling wand?
Could be high sparge temp or ph. We would need more info re recipe, equipment, and conditions to help pinpoint.
Cellar temp beer may still gush. It's takes a while for beer to absorb co2 when cold. How cold exactly is your cellar?
How do you sanitize your bottles? How old/clean is your tubing? What's lurking in your bottling wand?
Right now the bottles are at winter room temp 66 to 68...plenty of carbonation. Tasted good before bottling.... Allmost the off tasting beer tasted fine (for warm flat green beer) at bottling.
New tubing for auto siphon and bottling wand...bottle wand gets taken apart and cleaned before and after use.
Fermentation is no less than 3 weeks - usually 4. Some primary only others transfered to secondary. I think all/most of the off batches were primary only.
New tubing for auto siphon and bottling wand...bottle wand gets taken apart and cleaned before and after use.
Fermentation is no less than 3 weeks - usually 4. Some primary only others transfered to secondary. I think all/most of the off batches were primary only.
brick_haus
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I had a similar problem a while back when I used plastic. Switched to using only glass and stainless fermentors and the problem went away.
I work hard for my beer and want to increase my chances for success as high as possible. For me (emphasis), plastic isnt a viable option.
I work hard for my beer and want to increase my chances for success as high as possible. For me (emphasis), plastic isnt a viable option.
If the beer tasted fine prior to bottling, the. The problem most likely is not on the hot side. Meaning, it's not your water, boil, etc.
What are the details of your bottling process? You mentioned the cleaning of the bottling bucket, but what about the bottles? How do you clean and sanitize them? How long are you bottle conditioning? Do you open them at cellar temp, or do you place them in the fridge for a few days first?
Also, how are you deciding that fermentation is complete and it's time to bottle?
What are the details of your bottling process? You mentioned the cleaning of the bottling bucket, but what about the bottles? How do you clean and sanitize them? How long are you bottle conditioning? Do you open them at cellar temp, or do you place them in the fridge for a few days first?
Also, how are you deciding that fermentation is complete and it's time to bottle?
You said you take your spigot "out" and clean it - do you take it apart? They pull apart into separate pieces - often, people don't realize that.
Yep - sometimes it takes a bit of work, but they come apart. I generally try to assemble it all while submerged in starsan when it comes time to use to insure sanitation.
Once it is apart, you will want to give it a real good PBW soak or similar to make sure it is good and clean, before sanitizing and using.
Once it is apart, you will want to give it a real good PBW soak or similar to make sure it is good and clean, before sanitizing and using.
Natdavis777
Well-Known Member
You can always dedicate them to Sour buckets if that is one of your fancys... I use buckets for my sours. Figured if there are going to be places for bacteria to hide, I want the good bacteria...
The rest of my bottling process.
I grab bottles from the basement...pre cleaned/delabled (I've used pbw, oxyclean free, and arm and hammer cleaning soda as bottle cleaner). If bottles are dusty they get a rinse before bringing them up.
Starsan rinse with vinetor but no bottle tree so I do a case at a time and dump excess stars an before filling. Inspect bottles as sanitizing.
I think I'm going to pick up a new fermenter for my next batch. I have 2 now and I marked them for my 2 current batches - if one is bad and the other good I'll have a better idea....if not maybe I had a problem in the bottling bucket valve - no trapped gunk or anything obvious when I took it apart last night though....what has me perplexed is that it isn't every batch. 2 out of 3 for Christmas were good ( a beer and a cider)...but 3rd was bad...and then another later batch with the same (bit more subdued) off taste
I grab bottles from the basement...pre cleaned/delabled (I've used pbw, oxyclean free, and arm and hammer cleaning soda as bottle cleaner). If bottles are dusty they get a rinse before bringing them up.
Starsan rinse with vinetor but no bottle tree so I do a case at a time and dump excess stars an before filling. Inspect bottles as sanitizing.
I think I'm going to pick up a new fermenter for my next batch. I have 2 now and I marked them for my 2 current batches - if one is bad and the other good I'll have a better idea....if not maybe I had a problem in the bottling bucket valve - no trapped gunk or anything obvious when I took it apart last night though....what has me perplexed is that it isn't every batch. 2 out of 3 for Christmas were good ( a beer and a cider)...but 3rd was bad...and then another later batch with the same (bit more subdued) off taste
