Time Heals All Wounds?

I have had only one bad batch of beer since I started brewing way way back in May of 2008. It was batch #3 and my understanding of what the problem could be was tenuous at best. The beer tasted like chemicals and was completely un-drinkable (despite the fact that we drank it). I bottled some of that batch for a couple of reasons. I wanted to see if, over time, the beer "fixed itself" and I wanted to have some more knowledgeable people try it and tell me what the problem was.

I did have some beer guru types try it and the problem they identified was in-step with my main suspicion - chemicals in the beer (duh). At the time this would have been Oxy-Clean or One-Step that did not get rinsed thoroughly from some vessel that the beer spent time in during its birth.

I changed my cleaning ritual and eliminated the One-Step, replacing it with StarSan. I also made sure that I rinsed a few more times than I thought was necessary just to be sure. I have not had a problem since.

Until batch #10. Same exact problem. In fact, it is even worse than batch #3. It's like drinking industrial strength glue. I'm not sure what happened, but now I'm sure that what I am tasting is Oxy-Clean. I'm guessing that I was tired during one of the transfers and racked the batch into a keg that I had not rinsed very well. But there is light at the end of this tunnel, right?

Today, with hope in my heart, I grabbed one of the bottles from batch #3. It has been a few months and if the beer could fix itself, it should have by now. I knew that if the beer in the bottle was good, I could just take the batch #10 keg and store it for a few months and it would be fine. No harm done.

But no. The bottled beer, although clear and gorgeous, tasted the same - bad.

So this weekend I will be doing something I have never done - dumping a full keg of beer. I can't even bring myself to con my friends into drinking this stuff - it is just hideous.

Ding Dong the Bad Batch is Gone

There is nothing like having good friends - especially when you have 5 gallons of less-than-perfect brew to get rid of. Batch #3 fought us the whole way, but we persevered and won the day. Our spirits high, we celebrated with a pitcher (or was it two?) of the Weizen - ah so good! Maybe too good as I discovered the next day that, yes, we had all but killed what was left of that keg as well. I squeezed half a beer out of it before it gave up the ghost. Chalk it up as collateral damage.

Batch #3 in Secondary!

My dad showed up on Sunday with a 5 gallon carboy! Thanks Dad! Monday (6/16), I racked batch #3 to it. It is really neat to be able to see the beer slowly clearing. You can actually see in the picture that the beer is clearer at the top as the junk settles out. I took an SG reading as well and it was 1.020.

I need to buy a handle for the new carboy. Handling it without one is scary...

Batch #3 - Violent Fermentation!

Wow. I checked on batch #3 about 20 hours after putting it in the basement and it was going CRAZY! The blow off was bubbling nearly continuously, pausing only every 45 seconds or so. I could also see the lid of the bucket bulging - I was afraid I might have a mess to clean up if the blow off tube failed to handle the pressure.

Another 24 hours and it has calmed down a lot, bubbling every 45 seconds or so.

I'm going to attribute this high level of activity to pitching the yeast at exactly 70 degrees. They must have multiplied like crazy and really got to work under optimum conditions. How does this effect the beer? I have no idea... probably it doesn't. We'll see...

Batch #3

Brew Date: 6/6/2008
Recipe: Brewer's Best American Light Kit
OG: 1.046*
6/16: 1.021
6/20: 1.016
6/26: 1.013
7/01: 1.013 (FG)

ABV: 4.3%

Notes: Yes, they were Sterling hops (6.0% AA) as the recipe indicates, and the yeast is Muntons dry yeast.

*The OG may be off as I read later that you really need to mix the partial boil and the top off well before you will get a good reading. Doh.

This was the first time I have gone through the entire boil and not felt like a tee-pee and a wigwam. I definately feel like I have this part of the sanitation dance down as things went very smoothly.

I added Irish Moss to this recipe (15 minutes before flame-off) to see if it will clear the beer up some.

I also cooled the wort in an ice bath down to 80 degrees F. It took about 10 minutes. I can probably get it done faster, but I need more ice next time. My cold water comes out of the faucet at 60 degrees F, so once I topped off the primary the wort was right at 70. I pitched the yeast, capped it, shook it around a little, and put it down in the basement with a blow-off tube. Easy-peasy.

Lessons Learned:

• Buy a bag of ice 'cause now there is none for my cocktails.
• Stir well before taking OG.
• Continue to not panic.