Help with DMS / Diacetyl

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Hmm. Are they random off tastes in your recipes,repeating in the same recipes?

Hard to say Clint as I do different styles all the time.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

The beers have not really had time to condition so I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re just drinking them too early. Try giving them another couple of weeks and they may be completely different beers - in a good way!

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Have you got a Jim proof padlock lol

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Have you got a Jim proof padlock lol

Just give him a stern look

 

[Clint]

I'm thinking what H is saying might be on the money...you need to hit what our old mucka Dutto used to call "critical mass" whereas your have enough rolling stock to allow proper condition, carb,serve. But....I think,looking at my set up of mostly bottling and a few pb''s that the bottles generally take longer. And...you do read quite a bit on people cornie kegging, force carbing and drinking within days with great results.
BTW...I hope Dutto is OK...

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Yes totally agree. Used to use the excuse that we didn't have enough money but now the more pressing concern is having the brewing fridge space to brew more than one beer at a time. Because when there's two of you a keg goes down fast. This is why I'd like a 'Bucket Buddy'.

In my limited experience, my bottled beers take about 7 weeks to fully come into drinkable state.

 

[Clint]

Yes totally agree. Used to use the excuse that we didn't have enough money but now the more pressing concern is having the brewing fridge space to brew more than one beer at a time. Because when there's two of you a keg goes down fast. This is why I'd like a 'Bucket Buddy'.

In my limited experience, my bottled beers take about 7 weeks to fully come into drinkable state.

Now I think we're getting somewhere! Agree...with two at the tap,unless you're H,it's not gonna go far. Well, I shouldn't just refer to H...my stocks are getting low. Last time I fixed it by banging a load of brews out in quick succession...not all went in the brew fridge and none suffered.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

More equipment needed then - this forum costs you money lmao!

Seriously we've been meaning to get a cheap freezer from facebook marketplace, would help a lot.

 

[Clint]

I do my spare brews either on the kitchen worktop or in the garage on a heat pad with the patio furniture cushion bungeed round it.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

We have a heat belt but he has it round his scotch bonnet and spring onion plants at the moment

 

[Leon103]

You could bottle half a dozen of each brew and let condition longer.

One thing I notice is that your beers seem to ferment down pretty low. Rarely so I get to 1.008, and only below that of using a saison yeast.

 

[The Baron]

You could bottle half a dozen of each brew and let condition longer.

One thing I notice is that your beers seem to ferment down pretty low. Rarely so I get to 1.008, and only below that of using a saison yeast.

That makes sense Leon keep a couple of bottles of each brew and try them after a few months to see if the off taste is still there

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

So as my Kolsch has been fermenting for two weeks, I thought it was about time I checked on it and took a gravity, to check the tilt wasn’t lying to me. It wasn’t.

Here is the gravity and a sample. It smells and tastes really strongly of pear, but I think this is the yeast flavour (K97). There are no other off flavours in this one so far, thank goodness!

Now I have to make sure it’s finished fermenting, and then cold crash, clear and carbonate in time for the competition. Going to be a tight one!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

It smells and tastes really strongly of pear…

It’s fine, even desirable, for Kolsch to smell and taste of pear but it should be more subtle than “really strong”, recognising it isn’t conditioned yet.

The pear aroma/flavour is an ester produced by the yeast and is stronger if you underpitch or stress the yeast. It will fade over time but stronger takes longer as they say (actually they don’t!).

Did you pitch two packs of yeast and ferment at the recommended temperature. Of course you could just be sensitive to esters too!

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

I only put one packet in, as the packet said will do up to 30L.

I fermented at 17C until it was halfway attenuated, then ramped up 1C per day until it got to 20C, which is where it's still at. I'm just scared it'll go all the way to 1.000 and I'll end up with bitter alcoholic water. According to the packet, the ideal range is 15-20C.

I only have about 2 and a half weeks left to get it finished and I daren't lager it yet as I'm scared it hasn't finished fermenting. Not sure what to do.

Unless it's horrendous I'll send you one to have a look at for me if you don't mind?

I think the yeast that's still in suspension are making the pear stronger than it will be afterwards.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I only put one packet in, as the packet said will do up to 30L.

I fermented at 17C until it was halfway attenuated, then ramped up 1C per day until it got to 20C, which is where it's still at. I'm jut scared it'll go all the way to 1.000 and I'll end up with bitter alcoholic water. According to the packet, the ideal range is 15-20C.

I only have about 2 and a half weeks left to get it finished and I daren't lager it yet as I'm scared it hasn't finished fermenting. Not sure what to do.

Unless it's horrendous I'll send you one to have a look at for me if you don't mind?

I think the yeast that's still in suspension are making the pear stronger than it will be afterwards.

It will taste different before it’s conditioned. I don’t mind at all if you want to send me one but you don’t need to worry, if the esters are too strong the competition judge will tell you and you can then focus on getting the level right if that’s what you want.

The most important thing though is that you enjoy it, an award winning beer you don’t like isn’t much good to you.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Very good advice thank you HB.

The feedback is the most valuable to me, as I am super critical of my own stuff.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Well frankly now I'm a bit upset and very annoyed. I honestly don't think my Kolsch is gonna be good enough for the competition

It was supposed be 1.009 and has hit 1.000 - 100% attenuation when it's supposed to have 79.4%
It was supposed to be 4.7% and has hit 6%
Taken it way off style when the actual brewday went fantastically. Damn frustrating!

There must be wild yeast at play somewhere - even though the husband says he thought wild yeast were very slow and it can't have?

Anyway - I'm trying to work out the culprit and trying to fix. First job - my plate chiller. This is the one thing that you can't be 100% sure is perfectly clean. I'm current recirculating boiling water through it (several times) and then it's going in the oven for ten minutes, after which I'm gonna recirculate again. Everything else coldside is getting a milton soak before the next brewday.

Here is a pic of the culprit! I'm crashing it now for a week and then going to transfer it over and clear / carbonate. Hopefully it won't be a tipper in the end!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

If you do have some unwelcome beasties they can hide in the void around the ball in a ball-valve. The void is only accessible when the tap is part open which is how they get established. While you’re focussed on a deep clean it might be worth treating this area too?

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Will do H.