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phildo79

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I made a pale ale and after a week, fermentation looked to be finished (US-05 yeast) so I kegged. I had a taste and there was a funny twang to it. It is something I have tasted before when tasting room temp beer just before kegging so I wasn't concerned. A day later, with the keg chilled, it was still there. Next day, still there, albeit less so. But it never went away.

It annoyed me so I took the keg out of the fridge (last Friday) in case it wasn't fully fermented. I noted the psi and the next time I checked it, it had shot up 10 points. I vented it back down to serving psi and the needle started rising quite quickly right in front of me. In fact I did the same today and it has shot back up to 20 psi. The weird twang has gotten worse.

I think I have read just about every off flavour that has ever been recorded in beer and can't assign one of them to it. I can't even describe it. My wife says she smells and tastes coffee but I am not getting that at all.

So the weird twang is one thing. The other is that it is still fermenting after a total of 12 days at room temp. I have used that yeast a lot and this has never happened before. Could it be hop creep? Is the twang because it isn't fully fermented? Can anyone describe what the twang of such a beer is?
 
I’d be leaning towards some sort of infection. Might be worth a deep clean of everything?
 
I fermented it under pressure and it was supposed to be set at 25 psi but it actually ended up closer to 30. I was wondering if the extra strain on the yeast could have produced an off flavour but I don't see how that would now make it keep on fermenting.
 
I'm sure I read on a pro brewer's forum that US-05 was causing off-flavours but more ethanol/high alcohol taste.
 
I fermented it under pressure and it was supposed to be set at 25 psi but it actually ended up closer to 30. I was wondering if the extra strain on the yeast could have produced an off flavour but I don't see how that would now make it keep on fermenting.

Just dont do this and certainly not at that level thats at the high end of force carb pressure, I am not surprised the yeast wasnt too happy at this. Unless you are in a hurry to drink your beer once fermentation is complete I dont see why anyone would be fermenting under pressure. I have worked in a few breweries whilst doing my diploma and not a single one would ever ferment under pressure. Your FV will have a headspace full of CO2 so why the need for pressure. You are better served ensuring your transfer process minimises any oxygen contact
 
Only a week left!
Just dont do this and certainly not at that level thats at the high end of force carb pressure, I am not surprised the yeast wasnt too happy at this. Unless you are in a hurry to drink your beer once fermentation is complete I dont see why anyone would be fermenting under pressure. I have worked in a few breweries whilst doing my diploma and not a single one would ever ferment under pressure. Your FV will have a headspace full of CO2 so why the need for pressure. You are better served ensuring your transfer process minimises any oxygen contact
I figured it might be ok since there were less than 5 psi of a difference. Whilst that might be the cause of the off flavour, it surely doesn't explain the crazy amount of co2 that is still being produced.

Another thing of interest is that I had the batch split into two kegs. The one at room temp is producing co2. The one in the fridge is not. If an infection can produce co2, is that production dependant on temperature?
 
99% bacteria infection, with a transparent fermenter it is possible to see it happening, the yeast doesn't floculate properley. The bacteria is converting sugar so will still produce co2. The gravity will keep dropping also.
 
well room temperature yeast assuming its ale yeast may still be active, did you confirm that via gravity readings your fermentation was complete?.

To be honest I dont quite know what it is you are trying to do. I use Tilts to save on sample wastage and so can monitor my gravity at any time (they are about 70-80 quid and worth it). Once I am sure its done I will cold crash and dry hop I dont want yeast activity once I put hops in so it will sit for 3 days at 2degrees then I transfer to kegs and keep chilled yeast will be dormant at this temp and after carb in the keg is finished I drink. I dont know why you would be leaving a keg at room temp unless you were using sugar to carb it again something I also wouldnt recommend as with CO2 bottle and regulator you can accurately control how much is going into beer
 
I use Tilts to save on sample wastage and so can monitor my gravity at any time (they are about 70-80 quid and worth it).
Just a quick aside. I have been looking at getting a Tilt. They seem like an awesome bit of kit. Where did you purchase yours from? All the ones I have found are fairly expensive. Around the £100-£130. Fine for a normal pay check. But right now I am on furlough and counting the coppers 🤣
 
Just a quick aside. I have been looking at getting a Tilt. They seem like an awesome bit of kit. Where did you purchase yours from? All the ones I have found are fairly expensive. Around the £100-£130. Fine for a normal pay check. But right now I am on furlough and counting the coppers 🤣
ah sorry mate, I bought mine couple of years ago and if I remember it was about 110 Eur I live in Germany (am Scottish but been away from UK for 21 years) looking at my supplier now they are asking 148Eur about 100 quid it is the newer version 2 so I guess better. Look its a good bit of kit but by no means a must have if on a budget just add a little bit extra to grain and volume to offset loss from gravity sampling until such time as its affordable. Beer Bug I believe is an alternative but no idea how it works or the cost or if its actually any good also some others reviewed here

 
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ah sorry mate, I bought mine couple of years ago and if I remember it was about 110 Eur I live in Germany (am Scottish but been away from UK for 21 years) looking at my supplier now they are asking 148Eur about 100 quid it is the newer version 2 so I guess better. Look its a good bit of kit but by no means a must have if on a budget just add a little bit extra to grain and volume to offset loss from gravity sampling until such time as its affordable
It’s all good.
I just thought there for a moment that you had found a supplier that was doing them for a very good price. I can wait. Definitely a want and not a need. 😂 My Refractometer and hydrometer have been serving me well enough thus far.
Thanks though
🍻
 
well room temperature yeast assuming its ale yeast may still be active, did you confirm that via gravity readings your fermentation was complete?.

To be honest I dont quite know what it is you are trying to do. I use Tilts to save on sample wastage and so can monitor my gravity at any time (they are about 70-80 quid and worth it). Once I am sure its done I will cold crash and dry hop I dont want yeast activity once I put hops in so it will sit for 3 days at 2degrees then I transfer to kegs and keep chilled yeast will be dormant at this temp and after carb in the keg is finished I drink. I dont know why you would be leaving a keg at room temp unless you were using sugar to carb it again something I also wouldnt recommend as with CO2 bottle and regulator you can accurately control how much is going into beer
Does carbonation affect hydrometer readings? Last time I took one it was well off what I was expecting. I don't usually bother since switching to a pressure FV about six months ago. The fact that I can see what is going on tells me when it's done. I know that isn't exactly accurate but US-05 normally does the job in 4 or 5 days, I dry hopped on the fourth day and left it for another 3 days. There really was no sign of activity. And yes, I know there probably is still a little bit going on. I just couldn't figure out the twang so thought perhaps the beer wasn't quite ready, hence removing one from the fridge to see what happened. But the one I removed from the fridge went off like a rocket for 5 days straight. I put it back in the fridge last night and checked the psi this morning. It had jumped another 5 or 6 points. Very confusing!

Everything will be getting soaked in bleach tonight.
 
Make sure you take apart the posts, disconnects and any tubing that has been used on that fermenter, give them a bath in some bleach too.
 
Make sure you take apart the posts, disconnects and any tubing that has been used on that fermenter, give them a bath in some bleach too.
Yep, took apart disconnects, tubing, spunding valve and taps last night. Taps are a bugger to put back together. Today I have emptied and took apart the kegs. They are currently soaking in bleach. I will tackle the FV tonight. PAIN IN THE ****!
 
Yep, took apart disconnects, tubing, spunding valve and taps last night. Taps are a bugger to put back together. Today I have emptied and took apart the kegs. They are currently soaking in bleach. I will tackle the FV tonight. PAIN IN THE ****!
If those are stainless corny kegs then don't leave the bleach in there for too long because it'll attack the stainless steel.
 
And what would be the consequence of that happening? :oops:
Eventually this can happen:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/hole-in-bottom-of-cornie-keg-due-to-bleach-i-think.597379/
Edit: From John Palmer's How to Brew website:

As with aluminum, the corrosion inhibitor in stainless steel is the passive oxide layer that protects the surface. The 300-series alloys (a.k.a. 18-8 alloys) commonly used in the brewing industry are very corrosion-resistant to most chemicals. Unfortunately, chlorine is one of the few chemicals to which these steels are not resistant. The chlorine in bleach acts to destabilize the passive oxide layer on steel, creating corrosion pits. This type of attack is accelerated by localization and is generally known as crevice or pitting corrosion.
 
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