Beer Gone Off!

[UsernameTaken]

My latest mid strength pale ale was drinking very well after 2 weeks in the bottle. A little thin but super hoppy and very refreshing.

However, it has now all gone to shit at the 4 week mark. The hops are all but gone and it tastes like mouldy cardboard. Which I understand is what an oxygenated beer would taste like, but as I also understand oxygenation could not happen this quickly?

Something I did notice when I was bottling was the odd bit of yeast cake getting pulled through as the fermenter had not sat completely level and the yeast cake was tilted close to the tap.

Could this explain what has happened?

UNT

 

[MastersBrewery]

Infection/oxygenation, tip it and double up on the cleaning sanatising.

 

[GalBrew]

Sounds oxidised, but for it to happen that quickly something has gone very wrong somewhere in your process. Some more detailed info about your entire process would be handy.

 

[UsernameTaken]

I have made this same beer many times and it has been fine!

Brew in the bag in a 40 litre electric urn.

Fermentation with Windsor Yeast in a temp controlled fridge at 18c. Dry hopped at 10 days, cold crashed for 7 days @ 3c then bottled.

As I mentioned I did see some bits yeast cake going into the bottles which does not normally happen?

I am just about to bottle another batch of same today, but am now pretty concerned about screwing it up!?!?!??!

UNT

 

[GalBrew]

How exactly do you bottle your beer? Oxygen has been introduced at some point, if bottling didn't go to plan it may have been at this point. A chunk of yeast cake probably isn't the problem though.

 

[UsernameTaken]

I bottle straight out of the fermenter with a bottling wand.

Fill to the top and cap each bottle straight after filling it.

UNT

 

[Killer Brew]

Something that I do, that in my mind at least, reduces oxygen when bottling is to rest the caps on top of the bottles for half hour after filling before capping them on. During that time you hear the caps burping gas which I believe is O2 being pushed out by the CO2 coming out of the beer after having been disturbed by the filling process. Haven't had an oxygenation issue yet but perhaps this is just confirmation bias!

 

[UsernameTaken]

What do you think about a dripping bottle wand? Could that be causing oxygenation ?

It seems very hard to avoid. It starts of nice and tight but soon starts to drip betweens bottles and is usually a steady stream by the last dozen!

I try pushing the bottle hard against it to tighten it back up that never really seems to work!

 

[Killer Brew]

What do you think about a dripping bottle wand? Could that be causing oxygenation ?

It seems very hard to avoid. It starts of nice and tight but soon starts to drip betweens bottles and is usually a steady stream by the last dozen!

I try pushing the bottle hard against it to tighten it back up that never really seems to work!

I don't think this could be a major source, mine does the same although I have gotten rid of the contraption and just use the tube and the tap to control. I take care to angle it to the side of the bottle a couple of inches from the bottom to promote a laminar flow.

To be oxygenated so soon after bottling would take a major ingress likely caused by a lot of splashing in the fermenter that you would recall. If you can't then I suspect you may be looking at an infection instead.

 

[UsernameTaken]

Thanks KB. I do not recall such splashing, so it looks like it must be an infection!

And I have just bottled another batch from the same fermenter, so fingers crossed I cleaned and sterilised better this time?

The beer in question was pouring a little flat when it was good, but is 50% head now and rising!

Would this also indicate more likely infection than oxidation?

Cheers,
UNT

 

[fcmcg]

Thanks KB. I do not recall such splashing, so it looks like it must be an infection!

And I have just bottled another batch from the same fermenter, so fingers crossed I cleaned and sterilised better this time?

The beer in question was pouring a little flat when it was good, but is 50% head now and rising!

Would this also indicate more likely infection than oxidation?

Cheers,
UNT

Sounds like an infection , to me....

 

[Killer Brew]

Thanks KB. I do not recall such splashing, so it looks like it must be an infection!

And I have just bottled another batch from the same fermenter, so fingers crossed I cleaned and sterilised better this time?

The beer in question was pouring a little flat when it was good, but is 50% head now and rising!

Would this also indicate more likely infection than oxidation?

Cheers,
UNT

If they are gushing then almost certainly an infection. As you say hopefully you got rid of it in the cleaning process.