Cider Taste In Brew

[bernieszy]

I have been brewing for several months using Coopers larger with all going well then one day all my brews turned to apple cider or some other foul tasting brew.
I use Coopers yeast under the lid, dextrose from bin inn (bulked packed) Bin Inn sells bulk loose goods, not sure of the quality. I clean using bleach 1/2 cup to my brew barrel and other gear the bottles get cleaned in a cap ful. I have used a scrubing brush to clean the barrel since day 1.
Any ideas what my problem is and the best way to get back on track

Bernie

 

[wambesi]

I have been brewing for several months using Coopers larger with all going well then one day all my brews turned to apple cider or some other foul tasting brew.
I use Coopers yeast under the lid, dextrose from bin inn (bulked packed) Bin Inn sells bulk loose goods, not sure of the quality. I clean using bleach 1/2 cup to my brew barrel and other gear the bottles get cleaned in a cap ful. I have used a scrubing brush to clean the barrel since day 1.
Any ideas what my problem is and the best way to get back on track

Bernie

Kit and Kilo's can sometime get that homebrew "twang" flavour.
Alot of this comes back to the age of the can you used, you need to try and get the freshest you can as the cans malt extract can get stale if sitting around for a long while.
Also do you use only dex? If so try using some light dry malt extract in place of the dex (pre-mixed versions are available such as BE2 from the supermarkets) you may well find it should give a maltier taste and better body to your brews.

A few other things that can be done to help with this is steep some specialty grains (not hardly as hard as it sounds), add your own hops (presuming you don't already) and temp control whilst fermenting.

It may have been just a once off bad can, but I used to get that twang flavour abit when doing the simple K&K recipes.

Also you mentioned you have a scrubbing brush for the fermenter, is this a soft bristled one? You dont want to use anything that can scratch the plastic as it can leave areas for bacteria to form, stay and flourish. I use a clean cloth over a rag and if you do have scratches inside it is better to get a new one to save the chances of infections.

Hope this helps!

EDIT: Welcome to the forum!

 

[Pennywise]

What temp did you brew at? Higher temps can lead to these types of flavours, but I think the Coopers Lager comes with an ale yeast so you can get away with 22-24 deg. I would sugest getting a lager yeast and fermenting at 12 deg, thats if you can get that low a temp, I certainly can't

 

[Lobsta]

I have been brewing for several months using Coopers larger with all going well then one day all my brews turned to apple cider or some other foul tasting brew.
I use Coopers yeast under the lid, dextrose from bin inn (bulked packed) Bin Inn sells bulk loose goods, not sure of the quality. I clean using bleach 1/2 cup to my brew barrel and other gear the bottles get cleaned in a cap ful. I have used a scrubing brush to clean the barrel since day 1.
Any ideas what my problem is and the best way to get back on track

Bernie

I got that in my first (and only) K+K. i used a black rock lager. I also made the mistake of using the dry enzyme (never again). I had the same apple flavour, just ask ross, jye or any of the other Babbs members that i subjected to it...

There were several possible causes that they came up with: My pitching temp was WAY too high, so remember that its not just the temp that you ferment at most of the time, the starting temp is most vital, get that down to 18-20 degrees. Second, there could have been a bit of oxidation when bottling, be careful when moving your fermenter to whereever you bottle. personally, i think it could have been a combination of the two, though i like the high pitching temp personally... it wasnt my fault, i was brewing with a mate who just had no respect for the brewing process, even for a newbie i knew that he was screwing the brew up...

Lobby

 

[brettprevans]

why is this listed twice? see here

cidery taste is often referred to as 'green apple taste'. theres a technical name for it but im not about to try and spell it. basically a lot of it come from temps being too high or infection.

I doubt yours is infection based (although you shouldnt be using a scxrubbing brush as that will scour the plastic and leave grooves that bactria etc can more easily breed in). Best get some propoer cleaner also. 1/2 cup bleech sounds like way way too much. im suprised your not getting a soapy sort of taste. bleech is great for killing off anything. but as a regular clean something like nappysan (or elcheapo equiv) is fine or something like starsan (which is no rinse).

Kits are notoriously bad for producing green apple/cider tastes as the stupid kit instructions tell you to brew at too high a temp. normal ale yeast is best around 18C. lager yeast around 12C (a a general guide).

Best to have a read of some of the common FAQ on the wiki.