Found a cause of off flavours in my recent beers

[WarmBeer]

i used to do this but my HLT now gravity feeds my MLT and is up high. The top of the HLT is level with my head when I stand on a milk crate so I was trying to avoid OHS issues by lifting and pouring from a cube. But until I get this hose problem sorted and determine that it is just stagnant water and not the hose itself i will have to do just that.

Please tell me that, in this instance "OHS" stands for "Oh Harden-up, Son", or in the very least, "Oh, Holy Sh%t!"

 

[manticle]

Just wear a fluoro vest when you do it.

 

[eamonnfoley]

Great work, I've been through similar in the past. Always use silicon at anything about room temp, there is no reason not to.

Tasting water is a good practice. Recently I've taken to tasting water passed through a supposedly clean and sanitised plate chiller (hot, then cooled before tasting). Its not easy to get the water going in to taste like the water coming out.

 

[yankinoz]

Bacterial growth is the most likely culprit, and your hose may have caught a rare strain. Tap water contains more or less organic matter that can feed the bugs. Either leave a sanitiser in the hose, as several posters suggested, or store the hose bone dry and sanitise before use.

 

[Edak]

Or just fill the HLT with water from the kitchen. This is what I do. I fill up one stockpot through my Brita filter and while I walk it to the garage I put another under the tap. Fills up in a couple of minutes. Perfect water each time.

 

[Truman42]

Please tell me that, in this instance "OHS" stands for "Oh Harden-up, Son", or in the very least, "Oh, Holy Sh%t!"

Yes it does both of those...LOl Actually I have a re-occuring rotator cuff injury so its hard to lift a heavy container up that high. Could fill with a 5 litre jug but would take ages so thats why I went to using a hose. Front tap is only 7 metres away from the HLT but I wanted to make life easier by filling with a hose instead of having to lift jugs of water up and tipping into the HLT.
But looks like jugs it is until i can sort out this hose problem.

 

[QldKev]

If it was closer I was thinking silicone hose from tap to HLT.
Can you jug water into the mash tun and pump it up to the HLT?
I still think a food grade hose is easiest

 

[iralosavic]

Is this a prevolent issue in home brewing? I've been filling my HLT from a garden hose for ages and not noticed an ill effects... I could just fill a cube twice from the tap or whatever if it's a case of just being lucky so far.

 

[QldKev]

Is this a prevolent issue in home brewing? I've been filling my HLT from a garden hose for ages and not noticed an ill effects... I could just fill a cube twice from the tap or whatever if it's a case of just being lucky so far.

I think the garden hose depends on which brand. I use my garden hose for filling my HLT. I do need to let it run for a while before the water tastes clean, but by the time I've hosed out the HLT, mash tun and kettle, then given them a wipe, and hosed them out a second time I find it's ok for the HLT fill. But in saying that we know the plasticizers in the garden hoses can be toxic, so although I do it, I wouldn't recommend it. I should pull my finger out and spend $20 from Bunnings for a drinking water grade hose.

 

[Maheel]

use a bucket

get a 15L food safe one (HDPE?)

thats what i normally do but i use the hot water tap..... and thats another NO no some say
actually my beer is tasting a bit crap at the moment...

 

[kahlerisms]

What if you ran your garden hose through a 2-stage water filter to fill up your HLT. Would that remove any of that plastic taste? Does anyone do this on their setup?

I bought a two stage filter today to do exactly this.

Shower head removed and converted to garden tap nipple in bathroom closest to brewery. Bunnings "Food Grade' hose from there to two stage water filter -> keggle.

 

[Truman42]

If it was closer I was thinking silicone hose from tap to HLT.
Can you jug water into the mash tun and pump it up to the HLT?
I still think a food grade hose is easiest

I probably could do that, just route the mash return up to the HLT.
But Im failry confident my food grade hose, is actually food grade. During the tests the last vessel I filled from the hose which was the conical flask didn't have nowhere near as bad a taste as the first. So a good flush out before brewing is probably going to do it. I will run another test in the HLT after flushing it out and see how that tastes.
Another thing I might do is leave it connected up to the HLT, so its up high, and running out of the garage and down the driveway so as much water as possible drains out of the hose whilst Im boiling etc. Then at least it might dry out a fair bit.
Failing that I will store it filled with starsan and capped off.

Thanks for the ideas gents

 

[Rowy]

So I shouldn't be filling my HLT with a normal garden hose?! That's all I do... I just water the garden first for a bit to clear it out.

Short answer is no. It will, no ifs or buts, change the taste of your beer. Have a mouthful 100 hrs after and see.