Glass vs PET vs mini keg issue

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slomartin

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Hi,

I've recently brewed up a batch of DLB's Cascade Ordinary, only change being I added some cascade into secondary in addition to the cascade called for in the recipe. Brewing and fermentation went without a hitch, no stuff ups and it came out absolutely delicious. After secondary, I then batch primed it all and bottled some of it into flip top glass bottles, some of it into PET bottles that had previously held sparkling mineral water and some of it into a 5 litre mini keg, all going from the same bottling bucket.

It was then left in the dark and warm for another 3 weeks. The glass bottled one was delicious, with a heady hit of cascade aroma when poured. The PET bottled one was drunk a day later, and was much the same (given that it didn't go head to head on the same day as the glass bottles, it's hard to be absolutely certain) and as far as any of the drinkers could tell there was no difference to the PET bottled one. lots of aroma, heady and delicious.

However, we then moved on to the mini kegged one. Beer poured out through the wee tap at the bottom, under gravity. And here's the thing, it was still delicious beer, but there was absolutely no cascade aroma wafting around anywhere. still a very good bitter and all, but almost all of that aroma was gone. I emphasize the beer wasn't off, it hadn't spoilt or been noticeably infected with anything. it was still very very good to drink, just most of the aroma had mysteriously disappeared.

So what happened? Given the standard mantra of PET allowing oxygenation and being clear so allowing for light strike, I'd assume the worst of the batch would've been the PET bottles (well, OK, it hadn't really been left alone long enough for oxygenation to become an issue i'd assume, nevertheless). And the best should come out of an inert steel keg? What am I missing? Once again, all the bottles and the keg came from the same batch, and had generally been exposed to the exact same conditions throughout their lifetime and were then consumed a day apart. Stored in the same fridge at same temps right up to serving.

yes, I realize the most obvious solution is "just stick to glass bottles from now on", but I'd like to get to the bottom of this. and figure it out because I've still got a couple of those kegs kicking around and they make for a decent enough present to non-homebrewers on occasion and I'd like to make sure that what they get in it is as good as I can make it.

thanks,
martin
 
any speculative theory or guess would be welcome. could it be the iodophore in it? i've thought about oxygen, but when i opened the mini keg it was solidly pressurized, so would've thought no oxygen got in plus it was gently bottled just like the bottled stuff, so don't really think it was during the bottling itself... anything? anybody?
 
Wild guess. You bottled the keg last and the hops you added were stratified and the last bit didn't have any dissolved aromatics.

Less wild perhaps - headspace in the keg, trapping the aromatics along with the gas pushing the beer.

Most plausible one, keg pressure is too high and is driving off the aroma as soon as you are pouring it.
 
Hmm, fair point, can't remember where in the order of things the keg went, but would be guessing somewhere in the middle as per "this is for a present, don't want the dregs, but just in case don't want the first drops either".

pressure, this is an, umm, wossname, not a corny style keg, just a 5l mini barrel shaped container, the pressure in it is basically what came from carbonating it. headspace wise, the 5l minikeg had a roughly 1cm headspace over a 15cm diameter of the keg, so say 5l of beer with a headspace of 0.04litres?

any of that help anybody?
 
Well, then, guess you are naturally carbonating it.
From memory, you need to use less sugar to prime a keg than the equivalent amount in bottles. Did you perchance carb it all just the same?
 
Yes, naturally carbonating it, and yes, it did all come from the same batch primed bottling bucket. Didn't really think the yeastie beasties in the beer would care about being in a 5 litre "bottle" or a 1 litre bottle. Cracking the thing open did give us a bit of a squirt, but the tiniest bit and while it had a respectable head on it, it didn't really feel overcarbed. which isn't to say it wasn't, though.

thanks!
 
When you opened the bottles you released the gas in the head space. Maybe this contained all the nice aromatics.

When you poured from the bottom tap of the keg, and you didn't release any head space gas. It is still at the top of the keg.

A possibility?
 
There is a possibility that you had some sort of infection in the keg, probably wild yeast. It may be below your taste threshold but enough to affect the aroma.
 
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