I'm Stumped

[hop2it]

Been brewing for the last 5 years & kegging
last brew has me stumped Taste is not off but more chlorinated is the only way
I can describe it
what I did was change my usual safale 04 or 05 with m79 burton yeast craft series
this brew had
1 can sparkling coopers 1kg ale malt 1.2kg cracked grains steeped for 45min
30g mix hops Sylvia Columdus mosanic @10min & at 0min
OG;1050 finished off at 1016 after 2wks in fermenter 20ltr batch
fermented at 22 degrees using heater belt with thermostat
Didn't dry hop because lady at HBS said yeast will bring out the flavours
Must admit I was a bit edgy because it took 1 half days to take off
but the smell from airlock was clean & malty
been in fridge for 5 days & still taste the same
Throw it or let it sit that's why im asking for advice

 

[Truman42]

Do you filter or treat your water at all? Once when i lived in Broome I decided to give my fish tank a water change. Emptied out 10% of the water and topped it back up using water conditioner to remove chlorine. Within 30 minutes most of my fish were dead.

The water corp had given the water supply an extra high dose of chlorine to clean the system or something like that.

They actually paid for all my dead fish though.

But maybe thats what has happened with you and you didnt pick it up until now.

 

[hop2it]

I have a filter attached to my water supply only use for drinking and brewing
got a 40ltr brew coming out today tastes very good I put down 2 days after this one

 

[manticle]

What sanitiser?

 

[hop2it]

i use the super steriliser & star san to spray everything before brew goes down
usually taste my brews every 4-5 days & i picked up this taste in the 2nd week
but know its overpowering the brew
smells good on the nose but the taste is there
Thanks

 

[hop2it]

another thing i did was degas the keg trying to rid odour on top
then turned up and drained off about 500ml from keg
but still there
ive been pretty lucky until now only have had 2 bad batches in the beginning of brewing
that's were ive learnt sanitise everything
Maybe i brewed too warm using this yeast
i really don't know where i went wrong

 

[Droopy Brew]

Is your water filter a carbon filter or just a 1um cartridge filter? The cartridge wont remove Cl so could be a water supply issue.

Or- you didnt mention Idophor but is the super steriliser Iodine based? If so that can do it. I used Idophore at the perscribed levels once and once only. I know some people swear by it but it will give a chlorine smell/taste too (depending how it is used etc.). Well in my experience it did anyhow.

Highly unlikely to be yeast derived if your description of the taste/odour is accurate.

 

[hop2it]

filter im using is a cartridge type plumed into tap
been using the same steriliser system for years
im thinking of removing keg put inside for a couple of weeks
and see what happens
ive got a pilsner type 40ltr coming out today that ive made after this one
tastes pretty nice So i wont be running out of beer thank god
Just that ive never had a brew smelling like beer tasting like pool water
im a lousy typer but im glad i found this site you guys & girls give sound advice

 

[earle]

That M97 Burton Union yeast throws a truckload of esters at 18C, would be even more at 22C. Maybe you're picking up the esters combined with other hop flavours, and confusing that with a chlorinated taste???

Do you have someone nearby who can taste it and give you an opinion? Maybe not the lady at the LHBS because a couple of things in your original post make me wonder if she knows what she's on about.

 

[Topher]

Heaps of funky esters and diacetyl when i tried to do a 1 week ferment at 21c with this yeast.

 

[hop2it]

earle
ive never used this yeast but like i said it took 1-2 days too ferment adout 30cm high
settled out in a couple of days & say on the 5th day took off again nearly over side
handles so about twice as much as first ferment
if i let it sit will it help brew or just throw out
Didn't want to blame yeast but think could be main reason of taste
good thing about posting here most problems seem to have an answer

 

[hop2it]

Topher did you drink it or dump it

 

[hop2it]

sorry not 30cm about 10

 

[earle]

Mine took ages for the esters to settle down even a bit.

Apparently it will ferment a bit cleaner at lower temps like 16 or so but I've been so put off by my first use that I'll probably not use it again.

Its a bit weird that you had fermentation kick off a second time, especially if you had it temp controlled at 22C. Did you add anything to kick it off again? Otherwise, I wonder if there was an infection that did it. Could also be the cause of the off flavours.

 

[hop2it]

don't know earle took a taste when doing a reading after second ferment
say 7 days no probs in but it was about day 10 when in i really noticed a slight
bitey taste coming from brew

and now like i said above taken over brew
might put this one away for a couple of weeks see what happens
if no good ill dump it

 

[motman]

Have u changed your cartridge filter system enough? Activated carbon wears out after a while. The flavour does sound like chlorine and water suppliers will dump big loads in after rain or contamination events to combat ecoli ect. If your filter is weary it may have been over loaded.

 

[Topher]

Topher did you drink it or dump it

Drink your mistakes. So yes, i drank some of it..

It was ok for a few days. Went well at a party but i thought it was a bit wierd....then it turned into a total butter bomb. So I reckon mine might have been an infection.

Does it have a real slick oily mouthfeel?

 

[HBHB]

I've never noticed funky or excessive esters in M79, even when pushed up around 22 Deg. Never seen diacetyl from it either for that matter. It will produce a little sulphur if it's stressed though. Most of the esters are mild fruity notes like pear or fresh cut fruity mixes which settle pretty quickly.

It's usually pretty quick to get up and get busy, finishes off at around day 7 or 8 typically. If you're getting up over 1.040, definitely rehydrate and if you're going over 1.050, think about either a starter or some more yeast. By the time you get to say 1.060, then it's time for a second pack for best results.

If you're getting chlorine like astringency and sure it's actually chlorine causing it, you can always de-chlorinate the water first by mixing in a 1/4-1/3 of a campden tablet crushed up fine and let the water sit for a few minutes after a good vigorous stir.

Hope that helps.

 

[hop2it]

Drink your mistakes. So yes, i drank some of it..

It was ok for a few days. Went well at a party but i thought it was a bit wierd....then it turned into a total butter bomb. So I reckon mine might have been an infection.

Does it have a real slick oily mouthfeel?

No Topher not oily at all
after reading all the advice im going to put it down to
my taste buds dont agree with the m79 yeast
or ive got an infection late into brewing which after
back tracking everything can only be the fermenter
used fresh grains malt filtered water made a starter for this brew
finally got around to kegging a 40ltr brew from another fermenter and all good
ive taken out of fridge try again in 2 weeks & if its a kidney slapper ill turf it

 

[hop2it]

Just a quick update with this brew
Put back in fridge after nearly a month sitting in keg
opened the tap and got a beer with the thickness of pure orange juice
Still cant describe taste its drinkable but not for me
This one going to the fruit trees
Put down a 40ltr ale yesterday in a 50ltr fermenter got up this morning
and shes blown through airlock overnight using the above ingredients x2 size
used 2 packets of notty yeast
Thanks again to all who replied