Infected Batches?

[bierbaron]

Gday, Been a reader for a while now and thought someone could give me a few ideas on this one.

I have two batches of lager in my fridge at the moment, one is an all grain pilsener and one is an old lager kit i had laying around.

This is only my second all grain brew and my first real lager. The problem is that the brews smell quite bad and the ag tastes even worse. Been doing a bit of reading and it seems like the problem is dms through sanitation. The ag tastes like corn/vegetables very strongly and smells like it and the kit does too but to a lesser extent. Ive never had this problem before and this is the first time i have fermented at low temps (8 or 9 degrees). Im sorta thinking theyre infected becuase they are quite repulsive, but im not 100% sure.

Any help would be great, thanks guys this site rocks!

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

Gday, Been a reader for a while now and thought someone could give me a few ideas on this one.

I have two batches of lager in my fridge at the moment, one is an all grain pilsener and one is an old lager kit i had laying around.

This is only my second all grain brew and my first real lager. The problem is that the brews smell quite bad and the ag tastes even worse. Been doing a bit of reading and it seems like the problem is dms through sanitation. The ag tastes like corn/vegetables very strongly and smells like it and the kit does too but to a lesser extent. Ive never had this problem before and this is the first time i have fermented at low temps (8 or 9 degrees). Im sorta thinking theyre infected becuase they are quite repulsive, but im not 100% sure.

Any help would be great, thanks guys this site rocks!

My first Lager I made smelt like rotten eggs whilst fermenting later I found that it is common to smell like that. It seems using lager yeast at low temps as one should gives off that repulsive smell but dissapears once completed. One thing to watch out is that the yeast does not take to long to kick in fermenting, if it takes to long you may leave yourself open to a wild yeast infection as has been discussed in numerous threads on this forum. My rule of thumb now is to use a new/fresh yeast when making an AG. I have lost a number through poor yeast practices. Use the recycled yeast on K&K as these are only around an hour to make, not a whole days work.

BYB

 

[bierbaron]

My first Lager I made smelt like rotten eggs whilst fermenting later I found that it is common to smell like that. It seems using lager yeast at low temps as one should gives off that repulsive smell but dissapears once completed. One thing to watch out is that the yeast does not take to long to kick in fermenting, if it takes to long you may leave yourself open to a wild yeast infection as has been discussed in numerous threads on this forum. My rule of thumb now is to use a new/fresh yeast when making an AG. I have lost a number through poor yeast practices. Use the recycled yeast on K&K as these are only around an hour to make, not a whole days work.

BYB

Ok, so i guess ill just continue and see how they turn out....cheers BYB

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

Ok, so i guess ill just continue and see how they turn out....cheers BYB

As a matter of interest,what type of yeast did you use and how long did it take to kick in. That shitty wild yeast smell and taste I found in mine took over because my yeast took around 24hrs to show any life. Then that could have been wild yeast.

BYB

 

[kevnlis]

24 hours is pretty quick for lager yeast to take off at 8-9C. I would be more worried if it took off too fast!

 

[Screwtop]

24 hours is pretty quick for lager yeast to take off at 8-9C. I would be more worried if it took off too fast!

Kev, depends on the yeast strain, 189 is usually going in 24 hrs, that's why I like it, plus high attenuation.

Cheers,

Screwy

 

[kevnlis]

I may have to give 189 a go then

 

[bierbaron]

The yeast i used i was a wyeast 2308 munich lager, it was a slow starter, i raised the temp a bit just to kick start it and it still took 3 days, it was an old pack and ive been told the older they are the longer they will take to kick off.????

 

[crozdog]

Been doing a bit of reading and it seems like the problem is dms through sanitation. The ag tastes like corn/vegetables very strongly and smells like it and the kit does too but to a lesser extent.

If it is DMS, things you can do to remedy it / fix it in future are:

• Use a long, rolling boil with the pot uncovered (uncovered is essential).
• Reduce amount of pilsner malt (if using continental malts).
• Cool quickly before pitching yeast (no comments re no chill except it works for me ;-)).
• Check for infection.
• Make sure you use a healthy, vigorous yeast starter.

Lagers are different beasts & therefore behave differently. I wouldn't bother tasting samples while fermentation is occurring and not even till I've lagered for a while. Time is (usually) your friend with lagers as the guys have said, sulphur is produced but it disappears during lagering. lagering will remove many unusual tastes & smells. After doing an diacetyl rest, rack to secondary, leave for a couple of weeks then lager as cold as you can get it for as long as you can bear - 1 month min, 3 months optimal IMHO.

If you have got an infection, you can't do much now, but improve your sanitation next time. If it was me, I'd continue to ferment / lager cause it'll probably be alright & it is just fermentation byproducts you are tasting. What yeast are you using? Did you make a starter? how much did you pitch?

 

[bierbaron]

ive read that certain lager strains produce more sulfur than others and the yeast i chose could well be one of them (wyeast 2308). The smell seems to be fading away a bit. THe brew day went smooth as, no problems, so i guess ill see what happens.