oxidation

[Andrewbarnes83]

Hi all,

In nearly all of my all-grain beers so far I have noticed what I think may be oxidation.

I BIAB no-chill and up until now have been glad-wrapping my fermenter and securing it with a rubber band as many people on here do because my fermenter won't fit in my fridge. For the brew I am currently fermenting, however, I have gone back to using the airlock to eliminate the glad-wrapping as being the issue.


What else could be causing this flavour? I am fairly confident that it is oxidation as it seems to fit the descriptions, i.e. cardboardy smell, dulled malt and hop aroma, kinda dry and papery tasting etc.

 

[barls]

how are you transferring into and out of the fermentor?

 

[manticle]

Post fermentation transfer/handling is the most likely candidate if it is oxidation. At what point in the process are you detecting it? How long left at fg before transfer/packaging and as Barls asked - how is that transfer carried out?

 

[Andrewbarnes83]

I transfer the beer using a transfer hose and run it in the keg. The hose I use is long enough to touch the coil around the bottom of the fermenter but perhaps I am running it in too quickly I don't know.

Is oxidation in the cube a possibility as well?

 

[TheBlackAdder]

Transfer and ferment sound fine

Describe the taste you are detecting to make you think its oxidation

Might be something else

Edit: reread OP
It could be the transfer to the cube.
Each transfer step adds oxygen

That said, I am pretty splashy into my FV and have no problems

 

[kaiserben]

I occasionally get a beer that stales way too quickly. I assume due to oxidation. Nothing in my process stood out as a huge issue. In another thread I got a piece of advice that seems an obvious improvement to me now; with your transfer hose at the bottom, turn the tap on the fermenter quite slowly to start. Once the end of the hose is well and truly covered then let the tap go full bore.

I'd been letting mine go full bore from the start and I guess it splashes around a fair bit to begin with.

Dunno how much of a difference it'll make, but every little improvement in process is worth trying.

 

[Spohaw]

Isn't a little puddle of no rinse sanitiser in the bottom of the keg before you fill it from the fermenter ?

Only guessing

 

[Black Devil Dog]

This is how I transfer to the keg. It eliminates pretty much any chance of oxidation.

A couple of other things I also do, purge the keg with co2.
I add co2 to the keg under pressure and when I want to start the transfer I connect the hose to the beer quick connect and connect that to the beer out post, this way it also purges the transfer hose.
Do that before you connect the other end to the fermenter tap of course.

In the photo, I have the lid loose and just resting over the opening in the top of the keg. What I do now instead, is connect a gas quick connect, so that as the keg is filling, air is being displaced. The keg lid fitted in position properly.

 

[fishingbrad]

BDD, how do you go about reducing sediment with that set up ?? I like using the racking cane/ siphon hose so I can take beer from the top. Also purge the keg with co2.

 

[TheWiggman]

If you aren't sure, I'd get someone else to taste your beer and confirm it's oxidation first. A good sanity check.
Assuming it is, after you transfer the beer do you burp the keg? i.e. apply CO2 and open the relief valve for a second at a time, 3 or more times?

 

[Black Devil Dog]

BDD, how do you go about reducing sediment with that set up ?? I like using the racking cane/ siphon hose so I can take beer from the top. Also purge the keg with co2.

I normally cold condition for a couple of weeks, that gets most of the sediment to drop and the tap sits high enough above the sediment..

This batch was fermented with a Saison yeast and I didn't CC it, but it would have cleared over time once the keg was refrigerated.