Smoke Like Taste?

[jameson]

Hi all have my first infection one that is noticeable any way. It is a strong smoke like a German rauchbier. This is way of line as I was making a pale ale kits and bits that I have made b4. I have read a bit on the infection but would like to know if it is a air born infection? I do use sodium perc for washing and star san. So I know this is not from poor practice. I did how ever notice the other day when watering my new hop plants that the tap handle had a small leak. Trip to bunnings I think. Will sodium perc vanish this infection from the fermenter?
Thanks Jameson.

 

[jameson]

Hi all after grieving all day I have poured my spoilt beer down the drain and give my fermenter a good hit with sodium perc will repeat tomorrow. Think it is time to get on to the glad wrap bus is there any brand that is tops? Will also replace the tap on fermenter and fixed my water tap.

 

[Wasabi]

Hi all have my first infection one that is noticeable any way. It is a strong smoke like a German rauchbie

This is a curious one Jameson, this isnt a character found with the usual culprits.

A lot of that character come from the phenols produced during smoking, so its possible that it could be a phenolic like character that you noticed.

Any yeast with an active POF1 gene will convert the ferullic acid in your malt to phenolics like 4VG. Alas that usually means wild yeast.

 

[toadskin]

This is a curious one Jameson, this isnt a character found with the usual culprits.

Are you sure you didn't burn the wort during the boil?

 

[jyo]

I know the flavour you are describing, mate.
I had this a couple of times years ago when I made kits and the yeast under the lid failed to fire up within the usual 24 hours. 3-4 days later I would get krausen. Then this smokey and vegemite flavour would develop.
Just wondering- are you sure when you pitch your yeast that the wort is at correct temp? Ie not too hot?

 

[bradsbrew]

Smoky or smoked meat (bacon) ?

 

[Kingbrownbrewing]

mmmmmmmmmmmm, bacon......

 

[jameson]

It was like a smoke taste reminded me of the raunchbier. When talking to Anthony at craftbrewer yesterday he asked if it had like a burnt match taste plastic also. It had them when I started looking for them. I used us05 and it is very strange for me that the taste was so far from what I was expecting. I hope that I have found the source of the infection (leaky tap) and I can vanish it from my brew gear.

 

[jameson]

I know the flavour you are describing, mate.
I had this a couple of times years ago when I made kits and the yeast under the lid failed to fire up within the usual 24 hours. 3-4 days later I would get krausen. Then this smokey and vegemite flavour would develop.
Just wondering- are you sure when you pitch your yeast that the wort is at correct temp? Ie not too hot?

I pitched the yeast at 22 then cooled over night 2 18 were it stayed give or take. When you say you had it a couple of times was that one after the other? Did you have to get rid of your fermenter?

 

[jyo]

I pitched the yeast at 22 then cooled over night 2 18 were it stayed give or take. When you say you had it a couple of times was that one after the other? Did you have to get rid of your fermenter?

No, mate. Still have the same fermenter in action now (about 7 years ago). If I recall, one was from a Tooheys kit. For me, I think it was poor yeast, then infection taking hold. Nonetheless, I remember the smokiness. I even bottled one batch to see if it 'matured'... :icon_vomit:

 

[jameson]

No, mate. Still have the same fermenter in action now (about 7 years ago). If I recall, one was from a Tooheys kit. For me, I think it was poor yeast, then infection taking hold. Nonetheless, I remember the smokiness. I even bottled one batch to see if it 'matured'... :icon_vomit:

Thanks for the reply mate. I have totally hit it with more sodium perc than you would get in your average nappi san container. Hope it does the job and this pale ale comes out as good as the first one. Hurry for wet days this one any as I have had a good morning in the shed and now the Suns out.
Happy weekends all round.

 

[Spiesy]

dragging up an old thread...

I brewed a couple of batches with a mate recently, on his system. The beers exhibited quite a pronounced smokey flavour, particularly in the APA. He tells me he has noticed this strange "fault" on random brews of late...

I just pitched my half of the Wit we brewed, took an OG reading and tasted the sample... I detected smoke. At first I thought it might be the ground coriander seeds, so I took half a glass out and sampled... I am pretty confident it is smoke.

N.B. this is pre-ferment. My rehydrated WB06 had only just been dropped into the wort.

What causes smoke flavours??? Any ideas?

EDIT: these were both AG beers. Not kits.

 

[eamonnfoley]

either some plastic / rubber residue from equipment, or possibly phenolics from wild yeast.

 

[Spiesy]

The same wild yeast found itself into two of his fermenters and one of mine? We're 45mins apart from each other, beers fermented a couple of weeks apart.

It doesn't taste like plastic smoke... more an organic smoke, like a bushfire - and no, I am not in the middle of a bushfire... I hope.

 

[DU99]

do you want chuck the recipe on here...smoke only comes from something thats burnt or has been on fire.like wood

 

[Spiesy]

Recipe #1 - APA

21l batch. 66% efficiency. Step mash.

4.5kg JW Ale
1.3kg Munich
0.3kg CaraPils
0.3kg JW Wheat

8g Summit @ 60
10g Cascade @ 30
10g Simcoe @ 20
10g Centennial @ 10
20g Amarillo (dry hopped after krausen falls)

Yeast nutrient & BrewBrite @ 10mins.

Fermented with US05 @ 18 degrees for 10-days. Crashed for 4.

 

[TasChris]

I have had smokey flavours in my beer before. I hadan immersion chiller connection split which leaked 2-3 liters of unboiled rain water into the cooling wort.
Smokey flavour got worse over time until I tipped the kegs and bottles 4-5 weeks after kegging/bottling.

I am going with a wild yeast too.

I am right next to a bush fire at the moment!!

Cheers
Chris

 

[Spiesy]

Recipe #2 - Wit

40l batch. 65% efficiency. Stepped wheat mash. No chill.

5kg JW Pilsner
4.2kg JW Wheat
1.2kg Torrified Wheat
0.8kg Flaked Oats

35g crushed coriander seeds & 31g orange zest in the boil

61g Czech Saaz @ 60
31g Czech Saaz @ 10

Yeast nutrient & BrewBrite @ 10mins.

Fermented with WB-06 @ 18 degrees.

 

[fcmcg]

do you want chuck the recipe on here...smoke only comes from something thats burnt or has been on fire.like wood

Ah well Steve , that's where your wrong ....
Bjcp beer faults
Phenolic , I'd say...
Infection...
Ferg

 

[Spiesy]

I am going with a wild yeast too.

Just weird though, mate.

I no chill. So I took home an airtight cube from my mate's place that should have killed off ANY wild yeasts and bacteria... I have only just cracked said cube and taken a sample, smoke.

PS: hope you're okay!