jbirbeck
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 10/1/08
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I've done a few brews recently that have ended up witha soapy taste/texture to them. The first was a german pils. All Pils malt, Halertau and Sapphire hops, fermented with 2308 Munich Lager. Initially I would have said it was like burnt plastic (probably from the use of a new fermenter) but it developed a soapy flavour. Did it again as a replacement batch same recipe different fermenter, fresh yeast, no burnt plastic, but slightly off through the ferment...ultra lap hop to try and mask it...hopping hid it a bit but not great.
I no-chill.
Yeast pitching rate - based on the discussions on here about it and MrMalty - way under pitched (by about half)
Ferment temp - def not in ideal lager temp range, much higher - ale temps around 20...
primary - a week
secondary and CC - two to three weeks.
Bottled and left for a month or so.
sanitation - bleach in water, shake shake shake and empty - no bleach smell remaining when hot wort goes into the fermenter to chill.
taste - nice pils initially with a soapy aftertaste. side by side with another brew with the same hops and yeast the pils was very ordinary. A soapy texture is also there. The brew never really cleared either. thats a first for me as well.
Now I've done another batch of a different beer. An English bitter. way overhopped with Sticklebract hops to the point that the IBU's are around 80 due to a mistake by me. taste out of the fermenter seems a bit soapy, texture is a bit soapy as well. Yeast was a repitch of 1026 from another Ale from secondary. I racked off the trub last night, it had been in primary for 5 days and was 90% femented OG was 1040 (same as the pils).
The repitched yeast came from an Ale that had none of the soapy flavours and was tasting fantastic (real test will be on the weekend when I do the first taster)
I know soapy can come from sitting on the trub too long BUT in these soapy beers I've done they've been in primary max a week and then into secondary, and I get very little sediment in secondary... WTF is going on?
Ferment temp is no doubt a bit high - could this be it? getting through the ferment too quick?
There is a lot of trub coming out of the kettle into the fementer - could this be it? - I've done a 50+ brews using the same method trub and all into the fermenter and haven't had this happen before.
I no-chill.
Yeast pitching rate - based on the discussions on here about it and MrMalty - way under pitched (by about half)
Ferment temp - def not in ideal lager temp range, much higher - ale temps around 20...
primary - a week
secondary and CC - two to three weeks.
Bottled and left for a month or so.
sanitation - bleach in water, shake shake shake and empty - no bleach smell remaining when hot wort goes into the fermenter to chill.
taste - nice pils initially with a soapy aftertaste. side by side with another brew with the same hops and yeast the pils was very ordinary. A soapy texture is also there. The brew never really cleared either. thats a first for me as well.
Now I've done another batch of a different beer. An English bitter. way overhopped with Sticklebract hops to the point that the IBU's are around 80 due to a mistake by me. taste out of the fermenter seems a bit soapy, texture is a bit soapy as well. Yeast was a repitch of 1026 from another Ale from secondary. I racked off the trub last night, it had been in primary for 5 days and was 90% femented OG was 1040 (same as the pils).
The repitched yeast came from an Ale that had none of the soapy flavours and was tasting fantastic (real test will be on the weekend when I do the first taster)
I know soapy can come from sitting on the trub too long BUT in these soapy beers I've done they've been in primary max a week and then into secondary, and I get very little sediment in secondary... WTF is going on?
Ferment temp is no doubt a bit high - could this be it? getting through the ferment too quick?
There is a lot of trub coming out of the kettle into the fementer - could this be it? - I've done a 50+ brews using the same method trub and all into the fermenter and haven't had this happen before.