Tang! Theres Tang In My Beers.....

[c0z]

hi,
i have a problem (no its not a drinking problem!) it seems that my beer tastes fine before bottling/secondary (i use carbonation drops) they seem to make the beer tangy i have used different brands and still get the same result i doubt it is the carbonation drops as they are just sugar (dextrose?) and i am cleaning/sterilising the bottles with a brush and pink stain remover (beercraft brand) lots of rinsing with cold tap water
i use sodium metabisulphite for sterilising an removing smell of previous brew from the fermenter.
Are my beers just not old enough?
my first couple brews are 2 months old (bottled 6 weeks ago 2 weeks under 100watt globe in an esky mid 20 degrees 2 weeks in the dark and cold 11 degerees pantry, 1 week in fridge about 4 dgrees then into my beer glasses) they have head (when poured fast) but not much retention and taste a little sweet i think that is what the tang is...............do these carbonation drops take a while to ferment out? tang gets better with age but basically unless your hell keen these beers are barely drinkable at 10 weeks since conceived?

any help would be greatly apprecaited.

 

[warrenlw63]

c0z

Your forum etiquette is something to behold? :blink:

Sounds like cidery flavours. How much sugar are you putting in your beer? If you're doing the standard kit with a kilo of sugar this could be what you're encountering.

You may need to post more specifics of your processes methinks and less vulgarity. :unsure:

Warren -

 

[c0z]

sorry been drinkin since i got up this morn (<------ joke here)

beers before bottling taste good but flat obviosly (not cidery)

i have done 4 kits
coopers larger + 1kilo cooper brew enhancer
mortons old + 1 kilo dextrose <---- main offender for bad taste
mortons draught + 1 kilo NO.40 brewcraft
beermakers munich larger + 1 kilo brewenhacer
2 cans MSB two row larger (still fermenting tho)

 

[bradmcm]

sorry been drinkin since i got up this morn (<------ joke here)

beers before bottling taste good but flat obviosly (not cidery)

i have done 4 kits
coopers larger + 1kilo cooper brew enhancer
mortons old + 1 kilo dextrose <---- main offender for bad taste
mortons draught + 1 kilo NO.40 brewcraft
beermakers munich larger + 1 kilo brewenhacer
2 cans MSB two row larger (still fermenting tho)

[post="77048"][/post]​

Probably a combination of things, but the main offender
is the very high proportion of sucrose or dextrose.
The age of the liquid extract can also play a part.

And while you are reviewing things, don't use the metabisulphite.
It is useless as a sterilant.

 

[pint of lager]

Coz, please read the forum guidelines, as highlighted in pink at the top of the page. Then take the time to edit your first post in this thread.

Back to your brews.

If the flavour is coming through after fermentation is complete and getting stronger as the beer ages, you have an infection sneaking through. Make sure, every surface that comes into contact with your brew is cleaned and sanitised. Pull the tap out, clean the insides and threads with an old toothbrush, also the thread area that the tap screws into, pull the grommet out and do this as well.

Brad's and Warren's advice is excellent.

Another culprit of tang is too high a fermentation temperature. This needs to be around 19-21, not up to 28 as some tins of extract say.

 

[Wortgames]

I'd vote for infection too, but I'd also want to eliminate those carb drops from suspicion. Remember that anything added to the bottle will have its flavours 'trapped', so ideally you want to use malt or at least a really pure sugar like dextrose. If your carb drops contain cane sugar that could be a factor, especially if your palate is sensitive to it.

As for infection, when in doubt, get a new fermenter - it never hurts to have a spare or two, they are cheap enough to buy, and they can really harbour the beasties. I've had lambic fermenters soaking in bleach for weeks and they still produced sour beer.

 

[c0z]

so hopefully my MSB will not have the tang? (no sucrose or dextrose)

and the rest of the kits are brewed via instruction..........does this mean i should just cut down the 1 kilo of what ever sugars i am to use down too say 750 grams?

i use household bleach before then metabisulphite

 

[warrenlw63]

c0z

Just use the bleach and rinse well with hot water afterwards.

Replace the bulk of your sugar with some malt extract. This will improve your beers somewhat. Make sure you clean all your gear carefully too.

Warren -

 

[bradmcm]

Ideally you want as little as 0-15% sugar with those sort of kits.
Sugar just produces alcohol and dries the beer out, no flavour at all.
Most HB stores sell a "Brew Booster" or other modification kit that will
improve the beer.
Then you can get into adding grains and hops and you are on your way.
PoL made a very good observation about fermentation temperature as well.

 

[Steve]

coz - replace the kilo of sugar with liquid malt instead.
The MSB should be fine.
Does the morgans draught have the same tang?
How long ago did you bottle your brews?
With the bleach and metabisulphate make sure you rinse, rinse and then rinse again.
From memory are you in Canberra? If so ask Col at Brew Your Own at Home in Kambah for a pre-mixed bag of "The Right Stuff" - use this instead of sugar as an alternative
Cheers
Steve

 

[c0z]

brad mcm : my tins are fresh

pint of lager: the bad flavour is after bottling and carbonation drops but the bad taste is becoming less apparent the longer i wait (the beers in question are only 4 - 6 weeks old since bottling. BUT i have been fermenting at 26 degrees on a beer heat mat (cold climate here canberra) with no heater 18 degrees is where it starts then falling to 13 odd towards end of primary.

wortgames: my carb drops are just pure dextrose im pretty sure. and i am leaning away from infection due to my cleaning and sanitising practise constantly being under my own scruitny. (but i will revise with some help from my local (altough he did sugest the metabisulphite) and buy another fermenter i want a second oneanyway)

only one of the beers is done with dextrose sugar (mortons old) the rest are using those brew enhancers brew boosters half halfs generally all mixed bags and so on, none are done with liquid malt other then the msb (still fermenting tho)

i also rinse 4 + times but i always use cold water? (the fermenter always smells new before i start another beer) (hence the metabisulphite, had a brew i could still smell after bleaching so i went to the local 'in calwell' sold me the meta)

the mortons draught has the taste but its the youngest and has the least amount of tang ATM.

 

[Steve]

coz - take your brews off your heat pad and give it to the cat

 

[c0z]

cheers for everyones help (not just this thread either)

yep heat maybe the issue also the use of canberra over flourided water for both washing and brewing cant be goood i might have to get an urn and some bottled water.

wish i hadn't put the msb down sunday and left it at 26-28 since...

 

[Wortgames]

It looks like you are doing everything right, so scraping the barrel for a couple of other (rather weak) suggestions:

1. If your fermentation is dropping to 13 degrees you could potentially be bottling before fermentation has finished - this would normally lead to bottle bombs (assuming the yeast kicks up again) but it could theoretically also lead to odd flavours in the bottle.

2. Try doing a brew and replacing half your water with filtered / bottled / distilled water - depending on your water supply there could be minerals or chloramines that are creeping up on you.

3. If you are in a homebrew club, get hold of some fellow brewers samples - if they all have the same tang then you are probably hypersensitive to something in your town water or just to extracts (I can usually detect a 'saltiness' in just about every extract brew I taste).

I still reckon that infection is the most likely culprit - when you get another fermenter, get new hoses and airlock etc so you can eliminate everything in your existing system, and see if that makes a difference. It's my personal opinion that there are some plastic parts which, once cursed, cannot be fixed, and they need to be chucked.

 

[c0z]

i haven't yet fermented anything below 18 degrees never had any bottle bombs and i am getting carbonation the tangyness is quite harsh i mean normal drinkers wont drink the stuff becuase of the tang.

but i will go see the home brewers and have a taste and ask some more questions.........

 

[Wortgames]

it's an infection

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

Noticed a Coopers lager in there...these are very "fruity" in taste if you disturb the sediment when pouring.

I'm in Canberra too and would be happy to test taste one for ya!

PZ.

 

[NRB]

The lager would be pretty fruity, and perhaps buttery if fermented at such a high temp.