Not desperate yet, but... things need to get better

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

sulfur/hydrogen/sulfid would be your water coming from the well, you need to add a good carbon filter right before the kettle and change it every year

 

[jeffpn]

Every year? I’d love to find one that lasted a year.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

if only used for home brewing yes but for the whole house no

 

[GFHomebrew]

Mine are on six month rotation.

 

[okoncentrerad]

sulfur/hydrogen/sulfid would be your water coming from the well, you need to add a good carbon filter right before the kettle and change it every year

When I started to take water from the tap before softener I installed a carbon filter too. I have no problem drinking the water either, no odd taste or smell, once it's taken from the tap. When opening the lid over the well and sniffing there can sometimes though be a smell when the water is being pumped up.

As suggested earlier I probably will use water from another source for my next brew, just to see if there will be any difference.

 

[Nosybear]

If you're using water from a municipal supply, dechlorinate it before brewing with it. To do so, get 10 gallons of water, about what you need for a batch, grind a Campden tablet and add it to your water. Split it between the two buckets if you're using 5 gallon buckets. Stir it in well and it will remove both chlorine and chloramine. If you have sodium metabisulfite, a half gram is enough to dechlorinate 20 gallons of water in most cases

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

he's on a well .....try boiling that water on the stove and smell it after, it may change

 

[J A]

The FG of most of my beer is always lower than expected, sometimes much lower.

Although the water is definitely a piece of the puzzle to investigate, this little tidbit jumps out. Buckets and spigots and bottles and all the extra handling that goes along with the process of bottling as well as the extended time at warm temps for carbonating can give opportunities for infections to take hold. One distinct sign that unwanted organisms are at work is FG much lower than the range for your chosen yeast. Sometimes it doesn't take much to produce low-threshold compounds like butyric and isovaleric that can give some pretty objectionable notes - vomit, garbage, sweaty socks, old cheese. If you throw in some possible diacetyl (from low carb temps) that, to me, intensifies anything off-tasting, you could be getting just enough activity to mess things up.

Just as a precaution, I'd add a PBW soak to your cleaning regimen and take apart all spigots and fittings for thorough cleaning.

And brewing a couple of batches with bottled water as a control is definitely a necessary move to help nail down the issue, IMO.

 

[Nosybear]

he's on a well .....try boiling that water on the stove and smell it after, it may change

He said for the next brew he was going to source the water elsewhere. Hence the "dechlorination" lecture. Boiling to remove the carbonates would work as well, trying to keep it simple.

 

[okoncentrerad]

Thanks everyone for all the invaluable advices, I feel a bit better now having got all these inputs from you. To sum it up, for my next brew I will take these actions

Use water from another source or possibly boil current water
Take extra care when cleaning equipment and utensils before brewing
Have better control over fermentation temperature
Keep bottles in room temperature for the first weeks after bottling

Not sure yet if I will do a rebrew of one my previous beers to see any difference or to use a proven recipe from a trusted source, thinking maybe ozarks penguin IPA in that case

 

[Mase]

Thanks everyone for all the invaluable advices, I feel a bit better now having got all these inputs from you. To sum it up, for my next brew I will take these actions

Use water from another source or possibly boil current water
Take extra care when cleaning equipment and utensils before brewing
Have better control over fermentation temperature
Keep bottles in room temperature for the first weeks after bottling

Not sure yet if I will do a rebrew of one my previous beers to see any difference or to use a proven recipe from a trusted source, thinking maybe ozarks penguin IPA in that case

I would use water from another source. You’ve already boiled the water you have during your brewday. And definitely, if it’s not already part of your practice, take all fittings and parts apart and clean thoroughly. Every 3rd brew I take all my 3 piece valves completely apart and thoroughly clean and sanitize. You’d be surprised what can be in the valve bodies and pieces. Best of luck and do keep us posted

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

thinking maybe ozarks penguin IPA in that case

Great Beer, go for it

 

[KC]

I pour the wort into the fermenter through a rather dense cloth/filter (scrim ...i think thats the word?).

How do you sanitize the cloth filter?

 

[J A]

thinking maybe ozarks penguin IPA in that case

I'd brew something that's more "transparent" in flavor. One of your lighter English beers or a Blonde Ale will tell you more about how clean the flavor is.If you really want to test your methodology, brew a lager (it doesn't have to take months). When you can consistently brew a light, malty beer that's all clear of any off flavors, you can be confident of any darker or more hoppy beer style.
Good luck!

 

[okoncentrerad]

How do you sanitize the cloth filter?

Rinse after use and give it some minutes in boiling water on brew day... I think I dip it in starsanned water right before use...memory is short

 

[okoncentrerad]

I'd brew something that's more "transparent" in flavor. One of your lighter English beers or a Blonde Ale will tell you more about how clean the flavor is.If you really want to test your methodology, brew a lager (it doesn't have to take months). When you can consistently brew a light, malty beer that's all clear of any off flavors, you can be confident of any darker or more hoppy beer style.
Good luck!

Yes that's a good idea, the off flavour been much more noticeable in the English style beers!

 

[KC]

If JA's on the right track, there are a couple open spots for infection: filter, funnel, fermenter, airlock, valve/drain, filler, bottles, syringe. You're clearly up to speed on general sanitation in your process.

Rinse after use and give it some minutes in boiling water on brew day... I think I dip it in starsanned water right before use...memory is short

Some of these fabrics can be very difficult to clean and sanitize effectively, especially natural fibers. Lots of tiny places to hide and stay insulated from extreme heat.

 

[BoomerBrian]

If doing an IPA try using RO and adding 1g/gal of gypsum.

I would also recommend not using a hop bag during the boil unless you have a very large hop bag that allows them completely expand and have complete loose contact with the wort.

I also wouldn't filter the wort into the fermentation vessel.

 

[Mase]

If doing an IPA try using RO and addin
I also wouldn't filter the wort into the fermentation vessel.

I use a nylon hop filter bag between BK and FV. It gets cleaned, scrubbed, ran through the dishwasher, oxy’d and sanitized.

 

[okoncentrerad]

If doing an IPA try using RO and adding 1g/gal of gypsum.

I would also recommend not using a hop bag during the boil unless you have a very large hop bag that allows them completely expand and have complete loose contact with the wort.

I also wouldn't filter the wort into the fermentation vessel.

Why not filter the wort? Is there a good reason not to, apart from removing a possible cause of infection?