homebrewandbeer.com

It is probably just me but I am not having a very good success rate. I have brewed probably 12 beers and after a wait of about 3 months with each one, they are all contaminated. I just did a northern rivers fresh wort and that is fine, however all my kit beers have that metallic fizzy taste (disgusting and undrinkable). I do everything expected including washing and sanitizing fermenter, I boil the malt etc, i wash and sanitize bottles, i strip the tap and sterilize it. My last brew was a Coopers Pale ale and again after doing everything right, it is still contaminated. I brew in a fridge with a thermostat set at 20 degrees. I wash and pour boiling water over everything that comes in contact with the beer. I don't know what else to do. Is beer that finicky? With the last beer it tasted great straight out of the fermenter but after being bottled it gets that horrible fizzy taste as described. Please advise and help. All bottles are cleaned with a bottle brush and bleach and nappy san, thoroughly rinsed afterwards. HHHHEEEEELLLLLLPPPPP???????

Are you using malt, or just simple sugars as per kit instructions?
The fizzy taste might just be the cidery 'thin' taste of cane sugar.

What are you priming with and how much?

I've had overcarbed micro beer before that i tipped out. Soft drink fizziness in a beer is plain wrong.

Generally using Coopers Brew enhancer No2 and carbonate with the coopers drops. This time I cut them in half for a stubby and 1 for a long neck.

Over carbonation I can handle but the off taste is terrible.

If there is residue from your bleach, the chlorine in it can react to form chlorophenols. These typically have a taste described by various victims as : "medicinal" or "reminiscent of burnt plastic".

Does this sound like your problem?

If it tastes great out of the fermenter, as you mentioned, then the problem must be in secondary, therefore with the bottles.
Bleach and napisan in the bottles? Is that at the same time?
If you are consistently doing the same thing in the cleaning routine and getting the same results at the end then it would seem that your problem lies there.
Also, did you do something different with your "Northern Rivers"? Why did it turn out fine?
Another point is that I taste my beers progressively...at FG readings...at bottling then weekly after a week in secondary and I take notes of all the tastings till the stuff is really good.
I also treat secondary with consideration and maintain temperature control for a week. Where did you store your"little fellas"?

svyturys wrote:If it tastes great out of the fermenter, as you mentioned, then the problem must be in secondary, therefore with the bottles.
Bleach and napisan in the bottles? Is that at the same time?
If you are consistently doing the same thing in the cleaning routine and getting the same results at the end then it would seem that your problem lies there.
Also, did you do something different with your "Northern Rivers"? Why did it turn out fine?
Another point is that I taste my beers progressively...at FG readings...at bottling then weekly after a week in secondary and I take notes of all the tastings till the stuff is really good.
I also treat secondary with consideration and maintain temperature control for a week. Where did you store your"little fellas"?

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Yes I bleach and nappysan with the bottle brush/washer and rinse thoroughly. I didn't do anything differently with the northern rivers. My latest batch I have gone out and spent the money on the "squirty bottle sanitizer thing" and am using Morgans Sanitizer hopefully this will do the trick. I stored the stubbies in the cupboard with the Northern rivers bottles. I dont rack for fear of infection

Cheers

Yep I use morgans with my bottle washer, one that sits on the top of the tree and don't get any issues.

It might be over the top but once the bottles are draining i put the crown seals in the solution just to make sure.

This just leaves nothing to chance.

I have to confess I take nothing like that level of care with my bottles.

I have about 75% twist tops. I wash the empty bottles, allow them to drain for say a day and then put the lids on and thats it (same for roll tops, its just harder to put the lids on thats all). I take a lot of care with the fermentor (and any thing else used in that process) in terms of sanitation as to lose a whole brew would be catastrophic, but not with the bottles as I don't see the reward for the effort. I've lost 2 bottles to infection (and I'm pretty sure the missus moved these before they were properly drained) out of 1200 brewed so I'm happy with my methods.

It might be slack but it works for me!