Fighting an Off-Flavor that I Can't Figure Out

[southtownadam]

Hello All,

I have been fighting an off flavor intermittently for several batches and everytime i think i have it figured out my next batch ends up with the same off flavor. It seems to “change” after i transfer it to the keg. The first day or two it tastes as expected but 3 or 4 days in it starts tasting more and more like a belgium triple. For instance, if a brew an IPA the first day or two and I taste the hop profile I would expect for the recipe, but a few days later most of the hop character is gone and I start tasting more banana and alcohol. I use a single infusion mash and accumash pack, i have been pitching the recommended amount of yeast, and temp control using a Kezer with a Johnson temperature controller. My last beer was the Azzaca pale and it turned out great, but the heady topper clone i just brewed is taking a turn for the worst

Thanks,

Adam

[uberculture]

So it finishes, you transfer to a keg, it tastes fine for a day or two, then goes funky? You didn’t mention deep cleaning the keg. Have you taken apart posts, replaced gaskets, etc? Beer line been replaced recently?

[southtownadam]

Yeah, that is the process I changed last and thought I had finally figured it out. I now break the keg completely down, all fittings and o-rings. Do a PBW soak, rinse, starsan, then CO2 purge the keg before transfer. I also thought it could be the auto siphon or transfer hose so I PBW and starsan those as well.

[gdtechvw]

If it’s happening after you transfer then it has to be either the auto siphon, the keg, the gas lines/connections or the liquid out lines/connections. I can’t remember who but some one on here had a similar issue and it was from beer getting into his gas lines then molding or getting infected. His issues would only show up (that he could tell) on hoppy beers. Good luck and keep us posted.