So I think I’m having an issue kegging. Last pale ale tasted better than the previous attempt. Adjusted water profile. Hit my target numbers throughout brew day. Fermented @ 66° for 3-4 days and then ramped temp to 70° for the rest of the first week. Gravity was stable so I racked into purged keg. Sample tasted great. Cold crashed and put it on gas. Sampled it as it carbed and it developed a sharpness and lack of flavor after a few days. I figured it was just carbonic bite. Let it go a few more days. Thought I would clear out the lines and faucet in case any yeast was left in lines after settling out. About 1.5 weeks in it was really good. Next day or so it had a sharp finish again and lacked flavor. I tried running lines out again just in case and no change. I even tried warming up the sample before tasting. Flavor didn’t return. Tried de gassing the sample and tasting but no luck.
Maybe I’ve been impatient but pitching an active starter, keeping fermentation temps in low end of range, and ramping up temp as fermentation slows should have been enough to keep off flavors at a minimum and let the yeast clean up. I would have been more discouraged if I waited longer and had the beer turn like this. If the sample tasted good post fermentation why not move it to the next stage. I carefully racked into a purged keg and that was the only transfer from primary to keg. I wouldn’t think oxidation would set in that fast. The color didn’t seem to darken or anything. I don’t think it was an infection.
I’ve googled and read other forum posts about off taste after kegging but none of them really point out the issue. I’m using the set it and forget it which @ 40° and 10 psi it should end up in the 2.2-2.3 range. I’m not burst carbing so I don’t think it’s over carbed. I’m at a loss.
Thought I was on the way to better beer but I was wrong. So over the past couple days I’ve been deep cleaning my gear and contemplating hanging up my hat. I still enjoy the process but tired of not seeing the results for the work I’m putting in. Feeling defeated.