How Do You Rack to Avoid Sediment?

[ultravista]

Do you get off flavors if sucking up the sediment?

All of my brews have a very similar flavor, more pronounced when burping. For the life of me, I cannot figure out what it is.

I ferment @ 60 degrees (f) for a minimum of two weeks then bring up the temperature to 70 for another two weeks. I rack into a keg (and see some sediment transfer) and the same off flavor is always there.

The kegged beer in a glass is clear and doesn't look yeasty.

My water is filtered through carbon and I use camden to drive off the clorine/cloramines. No matter what I do, the same flavor is persistent. Not necessarily a bad flavor, just one that I cannot pinpoint.

I can only assume it is some of the trub off the bottom.

[spiderwrangler]

Any description for the flavor you get? Has it always been there, or just more recently?

[ultravista]

I want to say it slightly tart and there when I burp. Not the typical taste that I have read about through a ton of beer off flavors; at least not the common ones.

It is tough to pinpoint cause the flavor is subtle and in the background. Yes, in every beer.

It could very well be just a homebrew taste - I don't know anyone here in town that brews to sample theirs.

[ultravista]

I am totally rethinking this ...

When I transfer the boiled wort from the kettle (Sanke), I am transferring all but a few ounes left at the convcave bottom of the keggle - hot break, all the settled protiens, and the rest of the gunk that forms during the boil. The keggle dip tube is practically centered and draws everything.

I do mash in a voile bag so the pre-boiled wort is clean and free of any grain or other mash material. I also use .2 micron filter bag for the hops. Again, there is no debris in the work other than the flocculation of proteins/polyphenols in the boil.

So in summary, hot break material is transferring to the carboy.

Could this be the root of my off flavor problem? What are the effects and taste of hot break in the fermenter?

Again, it is not that bad, but it is noticable to me as I taste it in every batch. Most others don't notice it.

[Quin]

Sounds more like a water chemistry issue or sanitation residue.

What are you using for sanitizing? How's your water?

[ultravista]

Water is filtered through carbon filter and treated for Chloramines. I sanitize with Starsan and don't rinse.

[Bugeater]

Water is filtered through carbon filter and treated for Chloramines. I sanitize with Starsan and don't rinse.

How are you treating for chloramines? If you overdo the addition of campden tablets (only takes a fraction of one for 5 gallons) you can get an off taste.

Wayne

[alan_marks]

I concur. AJ Delange has an article on his site ( www.wetnewf.org ) documenting his studies on chlorine reduction. Bottom line, from my point of view, is if you overdo Campden tablets you will get an off flavor in your brew. I had been using 1 tablet per 5 gallons of brewing liquor. That being said, and using his results as a guide, my suggestions are you need to split the average Campden tablet in half, using a pill splitter, then crush it and disolve in 1/2 cup of tap water. Heat this in a microwave for 30 seconds to warm the solution. The heat allows the solution to supersaturate so the tablet completely disolves. For each 5 gallons of brewing liqour (water) I then use 1/4 cup of solution. This equates to a standard dosing of 1 Campden tablet to 20 gallons of brewing liquor. I then add calcium chloride to bump up the Ca and citric acid to drop the pH.
BTW, the off flavor may be the same as oversalting your beer. Try it and see...

Hope this helps,
Alan

PS - Thanks AJ for pointing me to your article. It gave me the insight to how over dosing my water gave me an off flavor...