National Homebrew Club Ireland

General Discussions => The Beer Board => Topic started by: dcalnan on June 21, 2015, 11:14:41 PM

Title: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: dcalnan on June 21, 2015, 11:14:41 PM
So I recently posted that I had possibly infected beers but now I'm thinking that the storage of my beers is the issue. I keep them in my keezer which is kept at a constant 8 degrees. But I'm definitely noticing a strange aroma/taste off any bottles I've kept in it. Is there any reasoning behind this or is it all in my head.
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: Leann ull on June 21, 2015, 11:26:11 PM
Can you describe the taste aroma a bit more?
My keezer was a pain in the hoop and stank until I installed a portable dehumidfier to get rid of excess moisture as unlike a fridge there is no drain at the back for condensation
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: auralabuse on June 21, 2015, 11:27:32 PM
Yeah, wonder if it's mold on the outside of the bottles
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: Leann ull on June 21, 2015, 11:33:16 PM
Quote from: auralabuse on June 21, 2015, 11:27:32 PM
Yeah, wonder if it's mold on the outside of the bottles

Could be, does it smell when you lift the lid?

here is what I used
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GO4KB5A?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

I made a keezer as I can get 6 kegs in it but my large 4 keg larder fridge was probably good enough if I am being honest and took up less space.
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: delzep on June 21, 2015, 11:34:03 PM
Put some bottles of your next batch in the fridge and some in the freezer to compare

Simples  :)
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: Leann ull on June 21, 2015, 11:38:25 PM
Indeedy or give them a rinse and wipe and pour directly into a glass instead of chugging from the bottle :D
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: dcalnan on June 21, 2015, 11:48:34 PM
It's hard to describe the smell but most of the beers I kept in it had exactly the same aroma, closet thing would be fecal, I remembered this from the siebel off flavours. I had a mold issue and cleaned the freezer out and put in a small crystal dehumidifier. But some beers had been in the keezer before that problem and some after it was cleaned and the same problem. I'm not going to keep any bottles in it as a precaution and when the next keg finishes I'll clean it again.
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: johnrm on June 22, 2015, 06:56:23 AM
Is the smell off the bottles or off the beer in the bottles?
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: DEMPSEY on June 22, 2015, 12:26:17 PM
When you pour the beer out into a glass does the smell still persist. :-\
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: dcalnan on June 22, 2015, 01:09:12 PM
The smell is from the beer, it's the same smell regardless of what beer, and it overpowers any hop aroma including very hoppy beers life of foam and fury and the full irish. I always thought if there was any mold that the bottle cap would prevent anything getting into the bottle itself.
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: johnrm on June 22, 2015, 01:26:02 PM
That is really strange.
Caps are airtight otherwise beer would not keep.

You say this is a keezer, Have you a collar on it? Pics?
Has anyone else noticed this smell?

Have you any Pliny the Elder left? I think you should give me 2 of those to test, if put 1 in your stinky fridge and 1 in your regular fridge.
I'll PM my address for the Courier  ^-^
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: Damien M on June 22, 2015, 02:33:44 PM
If the smell is from your Beer... its your beer that is the problem, and not the kegerator and if it is in all your beers that you have made, its your brewhouse or process that is introducing the infection. An smell/infection wont get into the bottle from your kegerator. Do you use the kegerator for cold crashing post secondary fermenting... 

Deep Clean or Chuck old plastic kit, fermenters, boiler, tubing, etc. And bleach the hell out of your Kegerator.
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: Frequent Sequence on June 22, 2015, 02:49:37 PM
I agree with Damien M. Unfortunately the dreaded I word must be considered. :(
Infections are no fun.
My guess going by your dicription of fecal off flavors would be a coliform bacterial infection. This usually happens early in the fermentation before the yeast drop the ph.
Do you have an extended lag phase?
Perhaps under pitching will give the bugs time to infect.
At this point you should take Damiens advice and trash your plastic and deep clean the rest.
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: DEMPSEY on June 22, 2015, 03:32:14 PM
Have to agree with the lads. The infection is in the brewhouse somewhere :(. Hold on to the dodgy beer and after a decade introduce a new style of Belgeorish style >:D
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: dcalnan on June 22, 2015, 03:34:44 PM
It's not my own beer is the problem but beer I've bought from the offie. Only had one bottle left in fridge so I'm going to keep my beer in a different fridge from now on.
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: johnrm on June 22, 2015, 11:11:14 PM
Offer still stands on Pliny the Elder...
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: dcalnan on June 22, 2015, 11:54:07 PM
I was only able to get my hands on one bottle, I've a friend heading to California soon might ask him to bring some back. I'm also hoping the only bottle I have left in the keezer is ok, it's a 200 fathoms, hopefully the wax will stop any chance of ruining it. Don't worry I took it out yesterday. And I'm going to bleach everything inside it and find some better mold prevention.
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: Sorcerers Apprentice on June 23, 2015, 07:58:05 AM
Quote from: dcalnan on June 22, 2015, 03:34:44 PM
It's not my own beer is the problem but beer I've bought from the offie. Only had one bottle left in fridge so I'm going to keep my beer in a different fridge from now on.
It might sound simple but could it be your glassware? If glasses are stored stacked any condensation/dampness will create a smell which will come through on any beer. Have a good sniff of your glasses and dump any dodgy ones
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: Taf on June 23, 2015, 10:40:29 AM
I really can't see how a smell in a fridge could affect the inside of a sealed bottle. Had a family function recently, and someone decided to precariously balance a tray of devilled eggs inside my kegerator, which promptly fell off, and weren't found by me until I came back from holidays. The stench was quite something, and stank out the whole shed if I just opened the door. It took me another week to actually clean it out, and in the meantime I drank several bottles of beer, and there was no taint to them at all.
Title: Re: Fridge affecting bottled beer?
Post by: LordEoin on June 23, 2015, 11:53:46 PM
Stop pooping in your bottling bucket.
And bring a bottle from a few different batches with the off flavor to the next meet so that we can taste them all and identify the common off-flavor.