First time for every thing

[Sandimas]

I've just brewed this kit and bottled it last weekend, so it'll be another week before I have a proper sample but a had quick slurp whilst bottling and it was OK.

It was an unusual kit though: I had temp control around 21C and it was the longest fermenting brew I've ever had, the airlock was still bubbling after 22 days (normally lucky if it bubbles after 7). When I went to dry hop it on Day12 it still had a huge Krausen. Experienced brewer here too: 100+ brews over 6 years.

It's worth giving your FV a real good clean and santifise, just in case: I do a clean, then a good clean with Oxy, then santise with VWP and finally a kettle full of boiled water just before the brew goes in. Over-the-top maybe, but I had a series of infections and this process got rid of them.

 

[DoctorMick]

One of my beers developed that nail varnish taste (and smell) out of nowhere after about 4 weeks in the bottle. After another 6 weeks it has subsided significantly although it is still detectable. I'm at a loss as to what the cause could be.

 

[Tanzanite]

One of my beers developed that nail varnish taste (and smell) out of nowhere after about 4 weeks in the bottle. After another 6 weeks it has subsided significantly although it is still detectable. I'm at a loss as to what the cause could be.

Thats what happened to my Festival US steam , tasted ok at bottling then strong Nail varnish taste and smell :-?:-?:-?:-?

 

[Tanzanite]

Just tasted my festival pilgrims hope tester bottle again tastes and smells like nail varnish, this is my second festival kit and both are like this, i am brewing other stuff side by side and its fine. Just the two festival kits i have a razorback to do . it must be the yeasts i Think there vulnerable to temperature change or theres not enough yeast and the ferment struggles, but i used a heater on them set at 20 so should have been perfect , Maybe the strain of yeast. I have never had this in many many years of brewing cant understand it , i will make the razor back and if thats the same , £100 down the sink and never buy another Festival Kit.

 

[DoctorMick]

I'm drinking one of my beers which developed the nail varnish taste and smell, it has now disappeared and it's a decent drink again. I've still got no idea what the cause could have been.

 

[Pavros]

This is weird. I've just ditched a Festival Endeavour prior to bottling as it tasted like nail varnish. It was in the fv for 4 weeks and dry hopped for 12 days. This was a week longer than planned due to work commitments. I couldn't even drink the sample from the trial jar.

I bottled another kit brewed at the same time but in the fv for only 3 weeks. It was beginning to smell the same but the sample tasted OK. This one was a Wilko cerveza with CML kolsch yeast.

I wasn't sure if the smell and taste were due to leaving too long before bottling. Time will tell if I've saved the cerveza.

I don't have temperature control so usually ferment on the cool side with a beach towel wrapped around the fv when it's really cold.

 

[Slid]

One of my beers developed that nail varnish taste (and smell) out of nowhere after about 4 weeks in the bottle. After another 6 weeks it has subsided significantly although it is still detectable. I'm at a loss as to what the cause could be.

My AG steam beer is still basically not nice after 6 months, but I have no explanation over and above the human sensitivity to Chlorophenols. Phenols are an initial by-product of fermentation and any chlorine in the brewing water will attach to these and cause nasty tastes. Chlorine is routinely used to clean out the water delivery networks on a periodic basis. So if it is chlorine day on brew day....

Oh well - only one 2l botlle staring at me and daring me to gulp it down one day.

 

[Pavros]

If you treat your water with a campden tablet, shouldn't this remove the chlorine or is this additional chlorine being flushed through the system?

 

[Tanzanite]

seem like the festival kits are susceptible to this ??s i will make the Razor back with bottled water and see

 

[Tanzanite]

After dumping my second Festival kit in a row i have emailed Ritchies and explained the problem, I await there reply, i think its the yeast type , ??????????

 

[Steved53]

I would guess a yeast susceptible to high temperature.

I imagine few of us know the exact temperature in the vessel at the height of fermentation. That is something that I would definitely like to get sorted out. I had a run of undrinkable or barely drinkable beers, and so I have recently taken to fermenting in my cellar at 15* C. The temperature doesn't vary in there, so the max in the vessel should be no more than 17 or 18.

I normally only use SO4, and I have heard of others having problems with SO4 when fermented towards the higher end. I split this batch between SO4 and Danstar London ESB. They both turned out fine, but the London brew tasted really great and I will definitely be using it again. I had no issues with fermenting at this lower temperature, and the process didn't appear any longer than normal.

 

[Tanzanite]

I would guess a yeast susceptible to high temperature.

I imagine few of us know the exact temperature in the vessel at the height of fermentation. That is something that I would definitely like to get sorted out. I had a run of undrinkable or barely drinkable beers, and so I have recently taken to fermenting in my cellar at 15* C. The temperature doesn't vary in there, so the max in the vessel should be no more than 17 or 18.

I normally only use SO4, and I have heard of others having problems with SO4 when fermented towards the higher end. I split this batch between SO4 and Danstar London ESB. They both turned out fine, but the London brew tasted really great and I will definitely be using it again. I had no issues with fermenting at this lower temperature, and the process didn't appear any longer than normal.

it will be interesting to see what they come back with, people seem to have had strange fermenting behavior with these kits ???:thumb:

 

[Tanzanite]

Heard nothing from Ritchies in answer to my questions so far , I will leave it a week and if they ignore me phone them.