A few months ago I posted about a dry hopped (in the keg) IPA that had a distinct soapy flavor. At that time there were some suggestions, but nothing conclusive. Fast forward to the beginning of this month. I made a German Ale which was featured at the local PBS brew fest… tasted great. Didn’t quite finish it and took it home. Sat in the keggerator waiting for a tap to open up which happened last week. Hooked it up and started drinking it… Af few days ago…SOAPY FLAVOR!!!
So, did some research, and (in a testament to the importance of good record keeping) it was in THE SAME KEG! (Yes they are numbered and the number is entered in the log…) Unfortunately it was right about that time that I numbered the kegs, and started keeping track of them, so I don’t know if it was the first use for that keg or not. It is keg # 6 and it was batch # 18, so there is a chance that it was the first use for that keg…
Interesting note is that there were no shared ingredients between the two batches, other than my water.
This barrel is in for a serious cleaning… will report back to see if I find anything.
And now for the kicker…
Some of you that have enjoyed the good herb know the feeling. You’re walking around somewhere, not thinking about anything, when suddenly you get a whiff…WHAM! Sensory bells and whistles go off LOUD…
Just so, I am very sensitive to the soapy flavor, and when it appears I jump… Well the other day I was sitting in a bar in LA enjoying a brew, when suddenly halfway through the beer (insert horns, bells and beepers) SOAPY FLAVOR… in a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale?
??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
There is a distinct possibility that there is nothing wrong with my beer, but everything with my olfactory senses… :o
Someone is going to ask: Did anyone else notice it? This is a tough one. If I give you a beer and ask:“Does it taste like soap?” I’m setting myself up. So I did give the IPA to a few buds, and kinda said…“I’m not sure about this one…what do you think?” and got replies in the “Tastes fine” category…
My kegs are numbered; so are the lids and that’s so i can match them up. However, I never log what keg is used with what batch. Not a bad idea, just not something I’d ever remember to do.
OK folks… appreciate the keg labeling wisdom, but we were talking about SOAPY FLAVOR here… anyone have anything to add? Tom? Gordon? Kai? I know, all tied up in post San Diego fog…
5 gallon batch (only one fermenter that way so no additional parameters)
simple, 2 row, single hop brew, just bittering no flavour or aroma US05 or similar neutral yeast. when it’s done split it into two kegs, the suspected ‘soapy’ one and one that has been identified as not ‘soapy’
low gravity 1.032 or something so it will ferment quickly, you should know if its the keg in a couple of weeks.
I think you’re taking the right approach. The same keg, same odor, different ingredients . . . sounds like contamination to me. So clean it as best you can and see what happens with the next batch. And maybe do more of that first soapy batch in another keg.
Would have done the keg cleaning today, but had to clean up the science experiment (see other thread) and neighbor across the street, poor fella, has his 2002 Porsche on the lift with me trying to extract the remains of a bearing to save him a $18000 repair bill… but that’s another story for another forum…
I don’t really have anything to suggest other than tearing the keg down, soaking in PBW, rinsing well with non-soapy water, replacing the O-rings and poppets, and trying again. If you’ve isolated the problem to a particular keg, then clean the things that can be cleaned and replace the rest. If it still is bad, it’s a cursed keg. Write it off, or trade it with someone who can’t taste it.
Some people have genetic differences and sense flavors differently. I know some people can’t stand cilantro because it tastes like soap to them. Maybe it’s something along those lines. I have a friend that says bell peppers taste like gasoline to him (but hot peppers are fine). If it’s something like this, then presumably others would not trigger on the same thing. So get other tasters try the beer you think is soapy to see if they taste anything different.
If you clean this keg and replace the o-rings, one other thing you can do is boil the posts when they are off. That takes care of any nasties lurking there, and does not take much time.
Again, when I had “it” in a bottle of SNPA I really wondered. But, I don’t always have it with that beer… There may be a substance, with a threshold concentration, that sets it off in my pallet…
