INFECTION? RUBBER TASTE/SMELL!!? (Landlord)

[trucker5774]

Did this smell / flavour ever go away? I have a similar issue...

I had 2 brews with the rubber issue. I kept both for 3 months with no improvement

[Eadweard]

I always think light struck beers have a burnt rubber taste.

[Zapp Brannigan]

I just lost two brews to this (neither of which recovered after long maturation), and had one which recovered.

The two that had to go were a London Pride and an Exe Valley Spring Beer, the latter of which became drinkable for a while and then bombed again. The one that was initially heavily effected but recovered after several weeks bottle conditioning was a wiessbier.

The cause of the problem was almost certainly the beer getting too warm during primary fermentation, after Mrs B decided to fart around with the thermostat after I asked her not to

ZB

[bosium]

It has to be some dodgy infection. Balls, so much time and effort (not to mention very expensive ingredients and even bottled water for one) down the drain.

Now to replace all my hoses and FV, sanitise everything 'scorched earth' style.

[whcarter]

I lost a batch due to the same infection--rubber smell and taste. Don't know what caused it, but I let it sit for months in the cask and no improvement. Finally threw it out and scrubbed everything like crazy.

[trucker5774]

I lost a batch due to the same infection--rubber smell and taste. Don't know what caused it, but I let it sit for months in the cask and no improvement. Finally threw it out and scrubbed everything like crazy.

I am as sure as I can be that mine was caused by very high temperatures in the primary FV (about 28 C) Both brews I had at the same time went the same way. I have done many brews with the same gear since, without the same thing happening.

[weiht]

I had fermented at high temperatures of about 27-30 deg a couple times before, thats when i just started off homebrewing and had no temp control. The beers still came out fine without any off flavours or signs of infection. However, u do get very high estery flavours and some notes of banana n grapefruit, a little cidery as well. Its still drinkable beers, but u just wont like the high esters.

In this case, I think the rubber taste and smell is unbearable and no way drinkable? So i doubt its just as simple as high temp fermentation alone, it may have contributed

[askey]

I know it sounds obvious but have you double checked on the cleansing \sanitizing of your bottles,,?
about a year ago I had a run of brews with an insupportable rotten mouldy taste . I took apart my all grain system several times inproving this and that and saw a post on using percarbonate of sodium to clean my bottles ( prior to that I had only been using Iodophor or peracetic acid with a bottle brush).
the visual difference after being left a day soaking in the solution was enough tell me I'd found the source of infection .
A film, practically not visible to the naked eye, had built up on the surface of the bottles over time and was preventing the sanitizer from keying in with the glass. Safe to say I've not had problems with infections since .
In my humble opinion by the way, I find that you can live with a brew that's got some 'off flavours', but a real infection, that takes a lot of stubborn courage to down the whole forty bottles or whatever and usually goes down the sink.
good beers! Ian

[trucker5774]

I know it sounds obvious but have you double checked on the cleansing \sanitizing of your bottles,,?
about a year ago I had a run of brews with an insupportable rotten mouldy taste . I took apart my all grain system several times inproving this and that and saw a post on using percarbonate of sodium to clean my bottles ( prior to that I had only been using Iodophor or peracetic acid with a bottle brush).
the visual difference after being left a day soaking in the solution was enough tell me I'd found the source of infection .
A film, practically not visible to the naked eye, had built up on the surface of the bottles over time and was preventing the sanitizer from keying in with the glass. Safe to say I've not had problems with infections since .
In my humble opinion by the way, I find that you can live with a brew that's got some 'off flavours', but a real infection, that takes a lot of stubborn courage to down the whole forty bottles or whatever and usually goes down the sink.
good beers! Ian

In my case I have a rotation of bottles (renewed frequently) so that's not the culprit. The rubber thing was unpleasant but not the spit it out reaction I would have to an infection taste. Never had the rubber taste since.......hope this warm weather doesn't prompt another. Having said that, I was away from home the last time and wasn't able to control the temperature.

[blackadder]

Looks like you have loads of advice, I don't post often, and not as savvy as many wise voices here, but similar problem brew after brew when started out. Pitch and fermentation temps are key imo especially easy to not cool far enough and pitch too warm. 20-22 degree max for both and that feels cool to touch and a room cooler than an average house temp. Use thermometer at all points. I have found a cool spot at home and am regularly turning out smooth creamy beers all aftertastes gone.