Why won't my beer keep????

[Keviebaby]

Can somebody help me before I tear all my rapidly fading hair out?

Just been away for a week and I had a half keg of Brupaks Kirkby Bitter left and I kegged a Muntons Gold docklands porter just before I left.

Got back today and the Kirkby is off, gone all cidery and not nice at all (kegged about four weeks ago) and the porter is just vinigary (my wifes assessment). I know porter is supposed to be on the sour side but I thought that nowadays manufacturers tried to emulate this by using dark grains. This is definatly not a grain taste.

Now, I have already had an infection with one kit recently after which I replaced my siphon tubing. I am careful about sanitising everything well and making sure I rinse off well so Im down to a couple of possibilities :

1) My water is rubbish - I'm on the Doncaster/Rotherham border in South Yorkshire and my water company is Severn Trent (don't know if anyone else on the forum is supplied from the same reservior?)

2) My kegs have really had it and are unsanitisable (if there is such a word?)

3) My primary fermenting bucket is harbouring nasties (although I have had a couple of good beers recently)

OR

4) It's just too hot to brew beer that will keep at the moment

It's getting frustrating shelling out £15-£20 and pouring it down the drain. I'm starting to get to work on my brew shed now ready for my return to full mash so I'm sure there'll be some questions from me also in the equipment forum

Cheers,

Kev

Secondary - Muntons Connoisseur Wheat Beer with 500g Glucose and 500g light Spraymalt

[steve_flack]

There are some houses that are just bad for infections. I know a guy who couldn't brew in his (very old) house as every brew he made got infected. As soon as he moved to his modern concrete garage he was OK....

[Keviebaby]

Thanks DaaB,

I'm using VWP to clean and sanitise. Warm water and a good going over with a soft nylon brush to clean and a soak to sanitise. I do have a flip tap on one of my kegs though. I'll go and get some W&D taps and replace them all. I havn't boiled my caps, just filled them with a little sanitiser.

I havn't been boiling the sugar either, just mixing it in with boiling water. I'll give it a try when I keg my wheat beer.

Steve - I may just be getting paraniod but that's what I'm starting to think. We did have a problem with damp when we moved in and had to have the damp proof course and some floorboards replaced and we do get mould on some of the walls on occassion. I think I need to crack on with the brew shed and drink my beer quicker

Kev

Secondary - Muntons Connoisseur Wheat Beer with 500g Glucose and 500g light Spraymalt

[guest5234]

If it started off OK then i'd go for infection.

To sanitise with chlorine base products requires a 20 min soak, that's a starting point at least.

You can't sanitise something that isn't clean.

You should periodically dismantle your barrel and give them a good clean in soda crystals etc and soak in a thin bleach solution.

The threads in a barrel can be tricky, make sure they get a proper soak.

Lever taps (the type on budget barrels) can't be cleaned or sanitised properly, replace them regularly.

fwiw, I boil my barrel caps complete with valve for 10 mins, sometimes the cap seal needs streching back into place.

Do you boil your priming sugars? These could b a source of infection.

Even brewing sugar? I never ever thought of that.

[guest5234]

Even brewing sugar?

yes

Them little bastards are every where then

[Keviebaby]

Transferred my Wheat Beer into a corny. Boiled the posts and lid and gave everything else a thorough clean and santised. Stripped down my dispensing flexi tap and gave that the same treatment.
Boiled 75g of sugar for priming.

Transferred to the corny and then found that the safety valve wasn't sealing properly and letting all the gas out so boiled another lid and this one sealed fine.

Fingers crossed that this one will keep longer.

For my next kit I'm going to ferment in a closed fermeter, see if it makes a difference.

BTW DaaB, since your post about replacing lever taps regularly, mine has started leaking!!!!

Kev

[oblivious]

Even brewing sugar?

yes

Them little bastards are every where then

Sugar has a huge surface area, plenty of space for them to hide