In my previous post, I discussed having 2 bad batches of beer in a row. While I wasn't sure what was actually causing the problem, I changed out everything and cleaned it all up and things were back to normal again. Beer was tasting good as expected and I had motivation to keep brewing.
But then it came back again! I was brewing a Zamba IPA (new hop for me) that I was very excited about and couldn't wait to try. From the hop grower:
HS Zamba® (HS-1214) dances in with juicy tropical fruits (pineapple, mango), stone fruits, candy, and orange tangerine.
Ahh, not in this batch! Brutal acidic and off-putting nasty beer that went down to a super low FG. Awful.
So what was the one thing in the fermenter that was the same as the other 2 bad batches??
Yep, there it is. On the inside of my Tilt hydrometer was a bunch of crud and when I opened up the unit, I smelled the nasty bugs likely causing all my troubles. Interestingly enough, both previous off batches had the Tilt hydrometer in the fermenter.
So what did I do about this?
4/20/24 Update: My next batch of beer was cold crashed a few days ago and I am happy to report it tastes excellent! No Tilt was used in the fermenter so I am thinking this may confirm that was the issue. But who knows for sure. It would be good to see if there is a protocol to clean the inside of the Tilt, but likely this means the gasket has a leak.
The batch was called "$6000 Pilsner" because I brewed it while getting some expensive plumbing repairs :(
It's a German Pilsner that features Hallertau Tradition hops. Here's the recipe
I still like my Tilt and will use it...but will definitely keep an eye on it. I wonder if there is a cleaning protocol for the inside?