[flbrewer]

Bottle one from the tap and leave it at room temp for a few weeks, then open and taste it.  That'll tell you if you need to clean your lines.  I've had some issues with that in the past for comps.

The lines would surprise me, I splurged for the EJ Beverage silver lined, titanium and platinum lines. Additionally, I haven't had beer running through them that long. I do run hot PBW followed by clean water through the lines each time I switch out the kegs.

[troybinso]

Phenolic off-flavor is frequently caused by a wild yeast contamination.

[S. cerevisiae]

Are you using Star San as your only sanitizer?  Star San does not kill wild yeast.

[denny]

A smoky phenol is often a sign of infection.

[flbrewer]

Are you using Star San as your only sanitizer?  Star San does not kill wild yeast.

Yes...outside of some grain dust somehow getting into my fermenter or keg, I've never used a wild strain.

[narvin]

Bottle one from the tap and leave it at room temp for a few weeks, then open and taste it.  That'll tell you if you need to clean your lines.  I've had some issues with that in the past for comps.

The lines would surprise me, I splurged for the EJ Beverage silver lined, titanium and platinum lines. Additionally, I haven't had beer running through them that long. I do run hot PBW followed by clean water through the lines each time I switch out the kegs.

It could also be the faucet, which has dried beer on it exposed to the air.  I still think you should try your bottling procedure for competitions and leave a sample at room temp to check for shelf stability.  The beer you have at home could be very different than the beer they taste.

[narvin]

Are you using Star San as your only sanitizer?  Star San does not kill wild yeast.

Yes...outside of some grain dust somehow getting into my fermenter or keg, I've never used a wild strain.

Wild yeast is everywhere.  This is how people make sourdough.

[S. cerevisiae]

Yes...outside of some grain dust somehow getting into my fermenter or keg, I've never used a wild strain.

As Narvin mentioned, wild yeast and bacteria are everywhere in our environment (leave an open container of autoclaved wort out and watch what happens).  Wild yeast and bacteria ride on house dust.  Wild yeast and bacteria counts increase as the ambient temperature rises, which is why brewing was traditionally limited to the cooler months in places like Germany.  Elevated microflora counts are also the reason why I avoid working with my bank during the summer.

[brewday]

Bottle one from the tap and leave it at room temp for a few weeks, then open and taste it.  That'll tell you if you need to clean your lines.  I've had some issues with that in the past for comps.

The lines would surprise me, I splurged for the EJ Beverage silver lined, titanium and platinum lines. Additionally, I haven't had beer running through them that long. I do run hot PBW followed by clean water through the lines each time I switch out the kegs.

It could also be the faucet, which has dried beer on it exposed to the air.  I still think you should try your bottling procedure for competitions and leave a sample at room temp to check for shelf stability.  The beer you have at home could be very different than the beer they taste.

+1

If you want to fill a jug and take it over to your buddy's house to enjoy, the faucet's fine.  If you're bottling for competition, there are better ways.  Start by googling "we don't need no stinking beer gun".

[flbrewer]

Haha yeah, not sure how I didn't see these growler fill adapters before.

[brewday]

Haha yeah, not sure how I didn't see these growler fill adapters before.

For filling growlers they're fine - I use one.  But for comps and otherwise you should really consider bottling directly from the keg.  Just sayin'.

[HoosierBrew]

For filling growlers they're fine - I use one.  But for comps and otherwise you should really consider bottling directly from the keg.  Just sayin'.

+1

[flbrewer]

^Why's that?

[HoosierBrew]

^Why's that?

Because a counter pressure/beer gun type arrangement allows you to purge your bottles with CO2 before and after filling - greatly limits O2 exposure, therefore potential oxidation. Also, you lose less carbonation than filling from the tap.

[brewday]

Yep.  The one time I tried your way I got both an infection and oxidation. Ultimately the beergun or similar is probably the way to go.  I used the cobra tap/racking cane deal for a couple of years and it worked.