Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks  (Read 3729 times)

Offline brewinhard

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3272
Re: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2016, 11:54:31 am »
My guess is that the harder plastic is just fine to keep around for a while. The softer tubing can more easily become scratched or stained leaving places for the bad guys to build up.

Offline beersk

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3721
  • In the night!
Re: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks
« Reply #16 on: July 27, 2016, 02:24:14 pm »
Isovaleric acid is definitely hop related.

The funny thing about it is that major parts of the population can't even detect it at any level.  I went to the Siebel Sensory Perception class at GABF back in 2009 (God, has it been that long?) and while half the class sipped away at the sample straining to find something wrong, the other half of the class was making gagging noises and looked like they were going to hurl.

Would agree it's probably hop related. Every beer I made with the last pound of Cascade I had had a dirty sock aroma suggesting isovaleric acid because of old hops. They were crazy old, but it was only in those beers made with those hops.

Were those hops kept cold and sealed?
Yeah. Hasn't happened since I used those hops. Not sure if they were handled poorly before I got them or what the deal was. You just never know...
Jesse

Offline Iliff Ave

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4507
Re: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks
« Reply #17 on: July 31, 2016, 12:20:01 pm »
As expected this beer scored pretty poor at competition. The main critique is oxidation which I don't understand. I had some bottling issues from the keg as well so the the beer was under carbed and hazy from keg movement. The judge did not that it would be a god lawn mower beer so it wasn't horrible I suppose.
On Tap/Bottled: IPL, Adjunct Vienna, Golden Stout, Honey Lager
Fermenting: IPA
Up Next: mexi lager, Germerican pale ale

Offline brewinhard

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3272
Re: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks
« Reply #18 on: July 31, 2016, 02:56:51 pm »
As expected this beer scored pretty poor at competition. The main critique is oxidation which I don't understand. I had some bottling issues from the keg as well so the the beer was under carbed and hazy from keg movement. The judge did not that it would be a god lawn mower beer so it wasn't horrible I suppose.

How are you bottling from the keg?  Bottling wand in picnic tap, straight from tap, or beer gun?

Offline Iliff Ave

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4507
Re: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks
« Reply #19 on: July 31, 2016, 02:59:48 pm »
As expected this beer scored pretty poor at competition. The main critique is oxidation which I don't understand. I had some bottling issues from the keg as well so the the beer was under carbed and hazy from keg movement. The judge did not that it would be a god lawn mower beer so it wasn't horrible I suppose.

How are you bottling from the keg?  Bottling wand in picnic tap, straight from tap, or beer gun?

Blichmann beer gun. They were bottled on Tuesday so I assume the whole keg is oxidized?
On Tap/Bottled: IPL, Adjunct Vienna, Golden Stout, Honey Lager
Fermenting: IPA
Up Next: mexi lager, Germerican pale ale

Offline brewinhard

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3272
Re: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks
« Reply #20 on: July 31, 2016, 03:01:54 pm »
Some people are more prone to picking up oxidation than others. Maybe you should look at how you are transferring the beer into the keg?

Offline HoosierBrew

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 13031
  • Indianapolis,IN
Re: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks
« Reply #21 on: July 31, 2016, 03:32:15 pm »
Chris, I assume you purged your bottles with the gun? It's possible that the guy picked up on some legit oxidation, but I've been dinged on oxidation a time or two when I was convinced that the judge saw the non-standard fill level from the gun and convinced himself that  "Ok, he keg filled so there must be oxidation present "(where I found none). The former is probably more likely but the latter isn't impossible. Regardless, take the comments as a learning experience. You'll score better next time.
Jon H.

Offline Iliff Ave

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4507
Re: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks
« Reply #22 on: July 31, 2016, 06:07:36 pm »
Chris, I assume you purged your bottles with the gun? It's possible that the guy picked up on some legit oxidation, but I've been dinged on oxidation a time or two when I was convinced that the judge saw the non-standard fill level from the gun and convinced himself that  "Ok, he keg filled so there must be oxidation present "(where I found none). The former is probably more likely but the latter isn't impossible. Regardless, take the comments as a learning experience. You'll score better next time.

Thanks Jon. This beer has scored a 42 in the past so I knew something was off with this batch. I am still getting the whole stinky sock thing so maybe that is how I perceive oxidation. I did purge the bottles with co2 but I have never had the best luck with my beer gun even when following the instructions of others who have good success.

My amber lager took second with low carbonation and a spiced Baltic porter scored decently so I am okay with this one doing poorly this year.
On Tap/Bottled: IPL, Adjunct Vienna, Golden Stout, Honey Lager
Fermenting: IPA
Up Next: mexi lager, Germerican pale ale

Offline Iliff Ave

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4507
Re: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks
« Reply #23 on: July 31, 2016, 06:08:46 pm »
Some people are more prone to picking up oxidation than others. Maybe you should look at how you are transferring the beer into the keg?

Yes I don't take any special precautions. Vinyl tubing straight from the spiedels spigot to the keg then purged with co2.
On Tap/Bottled: IPL, Adjunct Vienna, Golden Stout, Honey Lager
Fermenting: IPA
Up Next: mexi lager, Germerican pale ale

Offline brewinhard

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3272
Re: isovaleric acid - sweaty socks
« Reply #24 on: August 01, 2016, 11:38:05 am »
Gravity fed? 

Maybe you could try blanketing the fermenter with CO2 prior to transferring, unless there is already a nice blanket from fermentation there then you should be just fine. Maybe you should make one end of your tubing with a liquid quick disconnect so you can transfer via the out/liquid post of your kegs?  Then you could do a sealed transfer.  Just a thought.